Tag Archives: Hinds Community College

08 Sep

closing time

The Beloit Snappers should have posted a Storm warning when they went to the eighth inning Sunday with a two-run lead over Peoria. Justin Storm, former Southern Miss and Madison Central standout, blew through seven Peoria batters for the last six outs and his ninth save in the 7-5 win in the High-Class A Midwest League. Since mid-July, the 6-foot-7 left-hander is 7-for-7 in save chances. He had an 0.82 ERA in August and has yet to allow a run in three September appearances. For the season, the third-year pro has a 3.21 ERA, two wins and four holds in 43 games. Storm was seventh-round pick by Miami after a sensational season at USM in 2023, when the Golden Eagles reached a Super Regional. In the preceding Auburn Regional, in an elimination game against Penn, Storm retired 17 of the 18 batters he faced — 10 via strikeout — after coming on in relief. He had a 2.36 ERA with seven wins and eight saves for the Eagles that season. His first full year in pro ball — 2024 — was a strong one, and he finished it in the Arizona Fall League. Back in High-A for a second year, Storm rode out some turbulence early on and has been a force the last two months.
There are several other Mississippians enjoying varying levels of success this season in short-relief and closing roles: Landon Sims, the closer on Mississippi State’s 2021 national title team, has become a key figure at the back end of the bullpen for Double-A Amarillo. The 34th overall pick by Arizona in 2022, Sims is 11-for-14 in save chances with four wins and a 3.60 ERA in 47 relief appearances. … Landon Tompkins, a Hinds Community College and Northwest Rankin alum in his third pro season, was 6-for-7 in save chances and notched 10 holds and six wins with a 2.47 ERA over 39 games at High-A Greensboro (Pittsburgh system). Promoted to Double-A Altoona in mid-August, he is 2-0 with two holds and a 3.38 in nine games. … Ole Miss alum and Oxford native Houston Roth, working at Triple-A Norfolk in the Baltimore chain, is 4-1 with three saves, four holds and a 2.48 ERA in 25 appearances. The Orioles called him up briefly in late July but didn’t get him in a game before shipping him back out. … Cam Schuelke (MSU) is 3-1 with three saves and a 3.47 ERA in 14 relief appearances for Low-A Lynchburg in the Cleveland system. … Brandon Johnson (Ole Miss) had an 0.79 ERA and seven saves at Double-A Northwest Arkansas before Kansas City bumped him up to Triple-A Omaha. His numbers there are less impressive: four wins, two holds and a save with a 6.65 in 33 games. … Michael Fowler (USM) has put up a 1.08 ERA with a save and a hold in nine games for Low-A Carolina since Milwaukee signed him off the independent Mississippi Mud Monsters’ roster. … Mason Nichols, drafted in the ninth round this summer out of Ole Miss, has not allowed a run in seven appearances for Tampa Bay’s Low-A Charleston team.

19 Aug

whatever happened to …

Vantrel Reed: The Warren Central High and Hinds Community College product is playing in the MLB Draft League, a short-season independent pro loop. He is batting .285 with two homers, 10 RBIs and 12 steals in 30 games with the Williamsport Crosscutters. Reed starred for the 59-0 LSU-Shreveport team that won the NAIA World Series in May. (Also in the MLBDL are ex-Rust and Mississippi Valley State standout Dreylin Holmes and Jackson State alum Chenar Brown.)
Jacob Robson: The former Mississippi State standout, a Canada native, is now with Winnipeg in the indy American Association, where he is hitting .259 with 13 homers, 46 RBIs and 27 steals. Robson was an eighth-round draft pick out of State in 2016 by Detroit and has bounced all over the globe ever since. He got into four MLB games with the Tigers in 2021 and has also played in the Dominican Republic, Australia and the World Baseball Classic.
Will Bednar: The 14th overall pick in the 2021 draft, after helping MSU win the College World Series, the injury-plagued right-hander is at Double-A Richmond in the San Francisco system. Working only in relief this year, his ERA is 5.40 with a win, three holds and 62 strikeouts in 40 innings. He has a 1.17 ERA in six games in August. The 25-year-old has made just 81 appearances (5-11, 5.00 ERA) in his five pro seasons.
Billy Hamilton: The ex-big leaguer from Taylorsville, who’s been playing — or not playing — in the Mexican League, remains on the injured list, where the 34-year-old has resided since mid-May. He has seven steals in 10 games for Jalisco, giving the fleet-footed outfielder 850 bags in his long pro career. He swiped 326 — the record for a native Mississippian — over parts of 11 MLB campaigns, the last in 2023.
Drew Lugbauer: The former Mississippi Braves slugger — who holds the franchise career home run record with 68 over three seasons in Pearl — is now hitting bombs in the Mexican League. Currently with the Algodoneros Union Laguna, his third LMB club this season, he is batting .287 with 16 homers and 62 RBIs. All told, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound first baseman has hit 178 homers going back to his college days at Michigan (2015-17).
P.S. In his first game with Boston (see previous post), MSU alum Nathaniel Lowe drew a walk and scored a run in a 6-3 loss to Baltimore. In that game, former Bulldogs star and current Orioles third baseman Jordan Westburg, batting .375 over his last seven games, suffered an ankle injury that was initially described as “mild.”

24 Jul

striking it rich

The Pioneer League appears to be a great place to go searching for hits. That’s certainly been the case for a trio of Mississippians who have found their way to the independent league in the Great Northwest. Christopher Sargent, former Southern Miss slugger who went undrafted in 2024, is batting .395 for the Ogden Raptors with 21 homers and 56 RBIs in 54 games. His batting average ranks just seventh in a league that features five .400 hitters, including a .484 at the top. Spence Coffman, 21, former Tishomingo County star who was released by San Diego in April, is hitting .394 for the Grand Junction Jackalopes; he has six homers and 51 RBIs in 38 games. Kellum Clark, 24, the ex-Mississippi State standout from Brandon released by the New York Mets last fall, has been with the Rocky Mountain Vibes for 22 games and is raking at a .424 clip. He has seven homers and 34 RBIs. Bradley Pelle, undrafted out of NCAA Division III Millsaps this year after winning SAA player of the year honors, is 1-for-5 in two games for Ogden. Give him time. Sargent surely must be on the radar of some MLB clubs. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound first baseman hit 51 homers in three seasons at USM, though he batted just .249. With Ogden in 2024, he belted 19 bombs, drove in 95 runs and batted .316. Clark, a .270 hitter in three years at MSU, batted just .213 in two years in the low minors with the Mets. Coffman hit .260 over three years, playing mostly in rookie ball, in the Padres’ chain. P.S. The Greensboro Grasshoppers, Pittsburgh’s High-Class A club, have one of the best overall records (64-27) in the minors as well as one of the best players, former Jackson Prep standout Konnor Griffin, their shortstop/center fielder. Another Mississippi product also has played a key role for Greensboro: reliever Landon Tompkins, a Hinds Community College and Northwest Rankin alum in his third pro season. Tomkins, who has been with the Grasshoppers all season, is 5-2 with a 1.99 ERA, nine holds and six saves. He threw two scoreless innings for the W in a 3-1 victory vs. Brooklyn on Wednesday night. … Aiden Moffett, former Taylorsville High standout who pitched at LSU and Texas, has signed as an undrafted free agent with the Chicago Cubs. The 6-3 right-hander, lightly used at his college stops, pitched in the MLB Draft League earlier this summer and put up a 2.61 ERA in eight appearances. … Kevin Graham, a member of Ole Miss’ national title team, has been released by Arizona; he was a .221 hitter in four minor league campaigns.

01 Mar

roster growth

The Mississippi Mud Monsters added five players to the roster in the last week of February, including a Hinds Community College alum and a former Olive Branch High standout. New members of the independent team, set to begin play in the Frontier League in May, are utility man Dane Simon, who played five years at Nicholls State; shortstop Kasten Furr, a former UNO and Louisiana Tech star; left-hander Gage Bihm, who pitched at Hinds and NAIA LSU-Shreveport; right-hander Brian Williams, a Texas Southern product; and catcher C.J. Dunn, an Olive Branch alum. Dunn, Williams and Bihm have indy ball experience, and Bihm also pitched briefly in the New York Mets’ system last summer. … The Mud Monsters’ opener is May 8 at Trustmark Park in Pearl.

07 Aug

surfing the wire

Several Mississippi products were on the move in the minors the past couple days, including 2024 MLB draftees Cam Schuelke, Cole Tolbert and Colby Holcombe being assigned to Class A clubs in their respective organizations. Schuelke, the submarine-style right-hander from Mississippi State, was assigned to Low-A Lynchburg by Cleveland after going in the 19th round of last month’s draft. Schuelke was 5-3 with two saves and a 4.21 ERA in 32 games at State this season. Tolbert, who had a 7.71 ERA in six appearances at Ole Miss, was sent to Low-A Salem by Boston, which drafted him in the 18th round. Tolbert, from Laurel, was on Pearl River Community College’s national title team in 2022. Holcombe, an MSU and Northeast Mississippi CC alum, was placed at Low-A Dunedin by Toronto, which took him in the ninth round. MSU product Eric Cerantola, a fourth-year pro, was promoted to Triple-A Omaha by Kansas City; he had a 2.78 ERA in 24 games in Double-A. Former Bulldogs standout K.C. Hunt moved from High-A Wisconsin to Double-A Biloxi in the Milwaukee chain; he was 7-1 with a 1.95 ERA at two levels of A-ball this season. Ex-MSU star Cade Smith, 6-6 with a 3.47 ERA in Low-A ball, was promoted to High-A Hudson Valley by the New York Yankees. And Landon Tompkins, a Northwest Rankin and Hinds CC product, moved up to High-A Greensboro in the Pittsburgh system; he had a 3.86 ERA and seven saves at Low-A Bradenton.

14 May

kudos, here and there

Mike Grzanich, a former Jackson Generals pitcher, was named the MACCC’s softball coach of the year today after leading Hinds Community College to a 32-16 finish in 2024. By some cosmic coincidence, it was on May 14, 1998, that Grzanich, a hard-throwing right-hander, made his one and only MLB appearance, allowing two runs in an inning of work for Houston against Pittsburgh. Grzanich posted 17 wins and 30 saves over three seasons with the Double-A Generals, winning a Texas League title in 1996. He was the pitching coach for Hinds CC for three years before taking the softball reins in 2009. … Hurston Waldrep, former Southern Miss and current Mississippi Braves pitcher, has been ranked No. 75 among MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 minor league prospects, the only state college alum to make the chart. A first-round pick by Atlanta out of Florida last summer, Waldrep is slated to start tonight for the M-Braves against Biloxi at Trustmark Park in Pearl. He is 1-3 with a 3.90 ERA in six starts this year. … Ex-Mississippi State star Dakota Hudson notched his first win of the season on Monday with Colorado, which beat San Diego at Petco Park for its fifth straight victory. He allowed three runs in 5 2/3 innings. Hudson, a free agent pickup this past off-season, is 1-6 with a 6.13 ERA in six starts. He was 38-20 with a sub-4.00 during his time with St. Louis. … Current MSU pitcher Nate Dohm is slated to return to the mound for just the second time since early March when the Bulldogs meet North Alabama tonight in Starkville. He was expected to be a key piece for State this season, but arm issues have limited the right-hander to five appearances (1.48 ERA). A healthy comeback could be a big boost during the postseason.

05 May

blast from past

Joining a list that includes Mark McGwire can be pretty impressive, at least when it comes to hitting dingers. Mississippi State alum Brent Rooker blasted two home runs in one inning on Saturday, becoming the first Oakland player to do so since McGwire in 1996. Rooker, born in 1994, told mlb.com he grew up a St. Louis Cardinals fan in Germantown, Tenn., and followed McGwire during the slugger’s time with the Redbirds. “Being able to do anything the same as him is a huge accomplishment, and something that’s really cool for me,” Rooker said. Rooker’s bombs came in a 10-run third inning that propelled the surprising A’s to a 20-4 win over visiting Miami. Oakland is 17-17 with six straight victories. Rooker, a 2023 All-Star who also homered on Friday, is batting .240 with eight homers and 20 RBIs in 22 games, having spent 10 days on the injured list last month. As a BTW: Ex-Ole Miss standout Nick Fortes hit his first homer of the year for the lowly Marlins, 9-26. Also overshadowed by Rooker’s exploits was a four-hit game by another former Bulldogs masher, Nathaniel Lowe, who led Texas to a 15-4 rout of Kansas City. Lowe started the season on the IL and is batting .333 with a homer and four RBIs in 13 games since his return. He picked up two of those RBIs on Saturday. “I’m three weeks late to the party,” he told mlb.com, “so I have to get going.” The Rangers, 18-16 and second in the American League West to Seattle, visit division rival Oakland for a four-game series beginning Monday. P.S. William Carey University beat Blue Mountain Christian for the SSAC Tournament championship, the third tourney title in the last four years for coach Bobby Halford, who has a shelf full of trophies over his 39-year career. The Crusaders (34-14 with eight straight wins) will host an NAIA Opening Round tourney next week. BMC also gets an NAIA bid. … Delta State won an elimination game in the GSC Tournament and will play again today against Lee in Oxford, Ala. … Hinds Community College swept host Northwest Mississippi CC in their MACCC playoff series and advances to next week’s NJCAA Division II Region 23 Tournament in Poplarville. No. 1-ranked East Central, No. 13 Jones and Meridian all won their best-of-3 series openers on Saturday and will play again today.

04 May

big time

Any win is big this time of year in college baseball. Each of the state’s Big 3 NCAA Division I schools got one Friday, and big flies played a big role. Ole Miss, which is practically in desperation mode, won at Auburn 11-7 for its 24th win, sparked by home runs from Nos. 2, 3 and 4 hitters Jackson Ross, Andrew Fischer and Will Furniss. Surging Mississippi State picked up win No. 31, a 13-3 run-rule rout of Alabama in Starkville. The Bulldogs hit four bombs, including a pair by red-hot Hunter Hines, and Khal Stephen notched win No. 7. Southern Miss got win No. 29, getting a homer from Nick Monistere and three run-scoring doubles in a 7-2 victory against Coastal Carolina at Hattiesburg; Billy Oldham earned win No. 6. … In the MACCC playoffs, Hinds Community College pulled off an upset win vs. Northwest Mississippi CC in Game 1 at Senatobia. Braden Richardson, Cameron Hill and Tyler Jonas went deep for the Eagles, the latter hitting a late grand slam in the 9-5 victory. That best-of-3 series continues today, while the other three will begin. The series winners move on to next week’s NJCAA Division II Region 23 Tournament in Poplarville. … Delta State needs a win today to stay alive in the GSC Tournament at Oxford, Ala. The NCAA D-II Statesmen, seeded third, were upset by No. 6 West Florida, which got to closer Josh Hill for a run in the ninth in a 4-3 win. All-GSC pick Dylan Coleman was 3-for-5 with an RBI for DSU, which plays 7-seed Shorter today.

19 Mar

on the mound

Midweek starters in college baseball generally don’t rate the spotlight. But the two matching up tonight at Trustmark Park in Pearl should be the centers of attention before what figures to be a huge crowd. It feels highly appropriate for this rivalry game that both Ole Miss’ Riley Maddox and Southern Miss’ Cole Boswell are Mississippi boys, products of tradition-rich high schools. Maddox, from Pearl, was an All-State performer at Jackson Prep before heading to Oxford. Boswell, from Collinsville, pitched at West Lauderdale and then at Meridian Community College before moving on to Hattiesburg. Maddox is 1-1 with a 5.03 ERA in five games (four starts) for the 15-6 Rebels, who, like the 14-6 Golden Eagles, have surged into the national polls this week. Boswell is 0-0, 5.87, in four games and three starts, including one earlier this month at Trustmark against Mississippi State. Maddox was hurt most of last season at UM after posting a 5.24 as a freshman in 2022. Boswell went 11-1, 2.49, at Meridian CC last season and was the juco league’s pitcher of the year. Pitchers’ duels are not uncommon at the TeePee, the home of the Double-A Mississippi Braves that typically plays as a pitcher’s park. Maybe we get one tonight. It would be highly appropriate. … For the record, a pair of Mississippi products will hook up in Starkville tonight, as well, when MSU sends lefty Bradley Loftin (ex-DeSoto Central star) to the mound against Memphis’ 6-foot-6 right-hander Cade Davis (from Ripley via East Mississippi CC). … A few miles down the road from Pearl, at Joe G. Moss Field in Raymond, Hinds CC is hosting a twinbill against East Central, undefeated (28-0) and ranked No. 1 in the NJCAA Division II poll. Hinds is 15-14, including a loss to Warriors back on March 2. The spotlight in Raymond likely will be on ECCC sluggers Mo Little, Brady McGee and Trey Bridges, who have seven home runs each.

15 Feb

a few small details

The “preseason” is over for William Carey University and Blue Mountain Christian, NAIA schools who are already heading into Southern States Athletic Conference play. Carey, ranked No. 4 in NAIA, takes a 5-2 record into a three-game series starting today at Point University in Georgia. The Crusaders are hitting just .227 as a team, though R.J. Stinson has come out hot, batting .409 with a homer, seven RBIs and five runs. BMC is 7-1 but will face tougher opposition in a three-game set beginning Friday at Brewton-Parker in Georgia. Brewton-Parker is 7-6 overall but 5-0 at home in Mt. Vernon. For the Toppers, Arderrius Townsend is raking at .577 with three homers and 14 RBIs. Townsend, from Pontotoc, is a Northwest Mississippi Community College alum who was on Jackson State’s roster in 2023. … East Central CC, defending state and region champ, is off to an 8-0 start. Led by slugger Mo Little — who hit a dramatic ninth-inning grand slam in an extra-inning win on Tuesday — the 10th-ranked Warriors have scored 92 runs. They play Southeastern (Iowa) and Kirkland (Mo.) on Saturday in Decatur. … Hinds CC is 7-2 with six straight victories heading into a pair of games today at Meridian; the Eagles will play Northwest Florida State and 13th-ranked MCC (4-4). Lincoln Sheffield, a sophomore out of Hartfield Academy, is 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 12 innings for Hinds. … Belhaven University goes into a weekend series at Hardin-Simmons in Texas looking for new coach Andrew Gipson’s first win. The NCAA Division III Blazers went 0-3 in a round-robin event in Conway, Ark., last week.