Tag Archives: Ole Miss

14 Mar

status update

Making strides on the comeback trail, Zack Cozart got a hit in his first game of the spring and went deep in his second game. “(T)errific to see,” Cincinnati manager Bryan Price told mlb.com. Former Ole Miss star Cozart appeared to be on course for his best season in the big leagues in 2015 when he suffered a knee injury that required surgery. In 53 games, the slick-fielding shortstop batted .258 with nine home runs. Meanwhile, also in Reds camp, Billy Hamilton, the ex-Taylorsville High star, still has played in only one game, that as a DH. Hamilton, Cincy’s center fielder, is coming back from shoulder surgery and coming off a tough year (.226). P.S. Mississippi State alum Jacob Lindgren was sent to the minor league camp by the New York Yankees. The left-hander, who made his MLB debut last season, had a 15.43 ERA in three spring appearances for a Yankees club with a deep bullpen.

08 Mar

thirteen

If there are any Ole Miss players who suffer from triskaidekaphobia, fear of the No. 13, this might be a spooky week. Every major poll – and there are five of them – has the Rebels ranked No. 13 this week. Almost has the feel of a conspiracy. UM is slated for five games this week, all at Oxford-University Stadium, starting with tonight’s tilt against Southeast Missouri. Wednesday’s game against SEMO will be the 13th of the season. If it doesn’t rain out, which is a possibility, Rebels fans might want to take a rabbit’s foot along. UM, ranked in only one preseason poll, has crashed the others and risen to that 13th position after a 10-1 start. It is worth noting that no UM player wears the No. 13. SEMO does have a No. 13, right-hander Brady Wright. Grambling State, which comes in for a weekend series (including a game on Sunday, the 13th), also suits up a No. 13, right-hander Torreon Woods. Surely cosmic forces will see to it that both get in against the Rebels this week.

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.

05 Mar

present arms

Presented with an opportunity to strut his considerable stuff on a grand stage, Mississippi State’s Dakota Hudson answered the call on Friday night. Facing nationally ranked UCLA in the Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic, the junior right-hander yielded five hits and two runs with six strikeouts over seven innings. He took the loss, however, as State fell to the Bruins 2-1 when a ninth-inning rally came up short. Hudson entered the game at 1-0 with a 1.64 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 11 innings over two starts. Coming off a standout summer in the Cape Cod League, the 6-foot-5 Tennessee native is generally considered the top draft prospect in Mississippi this year. There are bigger games ahead for Hudson this season, but this one may stay near the top. The State team (7-3) should come away from this weekend in California – its first games away from Starkville — knowing a little more about its strengths and weaknesses. The Bulldogs, ranked as high as 17th in the polls, play Southern Cal today and Oklahoma on Sunday. … Also taking their show on the road this weekend are Southern Miss and Ole Miss, and pitchers took center stage for them on Friday, too. In the Cox Diamond Invitational at Pensacola, Fla., USM’s Cord Cockrell blanked Michigan State over seven innings in a 2-0 win. Cockrell (2-0) yielded four hits, no walks and fanned eight. In the Chanticleer Classic in Conway, S.C., UM ace Brady Bramlett moved to 3-0 by beating Ball State 7-3. In six innings of work, Bramlett allowed four hits, one walk and two runs with five K’s.

04 Mar

numbers to crunch

2,326 – Announced attendance for Wednesday’s South Alabama-Southern Miss game at MGM Park in Biloxi. The Golden Eagles (7-2) were a hospitable host, losing to the Jaguars 4-2, their second straight loss to USA.
.563 – Jack Kruger’s batting average in nine games for Mississippi State. The California juco transfer also leads the 7-2 Bulldogs with 12 runs, 13 RBIs, two homers and a 1.000 slugging percentage.
5 – Hits by Errol Robinson, Ole Miss’ preseason All-America shortstop who is hitting just .217 over seven games. The Rebels, ranked in several polls, are 7-1 despite slow starts by veterans Robinson, Colby Bortles and Will Golsan.
7 – Steals in seven attempts by Jackson State’s Bryce Brown, whose speed nicely complements the power of Jesus Santana (four bombs) in the 5-3 Tigers’ lineup.
0 – Home runs in 10 games by Alcorn State’s Collin Carroll, picked by some as the SWAC’s preseason player of the year. The ex-Southwest Mississippi Community College star from Ridgeland hit 12 homers in 2015.
10.70 – Mississippi Valley State’s staff ERA. The 2-7 Delta Devils (both wins came against Tougaloo) are hitting .233 and have made 30 errors.
11 – Consecutive wins by Delta State against Union, the 9-5 Statesmen’s opponent in this weekend’s Gulf South Conference road series.
9 – Pitchers used, one in each inning, by Millsaps in a 5-2 win against Adrian at Twenty Field on Wednesday. The nine combined for a seven-hitter with eight strikeouts for the 4-6 Majors.
.621 – Timothy Rowe’s batting average for Itawamba Community College. That leads the state and ranks fifth in NJCAA Division II. Jones County JC’s Mason Irby and Pearl River’s Zachary Clark are tied for the state and national lead with six homers each. Irby’s 24 RBIs tops the state and ranks fourth in the country. Jones’ Clint Sasser has an MACJC-best 20 steals, tied for most in the nation.

03 Mar

spring things

Jarrod Dyson, the former Southwest Mississippi Community College star from McComb, experienced some disappointment on Wednesday, suffering an injury in his first at-bat of the spring with Kansas City. Dyson, 31, is expected to be a regular — in right field — for the first time in his seven big league seasons. Speculation is the strained right oblique will keep him out about two weeks, maybe more. Dyson is a career .255 hitter with 146 steals and is a plus-defender. … There were some notable bright spots on Wednesday for Mississippians in spring camps. Former Richton High standout JaCoby Jones homered for Detroit. In that same game, Mississippi State product Adam Frazier picked up a hit and an RBI for Pittsburgh, and fellow State alum Ed Easley had a walk and a run. In another Detroit split-squad game, ex-Ole Miss standout Will Allen, summoned from the minor league camp, got a base hit. Itawamba CC product Desmond Jennings went 1-for-2 with a couple of RBIs for Tampa Bay. Northwest CC’s Cody Reed worked two innings for Cincinnati, yielding one earned run and fanning two. Ole Miss alum Seth Smith was 2-for-2 with a run for Seattle, and in that same game former State star Hunter Renfroe got two hits for San Diego. Ex-UM standout Chris Ellis, in his first appearance for Atlanta, threw two scoreless innings. Also worth noting from that Braves game: Mississippi Braves alum Mallex Smith swatted two triples and a home run.

28 Feb

power plays

Power isn’t everything in baseball. You can win without it. It can be pitched around. But power is something special. It jolts the ballpark. It dents the memory. You remember home runs years later. Billy Beane. Barry Lyons. Randy Milligan. Wesley Walls. Adell Davenport. Ray Montgomery. Fred Cooley. Daryle Ward. Tommy Bost. Jeff Francoeur. Jason Perry. Hunter Renfroe. Evan Gattis. Drug testing, much needed, took some of the wallop from the pro game, making legit power even more valuable. College baseball started turning down the power a few years ago with new bat specs, concerned that too many games were ending with scores like 15-12. Only 0.39 homers were hit per game in college baseball in 2014, the lowest figure ever. In 2015, after some changes to the ball, the home run started to make a comeback. Homers rose 43.5 percent over 2014. Wouldn’t be a surprise to see the number rise again in 2016. Did you notice what Delta State did on Saturday? Seven homers in one game, three by Trent Giambrone. (Unfortunately for the Statesmen, their pitching gave up 17 runs and the game was lost to Lee University.) Southern Miss is also enjoying a power surge to start 2016. The Golden Eagles have hit 14 home runs during their 6-0 start. Taylor Braley has four, Tim Lynch three. Sikes Orvis, who hit 16 homers for Ole Miss last year, is gone to the pros, but Colby Bortles and J.B. Woodman are threats to go deep for the Rebels. Woodman has two in six games to date. At Mississippi State, keep an eye on newcomers Jack Kruger, who has two homers already, and Nathaniel Lowe, who belted 17 bombs in junior college a year ago. Jackson State’s Jesus Santana hit 12 homers in 2015 and has three already in 2016. Alcorn State also has a slugger of note in Collin Carroll. No one really likes a 15-12 game – and those will be rare – but it’s good to see power back as a threat in the college game. Power is something special.

25 Feb

changing places

Chris Coghlan, whose playing time figured to be limited with the Chicago Cubs this year, is off to Oakland, where the ex-Ole Miss star might find greener pastures. Coghlan, a lefty-hitting outfielder, was traded today for pitcher Aaron Brooks. Penciled in as a fourth outfielder (at best) for the Cubs, Coghlan, who hit .250 with 16 homers in 2015, could battle Khris Davis and Coco Crisp for the starting job in left field with the A’s. Crisp, a switch-hitter, hit .175 in an injury-dampened 2015 season. Davis, a right-handed hitter with power, was acquired recently from Milwaukee. Sam Fuld is also in the picture. Oakland appears set with Josh Reddick in right and Billy Burns in center. Coghlan, the 2009 National League rookie of the year with the Florida Marlins, revived a slumping career in Chicago the past two seasons, posting a .346 on-base percentage and a .447 slugging average. He credits a new approach. “When you value (slugging percentage) and on-base, now you swing at pitches that you can slug and you take pitches that you can’t slug,” he recently told mlb.com. If it worked at Wrigley Field, it ought to work at O.Co Coliseum.

24 Feb

statistically speaking

Southern Miss’ Taylor Braley isn’t going to hit 50 home runs this season, but he is on a good pace with three bombs in three games. He is also batting .444 with six RBIs and five runs. Stats don’t mean a whole lot at this stage of the college campaign, but some jump off the page just the same. Blue Mountain’s Miciah Heard has scored 16 runs in 12 games. Mississippi College’s Logan Ferrell has 16 runs in just 10 games, and he is hitting .459. Mississippi State’s Jack Kruger has nine hits, nine RBIs and eight runs in four games. William Carey’s Adrian Brown has a .471 on-base percentage, eight RBIs, six runs and three steals over 11 games. Delta State’s Ben Pickard has three homers, 12 RBIs and a .409 average in 11 games. Millsaps’ Isaac Glenn is hitting .406 with nine runs and five RBIs in eight games. Ole Miss’ Tate Blackman has rolled sixes in hits, RBIs and runs over three games. Jackson State’s Jesus Santana has two homers, four RBIs and seven runs in four games. P.S. On the subject of numbers, Jones County Junior College’s Mason Irby tallied nine hits, two homers, nine RBIs and four runs in four games last week to earn MACJC player of the week honors. The catcher-turned-outfielder is a USM signee. Jarod Wright, a right-hander at Northwest CC, was named pitcher of the week after throwing six shutout innings with eight strikeouts in a win over Rend Lake (Ill.).

23 Feb

going forward

If you’ve been recently to an Atlanta Braves game or a Mississippi Braves game – maybe even a Rome Braves game – you’ve seen them in the crowd. Jeff Francoeur replica jerseys. Francoeur, who starred for the M-Braves 11 years ago, last played a game for Atlanta in 2009. But his jersey had staying power — and now “Frenchy” himself is back in the fold. Signed to a minor league contract, he’ll be in the big club’s spring training camp this week. Though Francoeur’s first tour with the Braves didn’t end well, there is still a soft spot for him in the hearts of many fans, especially so in Pearl. He wasn’t the first M-Braves product to make The Show, but he created the most buzz back in 2005. The question now is, Can Francoeur, who had a good 2015 season in Philadelphia, win a job in Atlanta’s outfield? … As spring training begins to heat up, there are quite a few interesting questions surrounding Mississippians. To wit: How will Taylorsville’s Billy Hamilton and Ole Miss product Zack Cozart bounce back from injuries in Cincinnati, and will they become trade bait? How will ex-Meridian Community College star Corey Dickerson, traded from Colorado to Tampa Bay, fare in a new league and new home park? What will UM alum Chris Coghlan’s role be with the Chicago Cubs, who look loaded for bear in the National League? What kind of numbers will Mississippi State product Mitch Moreland, a free agent after this season, put up for Texas, which rewarded his strong 2015 campaign with a $5.7M deal? And, while everyone is saying all the right things, is former State star Jonathan Papelbon really going to fit in with Washington?