Tag Archives: Gulf South Conference

25 Mar

that’s progress

Mississippi College is in a good place. Not meaning Carrollton, Ga., necessarily but in a broader sense. This is MC’s second season playing an NCAA Division II schedule after many years in D-III, and there are several signs of progress. The Choctaws head into this weekend’s Gulf South Conference series at West Georgia with an 11-13 record, 4-10 in the league. In coach Jeremy Haworth’s first season, the Choctaws have already equaled their GSC win total from last year (when they were 4-28) and are one victory shy of equaling their overall win mark (12-34). They beat Christian Brothers two of three in a GSC series last weekend and followed that up with a nice win over a good William Carey team on Tuesday. MC has gotten good offensive production from Hunter Bolin (.385), Logan Ferrell (.352, 25 runs), Caleb Upton (.293, 17 RBIs) and Will Elliott (.263, three homers). A big key for the Choctaws, who had major pitching problems in 2015, has been the emergence of lefty Jake Fraze (5-1, 3.33 ERA) as a No. 1 starter and Tyler Scholl (0.47 ERA in 16 games, two wins, two saves) as a bullpen weapon. P.S. Another program seemingly on the rise is Coahoma Community College. The Tigers, in their second season under ex-Ole Miss star Lee Hodge, are 4-4 in the MACJC (10-15 overall) heading into a twinbill at Gulf Coast today. CCC went 5-23, 7-37 in 2015, continuing a long trend of rough years. … Props to Southern Miss senior Tim Lynch, whose first career walk-off hit delivered a C-USA victory over Texas-San Antonio in Hattiesburg on Thursday. … William Carey (20-9) is ranked No. 24 in the latest NAIA coaches poll.

07 Feb

right at home

What do you take to a housewarming? Delta State’s players brought a handful of home runs and a little bit of pitching to newly refurbished Ferriss Field (Harvey Stadium) in Cleveland on Saturday, and an announced crowd of 881 brought some atmosphere. When the party was over, Statesmen baseball had settled in nicely with a doubleheader sweep of Harding. Ethan Gill blasted two homers for DSU, and Will Robertson and Colton Welch added one each. Juco transfer Dalton Moats didn’t pitch great in the season opener but did notch the win in an 11-5 romp. Tre Hobbs, another transfer (from Mississippi Delta Community College), was outstanding in Game 2, allowing one run and fanning six in 5 2/3 innings of a 2-1 victory. All in all, it was a good start for DSU, which ended the 2015 season a little short of its annual goal, which is an NCAA Division II regional appearance. The Statesmen went 25-18 last year, finishing with a loss in the Gulf South Conference Tournament title round. The new digs might provide some inspiration this season, though winning at Ferriss Field has never been a problem for DSU, which went 11-2 there in 2015.

21 Jan

campus notes

Delta State junior Jacob Swiney was named to the Preseason All-Gulf South Conference squad announced on Wednesday. The Biloxi native, also cited as a top player in NCAA Division II by Collegiate Baseball, batted .396 with three home runs and 35 RBIs last season, making All-GSC first team. Junior college transfer pitchers Dalton Moats and Jacob Howell were listed on the GSC’s top newcomer list. The Statesmen were pegged for a third-place finish in the league. … Mississippi College’s Will Elliott and Perry Turner also made the list of top newcomers in the GSC. Elliott, a junior outfielder from Oxford, is a transfer from Alabama. Turner, a junior pitcher, came in from Jones County Junior College. MC, still in transition to D-II, is not yet eligible for the GSC championship. … Millsaps College outfielder Isaac Glenn was an honorable mention pick on the d3baseball.com preseason All-America team. The junior from Madison hit .436 with 17 doubles and 45 RBIs in 2015. He led the Southern Athletic Association last year in slugging and on-base percentage. … Jackson State had three players named to the Black College Nine preseason All-America team. Third baseman Jesus Santana and DH Sam Campbell were named to the first team and outfielder Lamar Briggs to the second team. Santana led the Tigers and the SWAC with 12 home runs in 2015. … Former USM and MLB standout Chad Bradford will be the keynote speaker at the Southern Miss Dugout Club Banquet on Feb. 6. Bradford played at Byram High School and Hinds Community College before signing with USM. He went 5-4 with a 3.59 earned run average and three saves in 1996, his only season with the Golden Eagles. The submarine-style right-hander, featured in “Moneyball,” pitched for 12 years in the majors, posting a 36-28 overall record with a 3.26 ERA. He served as pitching coach at Hinds CC in 2014-15. … Tougaloo, one of three GCAC schools that play baseball, will be eligible to compete for the Association of Independent Institutions Baseball Championship this year. A total of 15 teams will vie for eight spots and a chance to play for one of the three NAIA Tournament bids given to the tournament champion, runner-up and third-place finisher. The Bulldogs went 7-40 in 2015 in the first year of coach Earl Sanders’ second stint with the program. P.S. Former Mississippi Braves third baseman Wes Timmons is the new coach at Shorter University, which plays in the Gulf South Conference.

01 Jun

mc’s next step

The transition to NCAA Division II proved to be a bumpy ride for Mississippi College. The Choctaws finished 12-34 overall and 4-28 in their first year back in the Gulf South Conference. Phase two of this project will come under the direction of Jeremy Haworth, hired on Saturday as MC’s new coach, succeeding Brian Owens, who announced his resignation late in the season. Haworth previously coached at D-II Ouachita Baptist, where he was named Great American Conference coach of the year this past season. He went 102-96-1 at the Arkansas school. Haworth was a star player – a D-II All-America third baseman in 2007 – at OBU when it was in the GSC, so he knows the caliber of talent it takes to compete in the league. He was also an assistant coach at D-I Arkansas-Little Rock. Haworth might want to bring a hard hat to Clinton, because there is work to do, especially on the pitching staff. There were 29 underclassmen on the Choctaws’ 2015 roster, including some promising players. A lot of them figure to return, but a large influx of newcomers might also be expected.

05 May

a puncher’s chance

Delta State likely needs to win the Gulf South Conference Tournament to get an NCAA Division II regional bid. The Statesmen (25-17) are two wins away. Sixth-seeded DSU has won three straight elimination games in Livingston, Ala., including an 11-7 victory against Alabama-Huntsville and 9-5 win over West Georgia on Monday. DSU, pegged to win the league title in preseason, must beat top-seeded West Alabama twice today to win the GSC crown. After losing to UWA on Saturday, the Statesmen survived with a 7-4 win over Valdosta State on Sunday as Ethan Gill belted his 10th home run and drove in four runs all told and Nick Goza notched his seventh save. DSU avoided going 2-and-out in the league tournament for the first time since 2010. On Monday, an eight-run fourth inning (big hit: two-run double by Dalton Skelton) propelled DSU past UA-Huntsville and a seven-run sixth (big hit: Colton Welch’s two-run double) toppled West Georgia. Three GSC teams appeared in the most recent D-II South Region top eight: West Alabama, UA-Huntsville and West Georgia. P.S. The Millsaps Majors (28-12), who last played a game on April 26, won’t know until Sunday if they’ll get an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III regionals. It would appear unlikely. In the meantime, senior Keith Shumaker has been named the Southern Athletic Association player of the year for the second time; he also won the award after his sophomore season. The Brandon native, a preseason D-III All-America choice, led the conference in runs scored (48) and hit .417. The right-hander went 8-1 with a 2.31 ERA on the mound during the regular season. Shumaker’s 254 hits for his career set a school record. Joining Shumaker on the SAA first team are outfielders Isaac Glenn and William Chenoweth. Glenn, a junior from Madison, led the SAA in hits (66), batting (.446) and slugging (.649) and was second with 44 RBIs.

24 Apr

finishing touch

Out of the running for the regular season title in the Gulf South Conference, Delta State will head to West Florida this weekend looking to improve its seeding and build more momentum for next week’s league tournament. DSU (22-14) currently sits fourth in the league at 15-8. Mike Kinnison’s Statesmen have won six straight GSC series. West Florida is 28-16, 19-11 (fifth). This has been a highly competitive series over the years, with the Statesmen leading 29-24. Ethan Gill, former Itawamba Community College star, powers the DSU attack with a .349 average, nine homers and 46 RBIs. Jonathan Moody, reigning GSC pitcher of the week, is 4-2 with a 3.77 ERA (and four complete games) and will start one of Saturday’s two games. The three-game set concludes on Sunday. East Mississippi CC product LeDarious Clark is hitting .320 with eight homers, 36 RBIs and 17 steals for the Argonauts. … Mississippi College (12-31, 4-25 in its return to the GSC) plays at Valdosta State today and Saturday to finish its season and Brian Owens’ tenure as coach.

06 Feb

something new

With a roster chock-full of newcomers, Mississippi College enters a brave new world this season. Ready or not, MC starts play in NCAA Division II and in the Gulf South Conference. Actually, MC has been here before, but that was 20 years ago. There is some catching up to do. The Choctaws open Friday against an NAIA foe, Tougaloo, at Frierson Field in Clinton. Though still in transition from non-scholarship D-III to D-II, MC will play a full slate of GSC games, starting with a series at Christian Brothers next weekend. “We’ve been putting (the players) through the ringer the last few weeks, trying to get ready,” said Choctaws coach Brian Owens, the former Mississippi State pitcher now in his ninth season as the head man in Clinton. MC returns 11 lettermen from last year’s club, which went 21-19 (18-15 in the American Southwest Conference). Pitchers Brooks Fortenberry (4-4, 2.21 ERA) and Jayme Monroe (5-5, 3.28) and position players Marty Stringfellow (.362) and Hunter Bolin (.298, 13 steals) head the cast of returnees. There are 26 newcomers on the roster, and how they mesh together while also adapting to the D-II level will tell the tale on MC’s season. … Old MC rival Delta State, also sporting a remade roster, opens Friday against Nova Southeastern in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Statesmen, under veteran coach Mike Kinnison, were pegged by league coaches to win the ever-tough GSC, this despite losing six regular position players and five key pitchers from a 38-13 team. Among the missing is Will Robertson, who led the league in hitting (.388) in 2014 but reportedly will miss this season with an injury. Landon Thibodeaux (.327, five homers, 31 RBIs) and Jonathon Moody (9-4, 2.98), both first-team All-GSC in 2014, are back. … Also of note: West Florida, picked to finish third in the GSC, has added some Mississippi flavor to its roster: former East Mississippi Community College star Ladarious Clark and ex-Jones County JC standout Jordan Stark.

25 Apr

welcome home — sorta

Delta State is finally playing at home again, but the Statesmen can’t get too comfortable. Greeting DSU today in its first game at Ferriss Field in Cleveland since April 5 is West Florida, the No. 4 team in the country in NCAA Division II and the No. 1 team in the Gulf South Conference standings. DSU is seventh in the Collegiate Baseball poll and second in the GSC, a game back of West Florida. This three-game series (single game today at 6 p.m, doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m.) will decide the regular season title. The Statesmen lead the all-time series 25-23. Yes, this should be good. DSU (32-9, 21-5 GSC) went 8-2 (with one cancellation) on its extended road trip. The Statesmen are 13-3 at Ferriss Field. They feature five of the top 10 hitters in the league, led by Will Robertson, No. 2 at .392. And their pitching is pretty good, too. P.S. William Carey qualified for next week’s Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament with a 12-7 win at Bethel on Thursday. J.C. Cassidy led Carey with a 4-for-4 effort, including a home run and four RBIs. The Crusaders are 30-23, 16-12 SSAC.