Tag Archives: Mississippi College

30 Dec

it won’t be long now

Mark your calendars: The college season in Mississippi begins in less than a month. William Carey University, defending regular season champion in the SSAC, will hit the field on Jan. 29, playing The Master’s (Calif.) in a three-day round-robin event at Shreveport. (Defending NAIA national champ LSU-Shreveport is also in the field.) On Jan. 30, NCAA Division II schools Delta State and Mississippi College –both regional participants in 2025 — open at home, DSU playing Harding and MC taking on Indianapolis. NAIA member Blue Mountain Christian welcomes Defiance (Ohio) College for a doubleheader on Jan. 30, and Rust College, another NAIA school, plays Midway (Ky.) and Georgia Gwinnett that day in a multi-team event at Lawrenceville, Ga. NAIA Tougaloo opens Feb. 3 at Tuskegee (Ala.) with a doubleheader. On Feb. 6, NCAA D-III Millsaps — coming off a national tournament appearance — visits LeTourneau in Texas and NCCAA member Southeastern Baptist of Laurel visits Truett McConnell in Georgia. D-III Belhaven — under a new coach, Patrick Robey, after a highly successful season — plays its first actual game on Feb. 17 against fellow D-III member MUW at Trustmark Park in Pearl. The NCAA D-I start date is Feb. 13, with Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Southern Miss — each a regional participant in 2025 — all opening at home. Mississippi Valley State is at Stephen F. Austin on that date. Jackson State and Alcorn State have not posted schedules on their websites. … Pearl River Community College, national runner-up in the NJCAA Division II Tournament, begins its 2026 campaign on Jan. 27 vs. Coastal Alabama-South in Poplarville. Also of note: Hinds CC opens Jan. 30 with a twinbill against North Arkansas College in Raymond.

30 Sep

just rewards

Konnor Griffin reeled in another player of the year honor on Monday, earning the Minor League Baseball Hitting Prospect of the Year Award from mlb.com. Former Jackson Prep star Griffin, the overall No. 1-ranked prospect, also won Baseball America’s POY award. (And, of course, he was the Gatorade state and national player of the year in high school in 2024.) In his first season in the Pittsburgh system, Griffin batted .333 with 21 homers, 65 steals and a .941 OPS across three levels, reaching Double-A. MLB Pipeline called his performance “the most impressive professional debut in recent memory.” He also was named the shortstop on the Prospect Team of the Year. Former Mississippi Braves reliever Hayden Harris, who reached the majors with Atlanta, was a pegged as a first-team pitcher on that squad, and Jesus Made, who played for Biloxi this season, was the second-team shortstop. … Griffin is an obvious choice for the all-Mississippi minor league All-Star team for 2025. Here’s the rest (with their organization):
Catcher: Chuckie Robinson* (Southern Miss), Los Angeles Angels/Dodgers/Atlanta
First base: Tim Elko* (Ole Miss), Chicago White Sox
Second base: Justin Foscue* (Mississippi State), Texas
Shortstop: Griffin
Third base: Blaze Jordan (DeSoto Central HS), Boston/St. Louis
Outfield:
Kemp Alderman (UM), Miami
Matthew Etzel (USM) Tampa Bay/Miami
Braden Montgomery (Madison Central HS), White Sox
DH: Blaine Crim* (Mississippi College), Texas/Colorado
Starting pitchers:
Khal Stephen (MSU), Toronto/Cleveland
Hurston Waldrep* (USM), Atlanta
Jurrangelo Cijntje (MSU), Seattle
K.C. Hunt (MSU), Milwaukee
Relievers:
Landon Sims (MSU), Arizona
Landon Tompkins (Hinds Community College), Pittsburgh
Justin Storm (USM), Miami
*Played in the big leagues
P.S. Marcus Thames, the Louisville native and ex-big leaguer, won’t be retained as hitting coach by the Chicago White Sox. The veteran coach had been in that post for two years, both of which saw the ChiSox lose 100 games. … Eric Booth Jr. of Oak Grove High and Kevin Roberts Jr. of Jackson Prep are ranked No. 7 and No. 12 on MLB Pipeline’s new list of the top 20 prep players in the 2026 MLB draft. Outfielder Booth, son of the former Southern Miss football star, is a Vanderbilt commit. Roberts, a 6-foot-5, 217-pound right-hander/outfielder, is committed to Florida.

28 Sep

wait ’til next year

Bad day for Houston, which was eliminated from playoff contention before it took the field, but there was some consolation for Astros pitcher J.P. France. The Mississippi State alum, on the mend from shoulder surgery, got his first win since 2023, working three innings Saturday in the Astros’ 6-1 victory against the Los Angeles Angels at Anaheim. France, 30, won 11 games for the Astros in 2023 but went on the injured list after five starts last season. After nine rehab appearances this summer, he was recalled to the majors on Sept. 9 and made his first appearance in 509 days on Sept. 14, throwing a scoreless inning against Atlanta. That outing, France said, “was huge for me, mainly mentally.” He backed that up with his strong showing Saturday, yielding one run on two hits with five strikeouts. His next outing will come next year, presumably with Houston, which endured an injury-plagued season and missed the postseason for the first time since 2016. Wins by Detroit and Cleveland on Saturday KO’d the Astros. Heading into the final day of the regular season, the American League Central and East Division titles have not been settled, nor has the final National League wild card berth. … Charlie Morton, 41, who pitched for the 2007 Mississippi Braves, will get the start for Atlanta today in what is expected to be his final MLB appearance. The Braves, Morton’s original club, recently claimed him on waivers from Detroit.
A total of 32 players with Mississippi ties (natives or school alums) appeared in MLB games this season:
Hitters
Tim Anderson (East Central CC), Los Angeles Angels; Blaine Crim (Mississippi College), Texas/Colorado; Tim Elko (Ole Miss), Chicago White Sox; Nick Fortes (UM), Miami/Tampa Bay; Justin Foscue (Mississippi State), Texas; Adam Frazier (MSU), Pittsburgh/Kansas City; Colt Keith (Biloxi HS), Detroit; Nathaniel Lowe (MSU), Washington/Boston; Jake Mangum (MSU), Tampa Bay; Hunter Renfroe (MSU), Kansas City; Austin Riley (DeSoto Central HS), Atlanta; Chuckie Robinson (Southern Miss), L.A. Dodgers; Brent Rooker (MSU), A’s; Matt Wallner (USM), Minnesota; Jordan Westburg (MSU), Baltimore
Pitchers
Garrett Crochet (Ocean Springs), Boston; J.P. France (MSU), Houston; J.T. Ginn (MSU), A’s; Kendall Graveman (MSU), Arizona; Gunnar Hoglund (UM), A’s; Trevor McDonald (George County HS), San Francisco; Doug Nikhazy (UM), Cleveland; Konnor Pilkington (MSU), Washington; Drew Pomeranz (UM), Chicago Cubs; Ryan Rolison (UM), Colorado; Nick Sandlin (USM), Toronto; Justin Steele (Lucedale/George County HS), Cubs; Chris Stratton (MSU), Kansas City/L.A. Dodgers; Spencer Turnbull (Madison Central HS), Toronto; Hurston Waldrep (USM), Atlanta; Will Warren (Jackson Prep), New York Yankees; Brandon Woodruff (MSU), Milwaukee.
Note: Houston Roth (UM), Baltimore, was recalled but did not appear; James McArthur (UM), Kansas City, has been on the injured list all season.

25 Sep

playing pepper

Concerns about Garrett Crochet’s durability seem kinda silly now. The ex-Ocean Springs High star delivered one of his best performances of the season Wednesday night: eight innings, three hits, no walks, no runs, six strikeouts in Boston’s impactful 7-1 win at Toronto. The left-hander’s last pitch — No. 100 — hit 97 mph, a called third strike. “At this point of the year, it’s unbelievable,” Red Sox catcher Carlos Narvaez said in an mlb.com story. “He’s still throwing gas, everything has shape.” Crochet (18-5) reached 205 1/3 innings for the season, just his second since converting from reliever. He threw 146 innings for the Chicago White Sox last year, working very conservatively down the stretch of that team’s woeful season. Wednesday’s win reduced the Red Sox’s magic number to one for clinching an American League playoff berth. The proud franchise hasn’t been to the postseason since 2021. The bold off-season trade for Crochet has gotten them over that hump. … Following Toronto’s loss, the New York Yankees beat the White Sox 8-1 and moved into a tie with the Blue Jays atop the AL East. Former Mississippi Braves star Max Fried, in his first year in pinstripes, won his 19th game, boosted by Aaron Judge’s 50th and 51st home runs. … Former Mississippi College standout Blaine Crim hit his fifth homer in 11 games with Colorado — but who noticed? Seattle, powered by Cal Raleigh’s 59th and 60th homers, beat the visiting Rockies 9-2 to clinch the AL West crown. … Mississippi State product Brent Rooker drove in two runs — he has 89 RBIs on the year — and M-Braves alum Shea Langeliers homered in a four-hit game to power the A’s past Houston 6-0. Stumbling toward the finish line with five straight losses, the Astros are a game behind Detroit for the final AL wild card spot. Houston will face ex-MSU standout J.T. Ginn (4-6, 4.57 ERA) today in West Sacramento, Calif. … The fading Tigers, meanwhile, lost their eighth straight, 5-1 to Cleveland, which moved into first place alone in the AL Central. (Colt Keith, the ex-Biloxi High star, has been on the injured list since Sept. 19; he is typically Detroit’s leadoff batter.) … On a night when Cincinnati honored the late Dave Parker — the recently inducted Hall of Famer from Mississippi — the Reds fell to Pittsburgh 4-3 in 11 innings. The Reds remain tied with Arizona, a game back of the Mets for the final National League wild card berth. All three lost on a wild Wednesday. P.S. In the minors, both ex-Ole Miss star Kemp Alderman and ex-Southern Miss standout Matthew Etzel hit home runs to help Jacksonville beat Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 6-4 in Game 2 of the Triple-A International League Championship Series. The deciding game is tonight.

22 Sep

big league chew

There was good news for Milwaukee on Sunday. A 1-0 loss by the Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati handed the Brewers the National League Central title, their third straight. But there was also bad news, a double dose: The team lost to St. Louis 5-1 and announced the loss of Brandon Woodruff, the Mississippi State product, to the injured list. Right-hander Woodruff has what has been described as a moderate lat strain that reportedly could keep him out into the postseason. Returning from shoulder surgery that cost him all of the 2024 season, Woodruff went 7-2 with a 3.32 ERA in 12 starts. “The longer you keep going, things like this can happen,” he told The Associated Press. Woodruff joins a crowd of Mississippians with season-ending injuries that includes Justin Steele, Gunnar Hoglund, Nick Sandlin, Austin Riley, Colt Keith and Matt Wallner. … The surging Reds completed a four-game sweep of the Cubs and have tied the floundering New York Mets for third place in the NL wild card standings, both at 80-76. The Reds own the tiebreaker. … Toronto also clinched a playoff berth on Sunday with an 8-5 win against Kansas City. The Blue Jays, at 90-66, lead the AL East by 2 games over the New York Yankees. Of note: A key move by Toronto at the trade deadline was acquiring Shane Bieber from Cleveland straight up for minor league prospect Khal Stephen, the former Mississippi State star who pitched in Double-A this season. Bieber is 3-2 with a 3.57 in six starts for the Jays. … Ex-Mississippi College star Blaine Crim homered Sunday for the fourth time in 31 at-bats for Colorado since he was recalled from the minors. … Atlanta, which seems to make a waiver claim every day, picked up Chuckie Robinson, the ex-Southern Miss catcher, from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Robinson, a .131 hitter in his brief MLB time, was batting .254 with four homers and 30 RBIs in Triple-A for the Dodgers, who claimed him from the Angels earlier this season. The Braves optioned Robinson to Triple-A Gwinnett. … Charlie Morton, the all-time winningest pitcher among former Mississippi Braves in MLB, was designated for assignment by scuffling Detroit. He had two wins and a 7.09 ERA in nine starts for the Tigers. He is 147-134, 4.13, lifetime. P.S. Schaumburg, with three Ole Miss alums on its roster, came up short in Sunday’s decisive Game 5 of the Frontier League Championship Series. Quebec City won the title 6-5. Former Rebels star Anthony Calarco — the independent league’s MVP — drove in 16 runs in the postseason for Schaumburg, and Banks Tolley, a St. Andrew’s and UM alum who homered on Sunday, knocked in 12. Calarco hit .347 with 24 homers and 116 RBIs on the season as the Boomers won the Midwest West Division that included the expansion Mississippi Mud Monsters. Tolley hit .313 with 12 homers, and Dallas Woolfolk, another UM product, posted a 6.00 ERA over 15 relief appearances.

19 Sep

tapping into power

Brent Rooker hit his 30th homer of the season on Thursday, a first-inning two-run shot that helped the A’s deal playoff-chasing Boston a hard loss at Fenway Park. Rooker, the former All-America from Mississippi State, now has 99 homers in three years with the A’s. It’s weird to think that in his first three MLB campaigns (2020-22) he hit a grand total of 10 homers while barely playing with three other clubs. The A’s got the former 35th overall pick as a waiver claim from Kansas City in November 2022. Of note: Fellow MSU product J.T. Ginn pitched six effective innings Thursday to get the win; the second-year right-hander is 4-6 with a 4.57 ERA in 22 appearances this year. With the defeat, Boston fell to third in the American League wild card standings. … Former Mississippi College star Blaine Crim belted two 400-foot homers for Colorado and now has three in seven games with the Rockies. Crim, getting his first real opportunity in the big leagues in his sixth pro season, has 124 minor league homers on his ledger. … Down in the minors, Kemp Alderman, third-year pro from Ole Miss, slugged his seventh homer in 17 games since being promoted to Triple-A Jacksonville in the Miami chain. Alderman hit 15 bombs in Double-A this season. P.S. Biloxi was eliminated by Montgomery in the Southern League division playoffs. Ex-Magnolia Heights star Cooper Pratt, Milwaukee’s No. 3 prospect, hit .237 with eight homers, 62 RBIs, 71 runs and 31 steals in his first Double-A season.

13 Sep

clobberin’ time

Blaine Crim is on the board. The ex-Mississippi College star got his first big league hit — a three-run homer — on Friday night in Colorado’s 4-2 against San Diego at Petco Park. Called up Friday for his third MLB stint this season, Crim took lefty J.P. Sears deep with two down in the fourth inning to put the Rockies up 3-1. The homer went a reported 439 feet as Rockies broadcaster Drew Goodman gave it his signature call: “Take a good look, you won’t see it for long.” A prolific long-ball hitter in the minors, Crim has 21 bombs — plus a .281 average and 85 RBIs — in Triple-A games this season and 124 for his career. He made his MLB debut with Texas back in early May, went 0-for-12 and went back to the minors. He told mlb.com on Friday that he was thinking, “Shoot, that might’ve been my only shot.” Crim was recalled briefly by Texas in late May but didn’t play. Designated for assignment on July 31, he was claimed off waivers by Colorado and sent to Triple-A Albuquerque. The 28-year-old first baseman, an Alabama native, was a 19th-round pick by Texas in 2019 after winning Gulf South Conference player of the year honors at MC. He is the first former Choctaws player to appear in a big league game since Harry Craft in 1942. Crim likely has earned more opportunities with the lowly Rockies, who are 41-107, worst record in MLB. P.S. Jordan Westburg, on the injured list for Baltimore since Aug. 22, started a rehab assignment on Friday and should be back with the Orioles soon. Former Mississippi State standout Westburg is batting .276 with 15 homers and 34 RBIs in 73 big league games, having spent two long stints on the IL. He was an All-Star in 2024. The Orioles, who’ve been out of playoff contention for some time, can play a spoiler role. They have seven games remaining against the New York Yankees starting Sept. 18.

11 Sep

touching the bases

Blaine Crim, the former Mississippi College slugger, had a hand in a very rare feat on Wednesday night, hitting his 21st homer and driving in three runs as Triple-A Albuquerque scored in every inning in a 21-10 romp over El Paso in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. (Only 20 times in major league history has a team scored in every inning.) Crim now has 21 Triple-A homers in 2025, split between Albuquerque (Colorado system) and Round Rock (Texas). He got up briefly with the Rangers. … Former Mississippi State ace Dakota Hudson notched his seventh win for Triple-A Salt Lake in the PCL, yielding three earned runs in 6 2/3 innings for the Los Angeles Angels affiliate. Hudson is 7-7 with a 6.98 ERA. The former first-round draftee (2016) has 80 career wins, 40 in both the minors and the majors. He pitched for Colorado in 2024. … Konnor Griffin, the phenom from Jackson Prep, smacked his fifth homer for Double-A Altoona just as dad Kevin — the Belhaven University softball coach — was stepping into the broadcast booth in the fifth inning at Erie, Pa., per an milb.com story. “I might stay up here the whole game,” Kevin Griffin said. Konnor, No. 1 prospect in the minors, has 21 homers at three levels in the Pittsburgh chain this season. … Ex-MSU star Brent Rooker, having another big year for the A’s, crushed his 39th and 40th doubles of 2025 — ranking third in MLB — and now has 70 extra-base hits, 27 of them homers. The resurgent A’s beat Boston — and Aroldis Chapman — 5-4 on Wednesday in West Sacramento, Calif. … In the Frontier League playoffs, Ole Miss alums Anthony Calarco (3-for-5, three RBIs) and Banks Tolley (2-for-5, run) sparked Schaumburg to a 9-0 win over Gateway and a 2-0 lead in the best-of-5 conference series. Calarco, the indy league’s MVP for 2025, has eight RBIs in the postseason after plating 116 runs in the regular season. Former St. Andrew’s star Tolley hit a three-run bomb in the Boomers’ 11-6 win on Tuesday. Dallas Woolfolk, former UM pitcher, also plays for the Boomers. … The Arizona Fall League rosters for 2025 include several Mississippi connections: Former Madison Central High star Braden Montgomery, the Chicago White Sox’s No. 1 prospect, with Glendale; MSU alums Cade Smith (New York Yankees) with Mesa and David Mershon (Angels) with Salt River; Ole Miss product Derek Diamond (Pirates) with Salt River; and ex-Southern Miss pitcher Michael Fowler (Milwaukee) with Surprise. Luke Adams, current Biloxi Shuckers infielder and a top Brewers prospect, is also on the Surprise roster. Former Mississippi Braves star Nacho Alvarez, currently filling in for Austin Riley as Atlanta’s third baseman, is on the Glendale roster; he missed much of the minor league season with injury. The AFL season runs Oct. 6-Nov. 15.

03 Sep

random numbers

11 — Holds for Drew Pomeranz, the veteran lefty out of Ole Miss who threw a scoreless seventh inning Tuesday night for the Chicago Cubs in a 4-3 win against Atlanta. Pomeranz has a 2.04 ERA in 46 appearances for the Cubs, who won their 80th game and pulled within 5 games of first-place Milwaukee in the National League Central.
3 — Batters faced and retired by Hayden Harris, former Mississippi Braves reliever who made his MLB debut for Atlanta against the Cubs. Harris, a lefty, had an 0.56 ERA in the minors this season and a 1.74 in 19 games with the M-Braves in 2024.
3 — Grand slams this season, two in the last five days, by former Biloxi Shuckers star Trent Grisham, whose bases-loaded bomb off Framber Valdez helped the surging New York Yankees rout Houston 7-1. Grisham has 29 homers on the season, 12 more than his previous career-best.
4 — Home runs allowed by Garrett Crochet, the Ocean Springs High product who suffered a rare clunker for Boston against Cleveland at Fenway Park. The left-hander (14-5, 2.67 ERA) yielded three homers and six runs in the sixth inning alone, blowing a four-run lead, but the Red Sox rallied to win 11-7.
12 — Hits in 36 at-bats for Nathaniel Lowe since the ex-Mississippi State slugger signed with the Red Sox on Aug. 18. Lowe hit his 18th homer of the season and drove in three runs in Tuesday’s victory.
101 — Strikeouts this season by Matt Wallner, the former Southern Miss star who fanned three times in Minnesota’s loss to the White Sox. Wallner has 61 hits — 20 homers — in 295 at-bats.
1 — Scoreless inning thrown in his 2025 debut by Ethan Small, the former first-round pick out of Mississippi State now with Triple-A Sacramento in San Francisco’s system. Small, in his sixth pro season, had not pitched since August 2024 because of injury. The 28-year-old lefty made four MLB appearances with Milwaukee in 2022-23.
80 — RBIs on the year for Blaine Crim, the ex-Mississippi College standout now with Triple-A Albuquerque in the Colorado organization. He is batting .281 with 20 homers at two stops in the minors in 2025 and got 11 MLB at-bats with Texas.
2 — Home runs in as many Triple-A games for Ole Miss alum Kemp Alderman, who went deep for Jacksonville in a win against Charlotte. For the season, the Decatur native has 17 bombs and is batting .281 between Double-A and Triple-A in the Miami chain.
5 — Shutout innings tossed by Dalton Rogers, the former Southern Miss star now with Double-A Portland in the Boston system. The left-hander from Brandon is 4-4 with a 3.63 ERA for Portland and 6-5, 3.15, overall in his fourth pro season.
16 — Hits in 42 at-bats for Luke Hill, a 2025 draftee out of Ole Miss by Cleveland. Hill had three hits and three RBIs for Low-Class A Lynchburg in a 14-2 win over Delmarva and is batting .381 with a homer, seven RBIs and seven steals in 13 pro games.

27 Aug

power trip

With his fourth home run in three games, Matt Wallner powered Minnesota to a comeback 7-5 win at Toronto on Tuesday night and joined some rather select company. The ex-Southern Miss star, from Forest Lake, Minn., became the fourth native of the North Star State to hit 20 bombs in a season. He joins Hall of Famers Joe Mauer and Dave Winfield along with Twins legend Kent Hrbek in that club. Wallner’s three-run homer in the ninth inning Tuesday came against Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman and gave the Twins a 7-4 lead. Seven of Wallner’s 14 hits this month are home runs, and most of them were tape-measure blasts. On Monday, he hit two against Toronto ace — and future Hall of Famer — Max Scherzer in a Twins loss. “Wally is a fun player to talk about,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli told mlb.com after Monday’s game. “Nobody really impacts the ball the way he does except for maybe five guys, maybe 10.” … It was a big night for big flies from Mississippians in the majors and minors: Colt Keith, Biloxi High alum, hit his 12th — as part of a 3-for-5 night — in Detroit’s 7-6 loss in 10 innings against the A’s. … Former Mississippi College standout Blaine Crim belted his 20th Triple-A bomb of the season, his second for Albuquerque in the Colorado system. Crim’s homer came against Mississippi State alum J.P. France, pitching for Houston’s Sugar Land club, which won the game 6-4. … USM product Reed Trimble hit his 12th homer of 2025, going yard for Double-A Chesapeake (Baltimore). The Tupelo native has hit eight homers in Double-A, two in Triple-A and two in the low minors in a peripatetic campaign. … Kemp Alderman, the 2023 Ferriss Trophy winner at Ole Miss, smacked his 14th homer for Double-A Pensacola (Miami); the Decatur native has four in August after hitting just one in July. … And Mississippi Braves alum Ozzie Albies hit two homers for Atlanta — his first two-homer game in more than two years — powering the Braves to an 11-2 win at Miami. The switch-hitting Albies, who has 12 homers on the year, hit one from each side, getting his first as a righty hitter all season. P.S. Hurston Waldrep, former USM and M-Braves star, battled for 5 1/3 innings (one run allowed) in Tuesday’s game and stood to get the win before the Atlanta bullpen coughed up a late run. Waldrep is 4-0 with an 0.90 ERA in his five appearances this season. Lightly recruited out of his Georgia high school in 2020, Waldrep went 7-2 in two years at USM — a good baseball school, by the way — before transferring to Florida. On the Braves broadcast it was noted that he still has the ball from his first college victory in 2021.