Meridian Community College Archives - Page 17 of 24

25 Jun

random numbers

1 – Big league hits for Adam Frazier, the former Mississippi State standout who got his first knock in his first at-bat for Pittsburgh on Friday night.
1 – Professional hits for Walker Robbins, the ex-George County High star who singled in his first game with the Gulf Coast League Cardinals.
4 – Hits in eight at-bats for Joey Meneses in his first two games with the Mississippi Braves. The native of Mexico was hitting .342 at Class A Carolina.
1,000 – Career wins in MLB for Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle, the former Jackson Mets manager who won 73 games with the Double-A club back in 1990.
3,315 – Attendance on Friday at Biloxi’s MGM Park, where former Jackson Mets star Darryl Strawberry threw out the first pitch. He was in town for a speaking engagement.
12 – Combined runs scored by Montgomery and Biloxi in the first inning of the Southern League game, won by the Biscuits 10-9.
13 – Home runs by Corey Dickerson, the Meridian Community College product who went deep for Tampa Bay on Friday. He leads all Mississippians in the majors in homers; Zack Cozart and Mitch Moreland have 11 each.
3 – Home runs allowed in two MLB starts by Cody Reed, the Northwest Mississippi CC alum now with Cincinnati.
15 – Strikeouts by Cody Reed in his 12 innings in the big leagues.
3.56 – ERA of Cleveland’s pitching staff, which leads the American League. Former Ole Miss standout Mickey Callaway is the pitching coach for the Indians, who have won seven straight and lead the AL Central.

16 Jun

big league chew

Freddie Freeman was touted as a future star when he arrived in Mississippi in July of 2009, and he is one former Mississippi Braves player who has lived up to that billing. Freeman became just the third player in the Atlanta Braves era (1966-now) to hit for the cycle in leading the Braves to a 9-8, 13-inning win over Cincinnati on Wednesday night. Freeman’s numbers aren’t jaw-dropping this season — .257, 11 homers, 22 RBIs – but keep in mind that he is surrounded by a weak team. If Atlanta has only one player picked for the All-Star Game, Freeman certainly should be it. It would be his third trip in the last four years. … Craig Kimbrel, another ex-M-Brave who has become a bonafide MLB star, notched his 15th save for Boston in its 6-4 win against Baltimore in a big American League East showdown. … Tim Anderson, the East Central Community College alumnus, is getting a lot of credit for rejuvenating the Chicago White Sox. Anderson, now leading off, went 3-for-5 and scored three times in the ChiSox’s 5-3 win against Detroit. Chicago climbed back to .500 and is just 2½ games out in the AL Central. Through six games, shortstop Anderson is batting .320 with three doubles and a triple. He hasn’t stolen a base yet, but those will come. … Mississippi Gulf Coast CC product Tony Sipp got one out and a win for resurgent Houston in a 4-1 victory against St. Louis. Sipp retired Matt Carpenter with runners at second and third in the seventh inning, keeping the Cardinals’ lead at 1-0. A George Springer homer in the eighth put the Astros on top. Left-hander Sipp (1-2) has a 3.22 ERA in 29 appearances. … Mitch Moreland, the former Mississippi State star from Amory, extended his hitting streak to seven games in Texas’ 7-5 win against Oakland. Moreland is batting .370 during his streak with four homers. For the year, he is at .227 with 10 bombs and 28 RBIs for a Rangers club that has opened up a 6½-game lead in the AL West. … Meridian CC alum Corey Dickerson was 1-for-3 with two RBIs for Tampa Bay, which beat Seattle 3-2. Dickerson’s average is up to .209, and he has 12 homers and 31 RBIs for the Rays, who are fighting to stay in the AL East race. P.S. Former State standout Brandon Woodruff had a rough start in a big game for Biloxi in the Double-A Southern League. He yielded three hits, two walks and three runs in a third of an inning in a loss to Jacksonville, dropping his record to 2-3 and jacking his ERA to 4.71. The Shuckers are still tied for first with Pensacola in the SL South; the first half ends Sunday.

01 Jun

here and there

Seth Smith blasted two home runs for Seattle on Tuesday, then got hit by a pitch. But it’s not what you think. The former Ole Miss standout was plunked in the foot by what was described as an “eephus-type pitch” thrown by San Diego’s Christian Bethancourt, the ex-Mississippi Braves catcher who was working in mop-up duty in a 16-4 game. Bethancourt, known for his arm, touched 96 mph from the mound while also throwing some pitches in the 50-mph range. According to mlb.com, Smith told Bethancourt after the HBP: “As long as it’s not your fastball, we’re all right.” … Meridian Community College alum Corey Dickerson also went deep on Tuesday for Tampa Bay. Of his 31 hits, nine are homers; he is batting .204 with 24 RBIs. … Ole Miss product David Goforth has been sent down by Milwaukee; he has a 9.39 ERA in seven appearances. … Ex-Southern Miss star Scott Copeland is struggling in the Korean Baseball Organization. The right-hander, who pitched for Toronto in 2015, is 1-1 with a 7.07 ERA in six starts for the LG Twins. … Hunter Renfroe, the former Mississippi State standout, belted his 12th home run on Tuesday for El Paso, the Padres’ Triple-A club. He is batting .320 with 39 RBIs and surely itching for a call-up. … Adam Frazier, another Bulldogs product, is hitting .302 with 14 stolen bases at Triple-A Indianapolis in the Pittsburgh system. … Even after a rough outing on Memorial Day, UM alum Cody Satterwhite has a 1.96 ERA and a 3-1 record in 17 appearances for Salt Lake, the Los Angeles Angels’ Triple-A team. … There is much speculation that the Chicago White Sox may be ready to call up East Central CC alum Tim Anderson, the shortstop prospect who is batting .305 with 10 steals at Triple-A Charlotte. “He could come up and do well,” J.B. Shuck, recently recalled from Charlotte by the ChiSox, told csnchicago.com. “He has that personality where he’s not going to get rattled by anything.” … Ex-State standout Brandon Woodruff notched his first Double-A win on Tuesday when he worked seven strong innings for Biloxi in a 7-1 win over the M-Braves. … Anthony Alford, the former Mr. Baseball from Petal, has gotten hot at Class A Dunedin in Toronto’s organization. Coming back from a knee injury that contributed to a slow start, Alford hit .368 over his last 10 games and is up to .233 in 27 games on the season.

24 May

times are tough

In a 3-for-27 skid that has dropped his average to .199, Brian Dozier was given a day off on Monday and might get extended downtime. “We’ve got to fix Brian Dozier,” Minnesota GM Terry Ryan said in a piece on mlb.com. “It’s not working right now, so we’ve got to adjust.” The Southern Miss product was an All-Star in 2015, when he batted .236, belted 28 homers, drove in 77 runs and scored 101. In 39 games this year, he has four homers, 14 RBIs and 18 runs. He hasn’t driven in a run since May 4. Dozier seems at a loss to explain the slump. “To be honest, I feel better than I probably have my whole career,” he told mlb.com after Sunday’s game. It doesn’t help that the Twins have sunk to 11-33, worst record in MLB. … This slump thing is going around among a bunch of Mississippians in the majors. Ole Miss alum Chris Coghlan is in a 1-for-21 funk that has dropped his average to .152 for Oakland. Mississippi juco products Corey Dickerson (Meridian CC) and Desmond Jennings (Itawamba CC) are scuffling for Tampa Bay. Dickerson, 4 for his last 23 heading into today’s play, is at .179; Jennings, 6 for his last 40, is hitting .178. Ex-Mississippi State star Mitch Moreland is batting .191 with one homer in his last 15 games for Texas. He’s at .230 for the year with four homers and 16 RBIs; he put up .278, 23, 85 last season. And a 3-for-17 slump has dropped former Ole Miss standout Seth Smith’s average to .236 for Seattle.

25 Apr

linear equations

Alex Presley, the Ole Miss product now playing for Milwaukee, hit his first home run of the season on Sunday. Fellow Rebels alum Seth Smith, with Seattle, hit his second bomb of 2016, the 99th of his career. Ex-Southern Miss star Brian Dozier, perhaps feeling the same energy his Golden Eagles drew upon in their dramatic win against Rice, hit his third homer for Minnesota. Chris Coghlan, another former Ole Miss standout now with Oakland, hit his fourth dinger of the year. And Meridian Community College product Corey Dickerson, the leading home run hitter among Mississippians in the majors, belted No. 5 for Tampa Bay. To recap: That’s 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. … The Atlanta Braves have three home runs as a team this season; they were homer-less in another loss on Sunday. Meanwhile, former Mississippi Braves Tommy La Stella, Christian Bethancourt and Yunel Escobar all went deep for other clubs. It was the first of the year for both La Stella and Bethancourt, the second for Escobar. … Former Mississippi State standout Hunter Renfroe, playing at Triple-A El Paso in the San Diego system, homered in both games of a doubleheader on Sunday and now has bombs in four straight games. Those are his only homers of the season.

12 Apr

tilting at curveballs

The biggest disappointment in the big leagues so far would have to be Minnesota, which is 0-7. Ex-Southern Miss star and Twins second baseman Brian Dozier was quoted during spring training as saying, “The last couple years, we thought we would be good, but this year we expect it.” Like his team, 2015 All-Star Dozier isn’t meeting expectations: .192 with a solo homer. … Among the surprises in MLB is Cincinnati, off to a 5-2 start. Ole Miss alum Zack Cozart is batting .412, and Taylorsville’s Billy Hamilton, while hitting just .176, has contributed a homer, a steal, three walks and four runs. … The only thing Jonathan Papelbon has throttled this season for Washington has been opposing batters. The former Mississippi State star has saved all four of the Nationals’ wins, allowing just one run. … Tampa Bay wanted power from ex-Meridian Community College star Corey Dickerson, and the ex-Colorado slugger has delivered with three homers through six games. He has only two other hits, however. … McComb native Jarrod Dyson is 1-for-4 with two walks in two rehab games at Triple-A Omaha; no definite return date has been set for the Kansas City Royals speedster. … Former Mississippi Braves star Mallex Smith’s line from his MLB debut for Atlanta on Monday: 1 hit, 1 run, 1 caught stealing, 5 stitches in his forehead. But, he may start again tonight. … Though the M-Braves are 1-4, don’t blame Ozzie Albies or Chris Ellis for the poor record. Albies, the flashy shortstop prospect, is batting .364. Ellis, the highly touted Ole Miss alum, won his only start, throwing six shutout innings. … Petal High product and Toronto prospect Anthony Alford, injured (leg) in Class A Dunedin’s opener last week, is on the club’s 7-day disabled list. Alford’s Dunedin teammate D.J. Davis, a Stone County alum, is off to a 3-for-21 start. … Not only does the Magnolia State have three nationally ranked NCAA Division I teams, but D-II Delta State is 26-11, NAIA William Carey is 29-13 and jucos Jones County and Meridian are 31-3 and 26-6, respectively. … On the schedule today are two interesting intrastate matchups: Mississippi Valley State visits Delta State at Ferriss Field in Cleveland and Mississippi College and Millsaps hook up at Twenty Field in Jackson in a Maloney Trophy Series game.

21 Mar

watch for it

Cody Reed, the former Horn Lake High and Northwest Mississippi Community College standout, will get the start tonight for Cincinnati against San Diego in a Cactus League game to be televised live (9:10 p.m.) on MLB Network. Left-hander Reed, one of the Reds’ top prospects, has a 1.13 ERA in eight innings this spring as he bids to crack their rotation. Even if he doesn’t make the club out of spring training, it’s expected the 22-year-old will make his big league debut sometime this season. The bespectacled Reed – he has worn the black-rimmed glasses on the mound since high school – went 6-2 with a 2.17 ERA in eight starts for Double-A Pensacola in 2015 after the Reds got him from Kansas City in the Johnny Cueto trade. P.S. Corey Dickerson, from McComb and Meridian CC, and ex-Itawamba CC star Desmond Jennings are with the Tampa Bay Rays on their historic trip to Cuba. The Rays will play the Cuban national team on Tuesday at 1 p.m. on ESPN, the first time since the Baltimore Orioles played an exhibition vs. Cuba in 1999 that an MLB team is taking the field there.

11 Mar

weather permitting …

If it ever stops raining, Meridian Community College’s Scaggs Field looks like the place to be on Saturday. Weather permitting, the Eagles will host Jones County Junior College in the marquee matchup of the first round of MACJC play. Jones is 17-1, having lost for the first time (to Arkansas Baptist) last Sunday. MCC is 15-1, having lost only to Jefferson (Mo.) in mid-February. Both teams are led at the plate by Southern Miss signees: Jones’ Mason Irby is batting an amazing .571 with seven homers and 27 RBIs, while MCC’s Jaylon Keys is batting .411 with four homers and 11 steals. The Bobcats, in their first year under coach Chris Kirtland, also feature Clint Sasser (.469, 21 steals) and a bevy of good arms, topped by freshman Ben Stiglets (4-0, 0.53 ERA). Eason Weeks and Baylor Obert are .400 hitters for Dillon Sudduth’s Eagles, and the most consistent pitcher has been Hunter Mullis (3-0, 3.71). The doubleheader is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. … Pearl River (15-3) is slated to open against Coahoma in Clarksdale on Saturday. For the Wildcats, Zachary Clark has been a standout on a strong offensive club. The Alabama signee is batting .388 with eight bombs, 24 RBIs and 21 runs. Coahoma (6-11 with four straight wins) has some good arms on a staff with a collective 4.07 ERA. … In other Saturday MACJC openers, all twinbills, it’s Itawamba-Hinds, Northwest-East Central, Southwest-East and Copiah-Lincoln—Delta. Weather is likely to impact this schedule. The Gulf Coast-Northeast matchup already has been postponed until May because of weather concerns.

07 Mar

more spring things

It would appear that Seth Smith is ready for the season to start. The Ole Miss alumnus from Jackson went 2-for-3 on Sunday and is now 6-for-7 this spring for Seattle. The veteran Smith, likely the Mariners’ regular right fielder, didn’t have a great 2015 (.248, 12 homers) in his first year in Seattle. … Pascagoula native Joey Butler, battling for a starting job in Cleveland’s outfield, hit his first homer on Sunday and threw out a baserunner from left field. He is 2-for-8 this spring. … Ex-Itawamba Community College star Desmond Jennings, battling for a spot in Tampa Bay’s outfield, is 3-for-5 with three doubles. Jennings is coming off an injury-wrecked 2015. “We only saw him briefly, but when we did, he can really impact our club in a lot of positive ways,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said in a recent mlb.com article. … Meridian CC product Corey Dickerson, who homered in his first game with the Rays last week, has just one hit since. … Former Meridian CC and Mississippi State standout Tyler Moore may need a good spring to stay with Washington. He went 0-for-2 Sunday and is just 1-for-8 in four games. … Ex-State star Adam Frazier, in Pittsburgh’s camp as a non-roster invitee, is 3-for-8 in five games, playing some infield and outfield. His future may be as a utility type. … Ole Miss alum Cody Satterwhite, signed as a minor leaguer by the Los Angeles Angels a few weeks back, made his first spring appearance Sunday and worked a scoreless inning. Satterwhite had a 4.38 ERA at Triple-A Las Vegas in the New York Mets’ system last year. … Ex-Rebels standout Auston Bousfield, called over from the minor league camp, got into a San Diego split-squad game on Sunday and went 0-for-1. … Hunter Renfroe, the State product and a top-rated Padres prospect, is 3-for-8 while getting a long look as a non-roster outfielder. “Hunter’s going to get at-bats, he’s going to get an opportunity to show who he is,” Padres manager Andy Green told mlb.com. … In Cincinnati’s camp, Taylorsville’s Billy Hamilton, coming off shoulder surgery, has played in just one game (as a DH) and is reported to be day-to-day. The Reds are also holding back UM product Zack Cozart, coming off knee surgery. “There’s no rush. I’m going to get my at-bats,” Cozart told mlb.com. … In Milwaukee’s camp, ex-Rebels standout Alex Presley, on a minor league contract, is 1-for-5 with a homer in three games. Fellow UM alum David Goforth, trying to stick in the bullpen, has a 3.00 ERA in three innings. Worth watching there, too, is the progress of former Biloxi Shuckers star Orlando Arcia, considered the Brewers’ shortstop of the near future. He is 2-for-8 in four games. He hit .307 with eight homers and 25 steals for the Shuckers in 2015.

04 Mar

making an entrance

Corey Dickerson wasted no time showing his new Tampa Bay teammates what he brings to the table. In his second at-bat of the spring on Thursday, the former Meridian Community College standout launched a jaw-dropping homer at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, Fla. On a 3-2 pitch from Baltimore’s Miguel Gonzalez, the lefty-hitting Dickerson drove the ball over the wall in right-center. It bounced on a rooftop beyond the park and stopped 569 feet from home plate, according to a report. While the homer generated much buzz during and after the game, Dickerson seemed to take it in stride. “I felt like I got a good pitch to hit. I tried to be short to the ball, and it worked out,” he told mlb.com. Dickerson had an injury-curtailed season with Colorado last year – batting .304 with 10 homers in 65 games – and was traded to Tampa Bay for pitcher Jake McGee in January. Part of Dickerson’s mission in 2016 is to show that his power plays outside of Coors Field. He’s off to a good start. … Brian Dozier made his spring debut on Thursday, as well, and went 3-for-3 with two doubles for Minnesota. The Southern Miss product is aiming to build on a 2015 campaign that saw him hit a career-high 28 homers with 77 RBIs and become an All-Star for the first time.