Tag Archives: Cubs

23 Nov

return engagement

It was a no-brainer that the Chicago Cubs would make a 2026 contract offer to Justin Steele. The more relevant news is that ex-George County High star Steele, coming off arm surgery, has begun throwing again and could be back in the team’s rotation next May, mlb.com reported. Steele, 30, went 3-1 with a 4.76 ERA in four games before going on the injured list last season. He won 16 games in 2023 and is 32-22, 3.30, for his five-year MLB career, which includes an All-Star Game nod. So of course the Cubs wanted the left-hander back in the fold. “He’s such a good competitor and everybody loves being around him,” Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy told mlb.com. Steele made $6.6 million last year and will get a nice bump in negotiations. P.S. Ole Miss product James McArthur signed a new $810,000 contract with Kansas City. The reliever missed all of the ’25 season after elbow surgery. He posted a 4.92 ERA with five wins and 18 saves for the Royals in 2024 and a had 4.63 as a rookie in ’23. … The news was not so good for ex-Ole Miss slugger Tim Elko, who has become a free agent after being non-tendered by the White Sox. Elko, 26, who made his MLB debut in 2025, recently had surgery to repair a torn ACL and could be sidelined several months. He hit .134 with four home runs in 23 MLB games this season and .292 with 26 homers in Triple-A. … Other 2025 MLB players with state ties who are current free agents: Tim Anderson (East Central CC); Adam Frazier (Mississippi State); Kendall Graveman (MSU); Nathaniel Lowe (MSU); Drew Pomeranz (UM); Hunter Renfroe (MSU); Chuckie Robinson (Southern Miss); Houston Roth (UM); Nick Sandlin (USM); Chris Stratton (MSU); Spencer Turnbull (Madison Central HS); and Jacob Waguespack (UM). … Ashton Lansdell, who played softball at Ole Miss last season, was the seventh overall pick (by Los Angeles) in the Women’s Professional Baseball League draft. Lansdell, a Georgia native, has played baseball in junior college and for the USA Baseball Women’s National team.

09 Oct

quick pitches

Drew Pomeranz, the veteran left-hander out of Ole Miss, has thrown four hitless innings for the Chicago Cubs in four postseason outings, including a stint in Wednesday’s win against Milwaukee at Wrigley Field. Pomeranz worked a 1-2-3 fifth and got the W as the Cubs stayed alive with a 4-3 victory in Game 3 of the National League Division Series. … Brookhaven native Lance Barksdale was the first-base umpire for that NLDS game and if the normal rotation holds, he’ll be behind the plate for tonight’s Game 4. … Colt Keith, coming back from an injury, has started each game at DH for Detroit in the American League Division Series, but the ex-Biloxi High star is just 1-for-10 with a walk. He went 0-for-4 in Wednesday’s 9-3 victory over Seattle, which forces a decisive Game 5 on Friday. … Devin Williams, the Biloxi Shuckers alum, yielded a crushing two-out hit — on a fastball, not his signature changeup — that scored two inherited runners in the seventh inning of the New York Yankees’ season-ending 5-2 loss to Toronto in their ALDS. Trent Grisham, another former Shuckers star and a big bat for the Yanks all season, went 0-for-5 in Wednesday’s Game 4 loss and finished 2-for-17 in the series. … Former Mississippi State righty Tyson Hardin, a second-year pro, was named Milwaukee’s pitching prospect of the year by MLB Pipeline. The Brewers’ No. 20 prospect, converted from reliever this year, Hardin went 6-5 with a 2.72 ERA in 21 starts between High-Class A Wisconsin and Double-A Biloxi this season. Ex-Jackson Prep star Konnor Griffin, the top prospect in the minors, was named Pittsburgh’s hitting prospect of the year. … Jalen Miller, a member of the Mississippi Braves’ 2021 league championship club, won another title this season with the York Revolution of the independent Atlantic League. Miller was the MVP of the championship series, batting .474 in the four games, and also earned postseason All-Star recognition and All-Defensive Team honors at second base. He hit .297 with 19 homers and 80 RBIs on the year. Of note: Miller is among the handful of players to hit a homer over the batter’s eye in center field at Pearl’s Trustmark Park. … The Mississippi Mud Monsters will open their 2026 season on May 7 at Trustmark Park against the Gateway Grizzlies, first game of a three-game set. The indy club’s second season will feature 51 home games on the new artificial surface at Trustmark. The club went 49-47 in its inaugural season in the Frontier League.

03 Oct

forging ahead

The final eight teams are now set in the major league postseason, but for the Mississippi baseball aficionado, there are some questions. What will Will Warren’s role be with the New York Yankees? Will Colt Keith be back on the field for Detroit? Is Brandon Woodruff ready to come off the injured list for Milwaukee? … Former Jackson Prep standout Warren watched as the Yankees, behind the gas-pumping Cam Schlittler, eliminated Boston 4-0 Thursday night in Game 3. Warren, 9-8, 4.44 ERA, as a starter this season, shifted to the bullpen for the Wild Card Series but never made an appearance. A Baseball America MLB All-Rookie selection, the right-hander reportedly is a candidate for Saturday’s Game 1 of the American League Division Series at Toronto, the AL East champ and the league’s top seed. On the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster is Southern Miss alum Nick Sandlin (2.20 ERA in 19 games), on the IL since early July with an elbow issue; he has been throwing but apparently isn’t ready for active duty. … Thursday’s loss ended a brilliant season for Ocean Springs High product Garrett Crochet, who beat the Yankees — for the fourth time in 2025 — in the series opener. Also going home is ex-Mississippi State slugger Nathaniel Lowe, who went 1-for-7 in the series. He had one of the Red Sox’s five hits — and one of the 12 punchouts — against Schlitter; he also committed a tough error at first base in the pivotal fourth inning of Game 3. … Keith, former Gatorade player of the year winner (2019) at Biloxi High, watched as the Tigers beat Cleveland in Game 3 on Thursday to advance to the ALDS against Seattle. Keith, who hit .256 with 13 homers, 45 RBIs and 65 runs this season, went on the IL on Sept. 19 with a rib cage injury. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Thursday there were “good signs” that Keith might be able to return for the ALDS. … Ex-MSU star Woodruff’s status remains cloudy for Milwaukee’s National League Division Series against Chicago. The big right-hander returned from injury this year to go 7-2, 3.20, in 12 starts but went on the IL on Sept. 21 with a lat strain. He is technically eligible to come off the IL today (Oct. 3). He has pitched in eight postseason games for the Brewers in his career, going 1-3, 3.18. The Brewers would certainly love to have their horse against the Cubs. … Chicago out-pitched San Diego in their Wild Card Series, winning Games 1 and 3 by 3-1 scores. Former Ole Miss star Drew Pomeranz worked in both of those wins, retiring all six batters he faced and notching two holds. The situational lefty, 36, entered Thursday’s game in the seventh with a runner at first, no outs and the Cubs up 2-0. He got a fly out, a line out and another fly out to end the inning. P.S. The last time the Blue Jays won the AL East, in 2015, their manager was former Jackson Mets catcher John Gibbons. That team lost in the AL Championship Series to Kansas City, which was managed by former JaxMets catcher Ned Yost. Oddly enough, the Royals beat the New York Mets in the World Series.

18 Sep

september madness

The Chicago Cubs clinched their first playoff berth in five years, and former Ole Miss ace Drew Pomeranz played a role in Wednesday’s win and an even larger one in the team’s overall success. Acquired from Seattle in a late April trade, the big left-hander, now 36, has made 53 appearances, registering a 2-1 record, 13 holds, a save and a 2.15 ERA. He had not appeared in an MLB game in four years before the Cubs gave him this shot. The fifth overall pick in the 2010 draft by Cleveland, he has a 3.82 career ERA and a World Series ring (Boston, 2018). Pomeranz worked a scoreless eighth inning in Wednesday’s 8-4 road win against Pittsburgh. … Elsewhere on Wednesday, Brandon Woodruff, the former Mississippi State standout from Wheeler, worked five innings (one run, nine strikeouts) on 10 days rest as Milwaukee beat the Los Angeles Angels 9-2. The Brewers, who clinched a playoff berth last week, lead the Cubs by 5 games in the National League Central. The teams do not meet again this season. Woodruff, in his comeback campaign, is 7-2 with a 3.32 ERA. “I want to pitch deep into October and make a run at this thing,” he told mlb.com. … And in Kansas City, former MSU star Adam Frazier hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning as the Royals stopped Seattle’s 10-game win streak 7-5 and dropped the Mariners a half-game behind first-place Houston in the American League West. P.S. MSU product Cam Schuelke and Luke Hill, a 2025 draftee out of Ole Miss, celebrated a Carolina League title on Wednesday night as Lynchburg beat Columbia 8-2. Schuelke, a second-year pro, got the last six outs for the save. Hill hit .347 this season for the Hillcats, Cleveland’s Low-Class A affiliate. … Ex-Jackson Prep star Konnor Griffin and MSU alum Tyson Hardin were named High-A All-Stars by MLB Pipeline. Shortstop Griffin, currently in Double-A in Pittsburgh’s system, was also rated the top prospect in the South Atlantic League. Right-hander Hardin, now with Double-A Biloxi in Milwaukee’s organization, played for Wisconsin in the Midwest League.

04 Sep

around the horn

Four games. Four hits. Four home runs. That about sums it up for Kemp Alderman’s time with Triple-A Jacksonville. Promoted from Double-A by Miami on Sunday, the Ole Miss product has gone deep in each game with the Jumbo Shrimp. He homered in both ends of a doubleheader on Wednesday. The 6-foot-2, 235-pound outfielder now has 19 homers on the season and 28 in his three-year pro career. He is hitting .282 overall. … Jurrangelo Cijntje, the switch-pitcher drafted out of Mississippi State in 2024, picked up his first Double-A win on Tuesday, throwing six innings for Arkansas against Amarillo. Cijntje allowed one run on five hits and four walks, punching out seven. The 15th overall pick by Seattle last summer and now the team’s No. 8 prospect, Cijntje has a 3.80 ERA in five starts for Arkansas and is 4-7 with a 4.38 at two levels. He has 110 strikeouts over 98 1/3 innings. … Konnor Griffin, the phenom from Jackson Prep, has shown no ill effects from being beaned (by former MSU pitcher Will Bednar) on Tuesday night. Griffin, playing at Double-A Altoona in Pittsburgh’s system, stayed in the Tuesday game and started at shortstop Wednesday, going 1-for-3 with two runs and a steal. He is batting .320 in 13 Double-A games. … MSU product Jackson Fristoe retired all eight batters he faced Wednesday and notched a win for Low-Class A Tampa (New York Yankees). The third-year pro is 7-2 with two saves, four holds and a 4.37 ERA for the Tarpons. … Billy Hamilton, former big leaguer from Taylorsville, has signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs and reportedly would be eligible for the postseason. The 34-year-old outfielder played briefly this season in Mexico before getting hurt. Over 11 MLB seasons with eight teams (including the Cubs), Hamilton batted .239 with 326 steals. He last played in the majors in 2023. … Former Mississippi Braves star Shea Langeliers, who hit 11 homers for the A’s in August, was named the American League player of the month. Ex-Biloxi Shuckers standouts Brice Turang and Freddy Peralta, now with Milwaukee, were the National League’s player and pitcher of the month. Turang batted .343 with 10 bombs, Peralta went 4-0 with an 0.32.

29 Aug

happy trails

Fans at Trustmark Park said good-bye to the Mississippi Mud Monsters on a soggy Thursday night. The independent club won the last home game of its inaugural season, a rain-shortened 8-3 victory over the Gateway Grizzlies. The team, expected to return to Pearl next year, also won the first game of the season back in May. The Mud Monsters finish the Frontier League season with three games at Windy City, on the outskirts of Chicago, starting tonight. It’s been a competitive team, currently sitting at 46-47. Mississippi prep products like Davis Bradshaw (hitting .402 after a two-hit game), Kyle Booker (.297) and Brayland Skinner (.292) have played starring roles. Tyree Thompson, who notched his sixth win with a six-inning complete game on Thursday, is among five starters who won at least six times. Three Mud-sters — Brian Williams, Victor Diaz and Travis Holt — made the FL All-Star Game. Two pitchers signed with major league organizations off the roster: Zack Morris and Michael Fowler. The team did a whole lot of promotion, gave away a lot of stuff, drew some big crowds and more than a few small ones. No attendance number was released from the finale, but the club averaged an announced 2,022, middle-of-the-pack in the 18-team league. All in all it was a good debut season. We’ll see what Year 2 holds.
For the record: It was 20 years ago this month that we said good-bye — forever — to the previous independent team to play in central Mississippi, the Jackson Senators. That club, which won a league title at Smith-Wills Stadium in 2003, finished 35-58 in 2005, managed by Hill Denson, who was doubling as Belhaven’s coach at the time. (The Mississippi Braves arrived in Pearl that same year; their scheduled final homestand in 2005, some might recall, was cancelled because of Hurricane Katrina. The Braves left town last September.) The ’05 Sens finished last in the eight-team Central League despite having one of the league’s best players, outfielder Vince Faison. A former first-round draft pick by San Diego, Faison hit 15 homers and got a minor league deal with the New York Yankees at season’s end. Selwyn Langaigne, another talented athlete, hit .305. Rusty Camp, former Southern Miss standout from Amory, was the top pitcher. Several other Mississippi natives played on that club, including Gerard McCall, Brandon Parker and Fontella Jones. … Twenty-five years ago, the independent Jackson DiamondKats played their forever finale. They lost their last game in September of 2000 and finished 38-74, setting a record for losses in the Texas-Louisiana League. Not a lot of pleasant memories from that team. Managed by ex-Ole Miss and MLB star Steve Dillard, the D-Kats endured two 10-game losing streaks. Crowds were very sparse, roughly 700 per game. Some players did manage to shine, however. Ex-big leaguer Mark Carreon, at age 36, joined the team late in the season and hit .340 in 42 games. Ex-Delta State star Casey Myrick batted .329 with nine homers and 56 RBIs, and Jeremy McClain, former DSU ace and now Southern Miss’ athletic director, went 7-9 with a 3.27 ERA. … Thirty-five years ago, the Jackson Mets concluded their 16-year run at Smith-Wills. The beloved OJMs’ swan song came in September in the Texas League East Division playoffs, a disheartening loss against old rival Shreveport. The Clint Hurdle-managed club went 73-62 on the year and featured a bunch of future big leaguers. Among them: Todd Hundley, Chuck Carr, Anthony Young, Pete Schourek and Chris Donnels. The Mets moved their team to Pennsylvania. The Houston Astros’ Double-A club — the Generals — moved into Smith-Wills in 1991 as the city’s new Texas League franchise and stayed until 1999, when they, too, hit the road.
P.S. Spencer Turnbull is a free agent — again. The Madison Central High grad opted out of his minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs and was released off the Triple-A roster. He had a 9.49 ERA in six starts for Iowa. Turnbull, who pitched for Philadelphia in 2024, signed with Toronto as a free agent in May, put up a 7.11 ERA in three MLB games and was released in June. He signed with the Cubs on July 12.

22 Aug

table is set

Thursday’s appetizer was good, and the metaphorical salad and dessert that will follow should be also. But the main course, to be served up Saturday at Yankee Stadium, promises to be downright delicious. Boston beat New York 6-3 Thursday night in Game 1 of a four-course series. In Game 2 tonight, the menu gives us Brayan Bello (9-6, 3.23 ERA) against three-time All-Star Max Fried (13-5, 3.26), the former Mississippi Braves standout. And on Saturday, we get a tantalizing matchup of Mississippi natives: Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet vs. Will Warren, an unsung hero in pinstripes. Knives out. Crochet, from Ocean Springs, is a big left-hander, a former first-round pick out of SEC power Tennessee with a huge contract. Warren, from Brandon, is a second-year rookie right-hander, a former eighth-round pick out of Southeastern Louisiana. Crochet is 13-5, 2.43, and a Cy Young Award contender. He beat the Yankees at Yankee Stadium on June 7. Warren is 7-5 with a 4.25, with six of those wins coming at Yankee Stadium, one of them vs. the Red Sox. The series will wrap up as the Sunday night ESPN game. Thursday’s opener, which drew a rowdy crowd of 47,036, was a taut affair, ultimately settled in the ninth inning when Boston’s Roman Anthony mashed a two-run homer into the right-field stands. It was the Red Sox’s sixth straight win against the Yankees. “I love playing in an atmosphere,” rookie Anthony told mlb.com. “We know the rivalry, and it was exciting.” Nathaniel Lowe, the Mississippi State product who signed with Boston on Aug. 18, drove in two runs and made a couple of nice plays with his glove. It was the veteran first baseman’s first taste of Red Sox-Yankees. “It’s like a dream come true,” Lowe told yahoo.com of moving from last-place Washington to the heat of a playoff race. “It’s so exciting to join a team that’s as promising and as talented as what we have going on here.” The second-place Yanks are a half-game ahead of the Red Sox in the American League East, and they sit 4-5 in the wild card standings. P.S. Biloxi Shuckers alum Brice Turang’s 14th homer helped Milwaukee beat the Chicago Cubs 4-1, snap a three-game skid and maintain a 7-game lead in the National League Central. Turang had nine hits, six RBIs and four runs in the Wrigley Field series as the Brewers won two of the five games. … Atlanta announced that Austin Riley had surgery for his abdominal injury, ending the season for the former DeSoto Central star. He hit .260 with 16 homers this year. … Houston, having lost closer Josh Hader for an extended period, signed Craig Kimbrel, the former M-Braves star who has been released by Atlanta and Texas this season. … In the minors, MSU alum J.P. France got the win and ex-Madison Central star Spencer Turnbull took the loss as Triple-A Sugar Land beat Iowa 5-2. France, who just came off a rehab assignment, went five innings (no earned runs) in relief and improved to 1-1 with a 5.52 ERA in his fourth appearance for Houston’s Triple-A club. Turnbull, signed by the Cubs as a free agent on July 12, is 0-5, 8.16, for the I-Cubs after yielding five runs in 4 2/3 on Thursday. … Congrats to Rick Sweet, Jackson Generals manager in 1991-92, for moving into third place on the all-time list with 2,418 minor league wins. Sweet is currently running Milwaukee’s Triple-A Nashville club in his 35th season as a skipper.

18 Aug

wrigley’s the place

The eyes of the baseball world should be turned this week to Wrigley Field, where National League Central rivals Milwaukee and Chicago, both featuring Mississippi connections, will battle in what could be a pivotal five-game series. The fun starts today with a doubleheader (1:20 and 7:05 CDT). The first-place Brewers, who had a 14-game win streak snapped on Sunday, lead the Cubs by 8 games in the division race. If the Cubbies are gonna make up ground, it’s gotta start this week. Freddy Peralta, a former Biloxi Shuckers star, starts for the Brewers in Game 1. He is 14-5 with a 2.90 ERA but has had issues against the Cubs’ Kyle Tucker (.625), Pete Crow-Armstrong (.556 with a home run) and Michael Busch (two homers). Cade Horton (7-3, 3.07), a revelation as a rookie, goes for the Cubs. The Game 2 starters are TBD for both clubs. (The Cubs have yet to name a starter for Games 4 or 5, either.) Milwaukee’s regular lineup features several alums of the Double-A Shuckers: Brice Turang (who hit .340 with six homers during the 14-game streak), Sal Frelick and Isaac Collins. Brewers catcher William Contreras, a former Mississippi Braves star, is one of the NL’s best. He was a teammate in Atlanta of Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson, who also played for the Double-A M-Braves. The slick-fielding Swanson is batting .249 with 18 homers and 10 steals. Brandon Woodruff, a Mississippi State product from Wheeler, is slated to start Tuesday’s game for the Brewers against 2025 All-Star Matthew Boyd, 11-6, 2.46. Since coming off his long stint on the injured list, Woodruff has been sensational: 4-0, 2.06 in seven starts, all Milwaukee wins. Ex-Shuckers ace Jacob Misiorowski (4-1, 3.89), the All-Star rookie, will start Wednesday’s Game 4 for Milwaukee. The Cubs have former Ole Miss standout Drew Pomeranz in their bullpen, and he’s been good. The 36-year-old lefty has a 1.85 ERA in 40 appearances in his first big league work in four years. And, for the record, the Cubs have ex-Madison Central High star Spencer Turnbull warming up at Triple-A Iowa, though the veteran right-hander has not pitched particularly well there: 0-2, 7.13, in four starts. P.S. Anthony Servideo, a third-round draft pick out of Ole Miss in 2020, has been released by Baltimore off of its Double-A Chesapeake roster. He was batting .156 in 95 games.

07 Aug

caught up in middle

Games aren’t always saved in the ninth inning. Middle relievers frequently work on the razor’s edge. Drew Pomeranz, the 36-year-old left-hander out of Ole Miss, faced such a situation on Wednesday with the Chicago Cubs. He came on in the sixth with the Cubs holding a one-run lead, a runner on base, two outs and the dangerous Elly De La Cruz up for Cincinnati. Pomeranz struck him out on four pitches. And his job was done. Rookie starter Cade Horton would get the win. Pomeranz was credited with a hold, his ninth in 38 appearances, and reduced his ERA to 1.97. He also has a save and two wins on his 2025 ledger. The Cubs used three more relievers, added on some runs and won 6-1 at Wrigley Field. Take 2: In Washington, Konnor Pilkington, the ex-Mississippi State standout, got the call in the fifth inning, two on, one out and the Nationals locked in a scoreless battle with the A’s. Pilkington struck out Nick Kurtz, pitched around Brent Rooker and got J.J. Bleday on a ground ball to end the inning. The lefty went back out for the sixth and gave up a tie-breaking solo homer to Tyler Soderstrom — the first he has allowed in eight appearances — before getting two outs and departing for another reliever. The Nationals tied the score in the bottom of the sixth and went on to win 2-1 via a walk-off hit. Pilkington, called up just last month, has been an effective pitcher in clutch situations though he has no wins, saves or holds. He has inherited seven baserunners and not allowed one to score in his 7 2/3 innings of work; he has put up a 2.35 ERA for a last-place team. P.S. Ole Miss alum Nick Fortes got his first hit — a home run — in his sixth game for Tampa Bay since joining the club in a trade on July 29. The Rays, with Fortes behind the plate, beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-4. … Philadelphia has claimed UM product Jacob Waguespack off waivers from Tampa Bay and assigned the right-hander to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He has been on the injured list since late May. Waguespack, who has a 5.11 ERA in 31 career MLB games, had pitched well (0.46) in the minors this year.

30 Jul

bird feed

After a rather weak start to his season that included a stint on the injured list, Jordan Westburg has been coming on strong for Baltimore this month. Former Mississippi State star Westburg, batting leadoff, went 4-for-6 with two doubles, an RBI and four runs to spark the Orioles to a 16-4 win over Toronto in the first game of a Tuesday twinbill. Westburg is batting .337 in July, with seven knocks in his last two games, boosting his season average to .269. He was at .217 when he went on the IL in late April. For the year, the 2024 All-Star third baseman has 11 homers, 24 RBIs and 42 runs in 56 games for the underachieving Orioles. They did sweep first-place Toronto on Tuesday to extend their win streak to five but are just 50-58. In more Bird news: The Orioles called up ex-Ole Miss standout Houston Roth as an extra pitcher on Tuesday, but he did not play. It might be a short-term stay. The right-hander, a 2019 draftee by Baltimore, is having a good year, with a 2.21 ERA, four wins and two saves in 24 relief appearances between Double-A and Triple-A. The O’s also have MSU alum Preston Johnson, a 2022 draftee, at Triple-A Norfolk, though he has not pitched well there since moving up earlier this month. Baltimore promoted Southern Miss product Reed Trimble to Norfolk, but the outfielder didn’t play Tuesday. A 2021 draftee, he is batting .227 with nine homers and 10 steals on the season. Of note: The Orioles drafted — and have signed — two juco pitchers from Mississippi this year: Pearl River Community College ace K.K. Clark and Meridian CC star Conner Gehr. P.S. USM alum Hurston Waldrep, who was reportedly being promoted to Atlanta, instead tossed seven shutout innings with eight strikeouts for Triple-A Gwinnett. He is 7-8, 4.42 ERA. … Former Ole Miss star Drew Pomeranz faced four batters and retired one for the Chicago Cubs in their 9-3 loss to Milwaukee. The veteran lefty wasn’t charged with a run but has yielded five over his last seven outings (9.64 ERA) after throwing 26 scoreless innings to begin his Cubs tenure. … Petal High’s Trey Barnes will play in today’s Hank Aaron Invitational, a premier prep showcase event, at Birmingham’s Rickwood Field. A USM commit, Barnes hit .404 with four homers and 29 RBIs as a junior at Petal last season.