MAIS Archives - All Mississippi Baseball

28 May

wrap it up

Putting a bow on the state’s high school season — which ended with the MHSAA championships in Pearl last week — MaxPreps ranks Magnolia Heights, the MAIS Class 5A champion, as Mississippi’s No. 1 team. The Senatobia-based Chiefs, who had some big wins over out-of-state schools, are No. 22 in MaxPreps’ latest national poll. Madison Central, which beat Brandon in three games for the MHSAA Class 7A championship, is ranked No. 2 in the state, followed by Purvis, West Lauderdale, East Union, Saltillo, Lafayette, Oak Grove, Brandon and Hartfield Academy. West Lauderdale beat Purvis in the MHSAA 4A title series, but Purvis has what many consider the state’s best player: shortstop JoJo Parker. East Union, featuring highly touted pitcher Landon Harmon, was the MHSAA 2A champ. Saltillo won in 6A, Lafayette in 5A. (Seminary won the 3A title and West Union 1A.) Oak Grove lost in the 7A South finals to Brandon, while Hartfield Academy was MAIS 6A runner-up to Presbyterian Christian. … Many of the state’s best players are gathering in Hattiesburg this week for the Crossroads Diamond Club D.M. Howie All-Star Games. The 6A/7A game was slated for Tuesday, the 4A/5A game for tonight and the 1A/2A/3A game for Thursday, all at William Carey University’s Wheeler Field. This is the 50th edition of the event. … The state’s Gatorade player of the year will be announced (by Gatorade’s select committee) next month, and it’ll be quite interesting to see who follows Konnor Griffin as the winner of this prestigious award. If pro prospect status holds any sway, Purvis’ Parker (ranked 14th in MLB Pipeline’s latest draft chart), East Union’s Harmon (No. 47) and Lewisburg’s Talon Haley (No. 84) would be considered top candidates. JoJo Parker’s brother Jacob — they shared the state’s 4A Mr. Baseball title — Oak Grove’s Maddox Miller, Sumrall’s Leo Odom, Petal’s Tanner Beliveau, Hartfield’s J.P. Abt and Magnolia Heights’ Cole Prosek are others worthy of mention. The Gatorade committee considers both on-field and off-field accomplishments. The last seven winners were Jackson Prep’s Griffin (also the national player of the year), Cooper Pratt, Dakota Jordan, Braden Montgomery, Blaze Jordan, Colt Keith and J.T. Ginn. All are currently in pro ball, with Keith and Ginn on MLB rosters. P.S. Update from Enid: Pearl River Community College rallied from an early deficit to beat East Central CC 7-6 on a walk-off double in the ninth inning by Topher Jones. Second-seeded Pearl River, 2-0 in the NJCAA Division II College World Series, advances to the bracket final. Six-seed East Central, 2-1 in Enid, plays Southeastern Iowa tonight in an elimination game, with the winner taking on PRCC Thursday for a berth in the World Series finals. No. 1 seed Pasco-Hernando State (Fla.) is 2-0 in the other bracket.

19 Apr

prep work

Using the latest Power 25 rankings by Prep Baseball Report as a guide, favorites can be identified in the MHSAA playoffs that have begun for Classes 1A through 4A. Two Class 4A teams are ranked in the top six, with West Lauderdale at No. 5 and Sumrall at No. 6. The longtime powerhouse programs are on opposite sides of the bracket, possibly headed for a showdown for the state title at Trustmark Park in Pearl next month, though there is a long, long road to navigate. Jacob Wooten and Leeds Jenkins lead the way for the Knights (22-5), who have won 15 state titles. They open the playoffs with Senatobia. Sumrall’s Bearcats (24-5), winners of six state crowns, feature Landon Hawkins and Cade Clinton. They start out against Forest. Kossuth (21-1), which opens vs. Ruleville, is the highest-rated 3A team at No. 23, and East Union (21-5), which has a first-round bye, tops 2A schools at No. 17. No 1A schools are in the Power 25, though Biggersville and Hollandale Simmons got first-round byes on opposite sides of the class bracket. The 5A though 7A playoffs start next weekend. Class 7A is a minefield with five teams ranked in the top nine: No. 2 Lewisburg, No. 3 Germantown, No. 7 Hernando, No. 8 Northwest Rankin and No. 9 Oak Grove. West Jones, ranked 10th, tops the 6A schools, and South Jones, at No. 15, is the highest-rated 5A school. … In the MAIS, all eyes will be on top-ranked Jackson Prep, the king of Class 6A, and two-way star Konnor Griffin. The Patriots’ Lakeland Drive rival, 6A Hartfield Academy, is ranked No. 11 in the Power 25 but is 0-4 against Prep this season. Fourth-ranked Magnolia Heights is in Class 5A.

06 May

head on a swivel

So many proverbial big games to track this weekend. The regular season rolls toward a climax for the NCAA Division I programs. Mississippi State is at South Carolina and Ole Miss at Texas A&M in the SEC, Southern Miss hosts Middle Tennessee State in C-USA and Jackson State (shooting for an unbeaten SWAC season) hosts Mississippi Valley State (shooting for its first win). (Note: Valley, 0-17, hasn’t played since April 18, when the Delta Devils blew a three-run lead in the bottom of the ninth and lost 8-7 to Alabama A&M.) The small colleges are in postseason play. Today, in the NAIA SSAC Tournament at Mobile, Ala., fifth-seeded William Carey (30-10) plays 4-seed Mobile and 7-seed Blue Mountain (14-18) gets 2-seed Faulkner in the first round. In NCAA Division III, Belhaven (20-16) meets East Texas Baptist today in the first round of the ASC Tournament at Marshall, Texas. Division II Delta State (24-15) opens play Friday in the GSC Tournament in Oxford, Ala. The fifth-seeded Statesmen, who have won 15 GSC tourney titles, meet 4-seed Valdosta State in the opening round. And the state junior college playoffs begin Friday with the best-of-3 series that will send four teams to the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament next week. Third-ranked Pearl River Community College has clinched its regional berth and will host the tourney. The high school playoffs are under way, with the series opener of several MHSAA Class 6A heavyweight bouts set for tonight: MaxPreps No. 2-ranked Madison Central is at South Panola; No. 9 Tupelo hosts No. 12 Oxford; No. 4 Germantown visits No. 14 DeSoto Central; and No. 7 Lewisburg visits Starkville. In MAIS 5A, MaxPreps No. 1 Jackson Prep, up 1-0 in the series, plays Jackson Academy on Friday.