Tag Archives: Ole Miss

04 Mar

taking a position

Cameron Maybin’s arm injury may mean more playing time for Seth Smith in San Diego’s outfield. Maybin, the Padres’ erstwhile center fielder, reportedly could be out until June. If Will Venable shifts from right to center, which seems likely, former Ole Miss star Smith and Chris Denorfia could form a nice lefty-righty platoon in right field. San Diego has Carlos Quentin slotted for left field, with Kyle Blanks and utilityman Alexi Amarista also vying for playing time somewhere in the outfield. Smith, acquired from Oakland in an off-season trade, batted .253 with eight homers in 2013. P.S. If a hot start in the spring is a good omen, then these guys should be smiling: Southern Miss product Brian Dozier (5-for-7 for Minnesota); Taylorsville’s Billy Hamilton (3-for-9 with two steals for Cincinnati); Southwest Mississippi Community College alum Jarrod Dyson (3-for-5 with three walks for Kansas City); Ole Miss product Zack Cozart (5-for-9 for the Reds); ex-Meridian CC star Corey Dickerson (5-for-10 for Colorado); former Jackson Generals right-hander Freddy Garcia (five scoreless innings in two starts for Atlanta); future Mississippi Braves outfielder Matt Lipka (4-for-12 with four RBIs for the big Braves); and ex-M-Braves star Jeff Francoeur (2-for-3 today with two RBIs for Cleveland).

02 Mar

road trippin’

If you had the means, which is to say a lot of free time, some disposable income and a dependable car (or, better yet, a helicopter), you could see some pretty good baseball (teams and/or players) around the state this week. … Start today in Hattiesburg, where Southern Miss is hosting Troy. The Golden Eagles are scuffling along at 5-6, but Mason Robbins is swinging a hot bat at .304 with a homer and 10 RBIs. On Monday, zip up to Jackson and catch Belhaven-Millsaps in a Maloney Trophy Series game at Twenty Field. The Blazers are 15-4, led by Paul Pickerrell, who’s hitting .373 with 15 RBIs and 16 runs. The Majors are 7-5, and their lineup features the red-hot Isaac Glenn (.455). Head for Cleveland on Tuesday for Delta State’s game against Harding. The Statesmen are 6-5 as of today, and Dex Herrington is rocking along with a .381 average. On Wednesday, in Starkville, surging Mississippi State (9-4 with five straight wins as of Sunday morning) takes on South Alabama. Wes Rea has been a power source for the Bulldogs, with three homers and 19 RBIs. Wheel over to Senatobia on Thursday to see nationally ranked Northwest Mississippi Community College (8-4 heading into a Wednesday doubleheader with unbeaten Jones County JC) play Arkansas Baptist CC. Luke Latham has belted five homers for the Rangers. Over in Oxford on Friday, Ole Miss hosts Arkansas-Little Rock. As of Sunday a.m., the Rebels were 10-1 with four straight one-run wins, all walk-offs. Luke Allen (.391, three homers, 17 RBIs) was responsible for two of those. Wind up the whirlwind week on Saturday in Clinton, where Mississippi College plays American Southwest Conference foe East Texas Baptist in a twinbill. The Choctaws were 2-6 at the start of the week, though Mississippi Gulf Coast CC transfer Marty Stringfellow has contributed a .462 average. … If you had the means, it would be a heckuva road trip.

01 Mar

closing in?

Add to the list of Mississippians in big league camps the names of Aaron Barrett and David Goforth, both right-handers out of Ole Miss and both aspiring closers. Barrett, on Washington’s 40-man roster, made his spring debut on Friday, working a scoreless inning against the New York Mets. A ninth-round pick in 2010, Barrett overcame some early struggles in pro ball and put up a 2.15 ERA with 26 saves in Double-A last season. The Nationals have a strong bullpen, so Barrett’s chances of making the club out of camp this year don’t appear great. Meridian native Goforth, on the other hand, is trying to crack the roster in Milwaukee, which would seem to have openings for relievers. Goforth, drafted in the seventh round in 2011, went 11-8 with five saves with a 3.17 ERA between high Class A and Double-A in 2013. He moved to the bullpen shortly after his promotion to Huntsville in the Southern League. He posted four saves and a 3.75 ERA in 12 games in the Arizona Fall League and enters 2014 as a top 10 Brewers prospect. P.S. Mississippi’s baseball talent gets some well-deserved recognition in the Feb. 28-March 14 issue of Baseball America. Taylorsville’s Billy Hamilton and Hunter Renfroe, the former Mississippi State star from Crystal Springs, are listed among the top 100 minor league prospects for 2014. Hamilton, who debuted last year with Cincinnati, is No. 43, Renfroe (San Diego) No. 80. Also mentioned as a possible top 50 prospect for 2015 is D.J. Davis, the ex-Stone County High standout now in the Toronto system. Bobby Bradley (Harrison Central first baseman) and Ti’Quan Forbes (Columbia shortstop) made BA’s high school preseason All-America chart, Bradley as a second-teamer, Forbes on the third team. And DeSoto Central, stocked with college prospects, was ranked No. 22 in the preseason poll, and Oak Grove was 31st. … BA also has a note on the retirement of David Renfroe, the former South Panola two-sport star who had been playing in the Boston system.

25 Feb

9 things …

MLB spring training games start Wednesday. We start to look at box scores, start to crunch numbers, start to wonder. Here are some Mississippi-flavored questions to ponder as the 2014 season begins to unfold:
1. Will Billy Hamilton (Taylorsville) win the center field/leadoff job with Cincinnati? After swiping 13 bases in 14 attempts (and hitting .368 to boot), he’ll get a legitimate shot at filling Shin-Soo Choo’s vacated job.
2. Can Jarrod Dyson (Southwest Mississippi CC) earn an expanded role in Kansas City’s outfield? Dyson, who would give Hamilton a darn good race, stole 34 bases in 84 games last season primarily playing behind Lorenzo Cain.
3. Can Corey Dickerson (Meridian CC) win a job in Colorado’s crowed outfield? He showed impressive left-handed power as a rookie: five homers, five triples and 13 doubles among his 51 hits.
4. How will Seth Smith (Ole Miss) adjust in San Diego? He slumped to eight home runs (from 14 in 2012) for Oakland and Petco Park is even less friendly to hitters than O.Co Coliseum.
5. What does Brian Dozier (Southern Miss) do for an encore in Minnesota? After the move to second base, Dozier played great defense and even hit a surprising 18 homers.
6. Will Drew Pomeranz (UM) finally blossom in the Oakland bullpen? The former first-round pick, already with his third club, posted a 6.23 ERA in eight games (four starts) with Colorado.
7. Where does Tyler Moore (Mississippi State) fit in Washington’s plans? He scuffled in his second MLB tour, hitting .222 with four homers, but his right-handed power potential is valuable.
8. How will Mitch Moreland (MSU) fare in a new role (DH/spare outfielder) in Texas? Moreland hit a career-high 23 homers in 2013 but batted just .232 – and there is pressure to win in Arlington this season.
9. Will Cliff Lee (Meridian CC) and/or Jonathan Papelbon (MSU) be traded if Philadelphia’s season quickly goes bad? Lee went 14-8 with a 2.87 last year and Papelbon posted 29 saves; they’d certainly have suitors if they went on the block.

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.

14 Feb

blue skies ahead?

Weather has come out swinging this week, knocking out home openers at Millsaps (Tuesday), Delta State (Wednesday) and Southern Miss (today) and forcing Mississippi State to find a new opponent (Western Carolina replaces Hofstra). While USM will have to go on the road (Lake Charles, La.) to start its season on Saturday, there are some big games on state campuses this weekend. MSU, ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation, will play a three-day, three-game set at Dudy Noble Field. Jackson State plays Texas Southern and South Dakota State (two games with each) at Braddy Field starting today, and Alcorn State hosts Bradley for a three-game series at McGowan Stadium in Lorman. Millsaps, off to a 3-0 start, plays Trinity (Texas) in a doubleheader Saturday and single game Sunday at Twenty Field. Blue Mountain hosts a three-game set in New Albany with NAIA No. 1 Faulkner. Belhaven, 7-1 after a 9-2 win over St. Francis on Thursday, hosts Campbellsville today and Missouri Baptist on Saturday at Smith-Wills Stadium. William Carey has a three-game set at Wheeler Field in Hattiesburg against Spring Hill (single game today, twinbill Saturday). Delta State (1-2) hosts West Alabama for three games (two Saturday, one Sunday) in Cleveland. DSU went 25-3 at Ferriss Field last year and has a .772 winning percentage there all-time. But even the Statesmen can’t beat bad weather. Fingers are crossed all over the state, hoping the skies stay sunny.

13 Feb

4 for 4

Aspirations are high, as they always are, at Mississippi’s Big 4 NCAA Division I schools. Three of the four earned NCAA regional bids in 2013, and Southern Miss was one victory short. It would be sweet to see all four make it this season. And with that in mind, here are four players who could be key in making such a grand slam a reality. At Mississippi State, which won 51 games and reached the finals of the College World Series, there will be pressure to replace Hunter Renfroe’s thunderous bat. But pitching is more important in college baseball these days, and it would serve the Bulldogs well to get another season from Ross Mitchell like the one he had in 2013. The slightly built left-hander was brilliant in the middle relief role State’s coaches prize, posting a 13-0 record, two saves and a 1.53 ERA in 34 appearances (94 innings). At Ole Miss, which went 38-24 last season, keep a sharp eye on newcomer Braxton Lee, a left-handed hitting outfielder who transferred from Pearl River Community College. Lee hit .406 last year and .365 with 29 steals in 2012. He is penciled in as the Rebels’ leadoff batter and left fielder. “He’ll cause havoc out there,” UM coach Mike Bianco said. At USM, which went 30-27 and got to the final of the C-USA Tournament in 2013, Golden Eagles fans would love to see — but can’t really expect — a big year from highly touted, oft-injured ex-Sumrall High star Connor Barron. However, those fans likely can count on another solid year from Mason Robbins, the state’s 2011 Mr. Baseball from George County. The lefty-hitting outfielder, who can also take the mound, batted .317 with 40 RBIs as a sophomore and .330 as a freshman. He’s a gamer. At Jackson State, 34-22 and Southwestern Athletic Conference champion in 2013, much attention will be focused on conference preseason player of the year Charles Tillery, a senior outfielder from Starkville who batted .352 last year. Yet you can’t overlook junior right-hander Alexander Juday, who put up a 7-5 record with a 3.51 ERA. Juday is the kind of workhorse (115 1/3 innings in 22 games, 10 starts) that every successful staff must have. P.S. The Big 4 start Friday: State hosts Hofstra, Ole Miss is at Stetson, USM is home vs. Stony Brook and JSU hosts Texas Southern.

03 Feb

worth watching

Alex Yarbrough, the former Ole Miss infielder, is a player worth keeping tabs on in the minors this season. Yarbrough, 22, a switch-hitting second baseman, is a consensus top 10 prospect in the Los Angeles Angels system and received a non-roster invitation to their big league camp. A fourth-round pick out of UM in 2012, he batted .313 with 11 homers, 80 RBIs, 77 runs and 14 steals at Class A Inland Empire in the California League in 2013. Yarbrough’s defense reportedly still needs work. He is expected to spend 2014 at Double-A Arkansas, where his manager will be Phillip Wellman, the former Mississippi Braves skipper.

24 Jan

going and coming

The Atlanta Braves placed two — only two? — players on mlb.com’s Top 100 prospects chart. Catcher Christian Bethancourt, who played for the Missisisppi Braves the past two seasons, was No. 82, and right-hander Lucas Sims, who might make it to Pearl this season, was No. 60. Perhaps this is a sign that the Braves’ farm system is in need of some rebuilding. Or maybe the talent in the system is just very young and off the radar for now. We shall see. We’ve likely seen the last of Bethancourt in Mississippi. After hitting .277 with 12 homers in 2013, he’ll go to spring training with a shot, at least, of earning the backup catcher job behind ex-M-Braves star Evan Gattis. Sims, Atlanta’s No. 1 pick out of an Atlanta-area high school in 2012, went 12-4 with a 2.62 ERA in low-A ball last season. With a good start at high-A Lynchburg, it wouldn’t be a big surprise to see him make it to Double-A before 2014 is done. Sims is also the top-rated Braves prospect on Baseball America’s list. P.S. Former Jackson Generals ace Freddy Garcia has re-signed with the Braves; he had some strong outings down the stretch and in the playoffs last season. … Ole Miss product Chris Coghlan officially signed with the Chicago Cubs and will go to spring training on a minor league deal. Coghlan, a former National League rookie of the year, hit .256 in 70 games for Miami in 2013.

10 Jan

three weeks notice

Brace yourself. The baseball season in Mississippi begins on Jan. 31 when Belhaven University hosts LSU-Alexandria at Smith-Wills Stadium. The NAIA teams will play a doubleheader the next day. This will be the 40th year that baseball in some form or another has been played at Smith-Wills, which opened in 1975 as the home of the Double-A Jackson Mets. A celebration of some form or another ought to be in order. P.S. Baseball America reports on its minor league transactions page the re-signing of Ole Miss product Justin Henry by Boston and ex-Rebels star Matt Tolbert by Philadelphia and the signing of Alcorn State alumnus Corey Wimberly by Minnesota. Henry batted just .210 in Triple-A for the Red Sox in 2013. Tolbert, a one-time big leaguer, hit .327 in 46 games in the lower minors last year as he battled back from injury. Wimberly, who spent some time in Atlanta’s system in 2013, will be entering his 10th pro season with his seventh different organization.