Tag Archives: Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College

06 Feb

juco jottings

Playing at MGM Park in Biloxi, it was only fitting that Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College produced a couple of thrillers as it opened the 2016 season on Friday. The Bulldogs split a doubleheader against Jackson State (Tenn.) CC. They took a 5-4, walk-off win in the opener, scoring the game-winner on a fly ball by Marcus Buckley. Tyler Evans had two RBIs in the game as Gulf Coast rallied from a 4-0 deficit. Former Gulf Coast star and ex-big leaguer Matt Lawton threw out the first pitch to start Game 2, but the Bulldogs couldn’t quite pull off a fantastic finish, falling 5-3 in extra innings. Justin Nussbaum had a three-run double for Gulf Coast. … Meridian CC, which opens today against Bishop State at Scaggs Field, is celebrating the 20th anniversary of one its best teams on a long list of good ones. The 1996 Eagles, featuring future big leaguers Jason Smith and Paul Phillips, finished national runners-up in the NJCAA Division I World Series. MCC has had seven teams reach the juco World Series. … Holmes CC coach Kenny Dupont begins his 17th season in Goodman with 471 career wins. … New Northeast Mississippi CC coach Richy Harrelson will make his debut today when Columbia (Tenn.) State CC comes to Booneville. Harrelson, a former Ole Miss standout, was an assistant to former Tigers coach Kent Farris for several years. … Nationally ranked Hinds CC, the defending MACJC champion, opens Wednesday against Bossier (La.) Parish in Raymond. Sam Temple’s Eagles, who lost a lot from last year’s club, will count on production from Kyle O’Keefe (.327 in 110 at-bats 2015) and Hunter Bell (.375 in 48 ABs). … New Jones County JC coach Chris Kirtland will make his debut next Friday, when the Bobcats play Motlow (Tenn.) State in Ellisville. JCJC features one of the state’s best players in catcher Mason Irby, an All-America candidate. … Another juco player to keep a keen eye on this year is Itawamba CC infielder Delvin Zinn, the former Pontotoc High star who transferred from Mississippi State in December. Zinn made some prep All-America teams last season and was drafted by the Chicago Cubs. … Former Northwest Mississippi CC standout Clay Casey is now at Houston. He batted .333 with 12 bombs for the Rangers in 2015. He was drafted out of DeSoto Central High in 2014. … There are eight Mississippi juco products on Louisiana Tech’s roster, six of them from Hinds’ outstanding 2015 team. The Bulldogs’ new pitching coach is former JCJC coach Christian Ostrander.

14 Dec

around the horn

Former Ole Miss standout Aaron Barrett made some headlines over the weekend when he blamed his elbow injury on overuse early in the 2015 season. The right-handed reliever, who’ll miss the 2016 season following September Tommy John surgery, worked in 30 of Washington’s first 60 games. “The bottom line was I was literally just throwing too much,” he told The Associated Press. He pitched in only 10 games thereafter, working 29 1/3 innings all told. After a strong start, Barrett did two stints on the disabled list and wound up with a 4.60 ERA. … Houston wanted lefty reliever Tony Sipp back in the fold for 2016, and the feeling apparently was mutual. “You can see the talent on this team. … Just want to be a part of it,” Sipp told mlb.com. The Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College product from Pascagoula signed a 3-year, $18M deal with the Astros, for whom he posted a 1.99 ERA in 2015. He yielded one unearned run in five appearances in the postseason, Houston’s first venture there in 10 years. … Jonathan Papelbon, the Mississippi State alum, told WEEI.com (a Boston radio station) that new Red Sox closer (and former Mississippi Braves star) Craig Kimbrel is “a younger version or me.” Papelbon, now with Washington, is Boston’s all-time saves leader but, of course, is also infamous for some episodes of hotheadedness. Red Sox fans must be hoping that Papelbon was only talking about his pitching exploits when he made his comment about Kimbrel. … The Chicago White Sox reportedly discussed a trade with Cincinnati for All-Star third baseman Todd Frazier but did not want to include Tim Anderson, the ex-East Central CC star, in the deal. Shortstop Anderson, the White Sox’s top-rated prospect, hit .312 with 49 stolen bases at Double-A Birmingham this past season. Anderson had a “speed score” of 8.6 in 2015, fifth-best among mlb.com’s Top 100 prospects.

08 Dec

stove toppings

The Colorado Rockies reportedly are getting calls about Corey Dickerson, the ex-Meridian Community College star. The left-handed hitting outfielder, 26, is a career .299 hitter and is four years from free agency. Dickerson battled injuries in 2015, hitting .304 with 10 homers in 224 at-bats. … McComb’s Jarrod Dyson of the world champion Kansas City Royals was grand marshal of the Christmas parade in his hometown over the weekend. City officials are also considering naming a street in his honor. Dyson, a .255 hitter with 146 career steals over six MLB seasons, has never been a regular with the Royals but could get that chance in right field in 2016. … Pascagoula native Joey Butler was claimed on waivers by Cleveland (from Tampa Bay). Butler, 29, hit .276 with eight homers in 88 games for the Rays last season. He joins eight other outfielders on the Indians’ 40-man roster, with two more also having received spring training invites. … Zack Cozart expects to be back at full speed by the time spring training starts for Cincinnati. The former Ole Miss star, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in June, has been rehabbing since late August. “If I had to put a number on it, I’m 90 percent now,” Cozart told mlb.com over the weekend. Cozart, a slick-fielding shortstop, was having a strong season at the plate, hitting .258 with nine homers and 28 RBIs through 58 games. … Free agent reliever Tony Sipp, the Moss Point High and Mississippi Gulf Coast CC product, is said to be seeking a 3-year contract in the $15-18 million range. The 32-year-old left-hander, who has been linked to a number of clubs, posted a 1.99 ERA for Houston last season.

07 Oct

name dropping

Baseball America’s chart of the top 20 prospects in the Southern League is chock-full of familiar names, with the Mississippi Braves and Biloxi Shuckers placing two players each in the rankings. From the M-Braves, outfielder Mallex Smith was No. 16 and right-hander Tyrell Jenkins was No. 20; both finished the season at Triple-A Gwinnett. For the Shuckers, shortstop Orlando Arcia was No. 3 and RH Jorge Lopez No. 7. Lopez was a September call-up by Milwaukee and won his only start. Also rated among the SL’s best was Tim Anderson, the former East Central Community College star who played for the Chicago White Sox’s Double-A club in Birmingham. A shortstop with speed, Anderson was ranked eighth. Northwest Mississippi CC product Cody Reed (Pensacola/Cincinnati) was No. 10; the left-hander was the No. 6 prospect in the Class A Carolina League. … BA’s Matt Eddy didn’t see much he liked from M-Braves third baseman Rio Ruiz, who didn’t make the top 20 list: “He almost literally never pulls the ball, he doesn’t run well at all and is a fringy defensive third baseman.” P.S. Southern Maryland, managed by Jackson’s Stan Cliburn, fell to the Somerset Patriots in the independent Atlantic League Championship Series. Somerset won Game 4 3-1 on Monday to win the series 3-1. Cliburn’s club, the Blue Crabs, won Game 1 7-3 last Wednesday, a victory highlighted by a three-run home run by former Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and MLB star Fred Lewis. Lewis got two hits in Game 3 on Sunday and drove in the Blue Crabs’ lone run with a base hit in Game 4.

07 Oct

wild things

The Chicago Cubs’ lineup isn’t official yet, but speculation is that Ole Miss product Chris Coghlan won’t be in it and ex-Mississippi Braves standout Tommy La Stella will be. The Cubs take on Pittsburgh tonight in the National League Wild Card Game at PNC Park. Coghlan hit .250 with 16 homers and 41 RBIs while playing a variety of positions, but his playing time decreased down the stretch. And he is 2-for-13 against Pirates starter Gerrit Cole. Coghlan told ESPN he wants to be in there: “I feel like I’m one of the best eight guys out there.” La Stella, who batted .269 in just 33 games, could get the nod at third base, with Kris Bryant going to left and Kyle Schwarber to right, reports said. Both Coghlan and La Stella are left-handed hitters. … Wonder if the Pirates have forgotten that it was Coghlan’s take out slide that ended shortstop Jung Ho Kang’s season on Sept. 17? No one called it a dirty play, but still, it might be a motivating factor. Clint Hurdle’s Pirates may need all the cosmic help they can summon against Jake Arrieta. … Tony Sipp appeared to be amped up – perhaps too much — for his appearance in Tuesday’s American League Wild Card Game. The animated lefty out of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College registered a scoreless seventh inning in Houston’s 3-0 win over New York at Yankee Stadium, but it took him 23 pitches to get four batters. He threw only 11 strikes. Facing the Nos. 5-8 hitters, starting with ex-M-Braves star Brian McCann, Sipp fanned one and walked one. But he got the hold. In 10 appearances in September and October, Sipp yield just one run. … Blast from the past: The Astros’ coaching staff includes former Jackson Generals hitting coach Dave Hudgens and ex-Jackson Mets catcher Alan Zinter. … Houston will face Kansas City – managed by another old JaxMets catcher, Ned Yost – in the AL Division Series. The Royals’ roster is expected to include former Southwest Mississippi CC star Jarrod Dyson but apparently not former Pillow Academy standout Louis Coleman. Coleman appeared in just four games at season’s end, posting a 0.00 ERA. M-Braves product Kris Medlen likely will be on the roster; he went 6-2 with a 4.01 ERA in 15 games coming off Tommy John surgery. He is 40-22, 3.06 career. Still wondering why Atlanta let him go.

05 Oct

closing arguments

Joey Butler enjoyed what he termed a “pretty cool” finish to his season. Butler, the former Pascagoula High and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College standout, got a curtain call at Tampa Bay’s Tropicana Field on Sunday during a two-homer, six-RBI game against Toronto. Among Mississippians who won’t be going to the postseason, Butler’s day was the brightest but not the only highlight. Ole Miss alum Seth Smith hit a game-winning home run, his 12th, for Seattle. Corey Dickerson, the former Meridian CC star, hit his 10th home run, a three-run shot that was part of a seven-run ninth inning for Colorado. UM product David Goforth pitched a scoreless inning for Milwaukee, and ex-Mississippi State star Ed Easley got his first MLB start for St. Louis. He was behind the plate (for Ole Miss alum Lance Lynn’s playoff tuneup) in Game 2 of a pair against Atlanta and went 0-for-3 in the 2-0 loss. Easley was 0-for-6 on the year, still without a big league knock. It seems unlikely he’ll make the postseason roster. Butler, who rarely played down the stretch (see previous post), told mlb.com that he “proved to myself” that he belongs in The Show. We’ll see what the Rays think. He finished at .276 with eight homers. … Taylorsville’s Billy Hamilton, who didn’t play for Cincinnati after Sept. 17, lost the stolen base title to Miami’s Dee Gordon, who finished with 58 to Hamilton’s 57. P.S. Northwest Mississippi CC product Cody Reed was ranked the No. 6 prospect in the Class A Carolina League by Baseball America. Left-hander Reed went 5-5 with a 2.14 ERA for Kansas City’s Wilmington team before he was promoted to Double-A and then traded in the Johnny Cueto deal. He finished at Pensacola in the Southern League, going 6-2, 2.17 for the Cincinnati affiliate. … Anthony Alford, Bobby Bradley and Spencer Turnbull cracked the Baseball America top 20 prospects list for the Midwest League. Alford, the former Mr. Baseball from Petal, was rated the No. 2 prospect, ex-Harrison Central High star Bradley was No. 9 and Madison Central product Spencer Turnbull was No. 17. Alford, an outfielder in Toronto’s system, was promoted to the high Class A Florida State League at midseason and was the No. 8 prospect in that loop. He’s got game (see previous posts). Bradley hit a league-best 27 home runs for Cleveland’s Lake County team, and Turnbull, a Detroit farmhand, was an 11-game winner who didn’t allow a home run all year.

29 Sep

down the stretch

Tony Sipp was sharp, Lance Lynn wasn’t, but both Mississippians were on the winning side in big games on Monday night. Brian Dozier went hitless but produced a sacrifice fly as his team won. Mitch Moreland was 1-for-4, but it wasn’t enough to help his club get a W. With the pressure building in the last week of the MLB season, Sipp was up to his task for Houston. The former Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College star entered in the seventh inning against Seattle and promptly picked a runner off first base. He then retired all five batters he faced, notching his 13th hold while preserving a 3-2 Astros lead that held up. Houston gained a game on first-place Texas in the American League West and is now 1.5 games back. The Astros are a half-game up on the Los Angeles Angels for the second wild card and 1.5 games ahead of Minnesota. The Twins, with the aid of Southern Miss alum Dozier’s 76th RBI, beat Cleveland 4-2. Former Mississippi State star Moreland and the Rangers lost to Detroit 7-4. In the National League, St. Louis beat Pittsburgh 3-0 with a three-run ninth inning and moved 4 games up on the second-place Pirates in the Central. Ole Miss product Lynn started for the Cardinals and went five innings, throwing 96 pitches. He allowed four hits and four walks — but nary a run. Buckle your seatbelts. Six days left. P.S. Statistically, Jonathan Papelbon had a good year: 24-of-26 in save opps, 4-3 record, 2.13 ERA, 1.03 WHIP. But no one will remember that. What they’ll remember is that the State alum finished the season on suspension, three games for hitting an opposing batter and four for attacking a Washington teammate. His off-season will be interesting.

23 Sep

independent variables

Stan Cliburn’s Southern Maryland Blue Crabs begin play in the independent Atlantic League postseason tonight. Currently in his 24th season managing a minor league club, Jackson native Cliburn reached 1,500 wins this year en route to winning the Freedom Division first-half title. He also got a contract extension for 2016. The Blue Crabs (69-71 overall) open the division playoffs on the road for Games 1 and 2 against Lancaster, then return home on Sept. 25 for the rest of the best-of-5 series. Fred Lewis, the former Stone County High and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College star is a key player for Cliburn’s club. Ex-big leaguer Lewis hit .238 (.335 on-base percentage) with 39 RBIs and 63 runs in 118 games. P.S. Hattiesburg High product Robert Carson also toiled in the Atlantic League this season as he tries to get his career back on track. The left-hander was hit with a drug suspension this past off-season, which cost him an invite to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ spring training camp. Released by the Dodgers, Carson signed with the Bridgeport Bluefish and went 7-3 with a 2.88 ERA in 23 games, mostly as a starter. He might have shown enough to get another look from a major league club. Carson, 26, was a 14th-round draft pick in 2007 by the New York Mets and has made 31 MLB appearances (6.82 ERA), the last in 2013.

14 Sep

big league chew

Tony Sipp’s role with Houston might be considered a small one. But it is hardly insignificant – and he has filled it well. With his team down 3-0 on Sunday, the left-handed specialist out of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College struck out lefty-hitting Kole Calhoun of the Los Angeles Angels to start the bottom of the eighth inning. It was the only batter Sipp faced in his first appearance since Aug. 26; he had been shut down with a back ailment. Sipp then watched from the dugout as the Astros scored five runs in the ninth and beat the Angels 5-3. Houston maintained its 1.5-game lead over Texas in the American League West and pushed third-place L.A. 4.5 back. Sipp, who has been effective against righties as well as lefties, has a 2.12 ERA, 10 holds and 51 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings this season. … Chris Coghlan, the ex-Ole Miss star, had a day on Sunday, going 4-for-5 with a homer (No. 16), an RBI (No. 40) and two runs. But his Chicago Cubs fell to Philadelphia 7-4 and dropped 6.5 games back of St. Louis in the National League Central. … The Cardinals lead second-place Pittsburgh by 2.5 games but suddenly have some concerns, one of which is Lance Lynn. The Ole Miss product is 0-2 and has allowed nine runs in 8 1/3 innings in his last two starts since hurting his ankle. He is 11-10, 3.17 for the year. … St. Louis recalled former Mississippi State catcher Ed Easley over the weekend. He is still seeking his first big-league hit; he is 0-for-2. The minor league veteran hit .251 at Triple-A Memphis this season. … Taylorsville High alum Billy Hamilton got the first steal of his career against Yadier Molina back on Sept. 2, 2013, and was 10-for-10 career against the Cardinals’ Gold Glove catcher – until Sunday. Molina cut Hamilton down during the Cards’ 9-2 win against Cincinnati. Hamilton has an MLB-best 56 steals and now has been caught eight times. … Former Meridian CC and State standout Tyler Moore went 2-for-4 to climb above the Mendoza Line (at .205) as Washington won 5-0 over Miami. But the New York Mets’ wild win over Atlanta kept the Nationals 9.5 games back in the NL East. Yes, that race is over. … Southern Miss product Brian Dozier had a couple of hits in Minnesota’s 5-0 win against the Chicago White Sox, but he has had a rough go of it lately, batting just .213 with three homers and 12 RBIs in his last 30 games. The Twins, just a game back of Texas for the second AL wild card, need Dozier to heat up. He has 27 homers, 70 RBIs and 94 runs for the year.

13 Aug

stirring the drink

The Minnesota Twins’ recent swoon – 8-16 since the All-Star break — probably cost Brian Dozier any chance he might have had at the American League MVP award. But the Southern Miss product is still the team’s key player, the straw that stirs their drink, as they say. He has suffered through a second-half slump, as well, but when the second baseman does things like he did on Wednesday, the Twins tend to win, which they did. Dozier got two doubles (31 for the year), scored twice (80 for the year, second in MLB) and drove in a run (59). Minnesota whipped Texas 11-1, its second straight win, and climbed over .500 at 57-56. The Twins have fallen far back in the AL Central (11 games out) but remain in the thick of the wild card chase. To make the postseason for the first time since 2010, they’ll need a strong finish from Dozier, batting .248 with a .318 on-base percentage and 24 homers. P.S. Joey Butler, the former Pascagoula High and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College star, was sent back to the minors on Wednesday, a decision Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash called “incredibly difficult.” Butler, a 29-year-old rookie outfielder, batted .278 with six homers and 22 RBIs in 74 games for the Rays. At one point in mid-June he was hitting .347. He got the opportunity to play regularly for the first time in his career when Desmond Jennings went on the disabled list in April. Itawamba CC alum Jennings is supposed to be activated on Friday. Butler likely will get back to the big leagues when rosters expand in September. … Yarmouth-Dennis won the Cape Cod League championship series with an 8-1 win against Hyannis on Wednesday night. In the opener of the three-game series on Sunday, Dakota Hudson of Mississippi State allowed one run on two hits in eight innings, finishing with eight strikeouts, as Hyannis beat Y-D 8-1. Vance Tatum, another Bulldogs pitcher toiling for Hyannis, got knocked around in Game 2 on Monday and took the loss in Y-D’s 9-3 victory. Ole Miss’ Colby Bortles had a two-run hit for Hyannis in that game.