Tag Archives: Mississippi College

26 Feb

small world

A showdown looms. Well, that might be a bit over the top, but Millsaps College and Belhaven University are both 1-0 in the Maloney Trophy Series headed into their makeup game on Monday at the Majors’ Twenty Field. Millsaps beat Mississippi College 5-2 on Tuesday, dropping the Choctaws to 0-2 in the round-robin series among the Jackson-area small colleges. MC, which got three hits from newcomer Marty Stringfellow, fell to 1-4 overall. The Majors, now 7-5, got three hits each from Isaac Glenn (.455) and Keith Shumaker (.388) and a sterling start from Smokey Ethridge (2-2). … Belhaven is 12-3 after a 5-1 win over Talladega on Tuesday. Ben Allison improved to 4-0 and lowered his ERA to 0.47 in 19 innings. Tyler Akins, the former Madison Central and Hinds Community College standout, drove in three runs and now has 13 on the season. BU plays Talladega again today at Smith-Wills Stadium. … Delta State (5-4) is on the road today against Arkansas-Monticello’s Boll Weevils, against whom the Statesmen hold a 76-5 series lead. Dex Herrington, a senior from Senatobia and reigning Gulf South Conference player of the week, is leading DSU in hitting at .394. … Tougaloo, which started 0-5, is now 5-7. … Blue Mountain, which won its opener, is now 1-9.

18 Feb

on a mission

Mississippi College opens its season today with an eye on reversing a troublesome trend. The Choctaws — who play Belhaven University at Smith-Wills Stadium — have seen their win total drop each year since 2010, when they won 39 games and reached the NCAA Division III West Regional final. The Choctaws were 17-22 in 2013. The Choctaws have a decent collection of arms — led by left-hander Brooks Fortenberry (4-2, 2.85) — back from a staff that posted a solid 3.70 ERA. Improvement in 2014 likely will depend on better hitting. “The big story last year was big hits in key situations,” coach Brian Owens said. “We didn’t get enough of them. We lost a bunch of one- and two-run games. It’s tough winning close games without getting clutch hits, and it starts to weigh on you. It even affects the way your pitchers work.” MC hit .262 with just four home runs last season. Owens is counting on returning outfielder Kyle Blount (.333, 23 runs, six steals) and newcomers like Marty Stringfellow and Caleb Morris, both touted juco transfers, to fortify what he thinks will be a better balanced lineup. The Choctaws face a Belhaven team today that already has played 10 games, winning eight. It’s the first game of the Maloney Trophy Series, which adds to the significance. But every game is big for the Choctaws. In transition from D-III to D-II, MC is still playing in the American Southwest Conference but is ineligible for the postseason. The Choctaws are hoping for a bid to a National Christian College Athletic Association regional, and Owens said it’ll take 26 wins to get said bid. P.S. Even when you consider that Stetson went 26-31 last year and finished fifth in its conference, Ole Miss’ season-opening three-game sweep at DeLand, Fla., was impressive. The Rebels outscored the Hatters 22-3, hitting .364 as a team. Auston Bousfield hit .583 with six runs and three steals; Will Allen hit .542 with two home runs and 10 RBIs; Austin Anderson batted .462 and scored five runs; and Preston Overbey put up a .455 average and two homers. Next up for the Rakin’ Rebels is Tennessee-Martin on Wednesday at Oxford-University Stadium.

08 Nov

grab bag

Southern Miss product Brian Dozier, shifted from shortstop to second base this season, was named the Minnesota Twins’ defensive player of the year by Wilson. Dozier committed just six errors and posted a .992 fielding percentage. … Brian McCann, the former Mississippi Braves star, reportedly is interested in the Texas Rangers. McCann, a free agent, got a qualifying offer from Atlanta but isn’t expected to return, which is sad. He was the first M-Braves alum to make the majors in 2005 and has been, when healthy, a standout in Atlanta. McCann, soon to turn 30, hit .256 with 20 home runs and 57 RBIs this season. … Jarrod Saltalamacchia, another ex-M-Braves catcher and free agent, wasn’t offered by Boston (though he might return there anyway). Wonder if Atlanta might have an interest in bringing Salty back? He batted .273 with 14 homers and 65 RBIs for the world champs. He is 28. … Tupelo native and former Jackson State star Dave Clark, recently cut loose from Houston’s field staff, was hired by Detroit as third base coach for new manager Brad Ausmus. … Belhaven left-hander Chris Good, 14-3 with a 2.18 ERA in 2013, has been named an NAIA Preseason All-American. … Mississippi College’s Mike Rice Baseball Field House is slated to open in March. Rice, an Alabama businessman who made a large donation toward construction of the 2,500-square foot facility, was a Choctaws star in the 1970s. … Billy Hamilton, the ex-Taylorsville High star, has four stolen bases in four Puerto Rican Winter League games. And two hits.