Tag Archives: Ole Miss

06 Mar

midweek madness

In the second game of their home-and-home series, Mississippi State got sweet revenge against Southern Miss with an 18-3 massacre Wednesday night at Dudy Noble Field. State (8-4) racked up 20 hits and six walks in just six innings. Five of those hits left the yard, two struck by Nolan Stevens. USM (9-4) shut down the Bulldogs 3-0 on Feb. 18 in Hattiesburg. In the rematch, the Golden Eagles used eight arms to get 18 outs, and seven of those pitchers allowed two runs or more. Go figure. … A six-run inning gave Murray State a 7-4 lead through seven innings in Oxford, but Ole Miss (11-1) rallied for its 10th straight win, 8-7 in 10 innings. Hayden Federico got the walk-off knock for the Rebels. Judd Utermark hit two more homers, giving him seven on the year. … Jackson State moved its home game against UNO to New Orleans, where the Privateers took a 16-10 victory in a game that “featured” 20 hits, 21 walks and seven errors. A reported 289 fans sat through — maybe — the 3-hour, 43-minute game. The Tigers’ Jordan McCladdie drove in three runs and scored three more as JSU slipped to 9-3. … At Poplarville, pitching was the story. Yay! Pearl River Community College beat Meridian 3-1 and Copiah-Lincoln 4-0 in a round-robin. K.K. Clark, from Brandon High (via MSU), threw seven innings of one-run ball with nine strikeouts in the opener, and Camden Clark, out of West Jones, tossed six shutout frames with 10 K’s in Game 2. No. 5-ranked PRCC is 16-4.

05 Mar

prospecting

Twenty-one Mississippians (natives or school alums) appear in MLB Pipeline’s new Top 30 prospect rankings for each big league organization. The highest rated among this group is former Jackson Prep uber-star Konnor Griffin, No. 2 in Pittsburgh’s system before ever playing a regular season pro game. (The ninth overall pick last July, he has been in big league camp this spring.) … Elsewhere in the National Central: Magnolia Heights product Cooper Pratt is No. 3 in Milwaukee’s system and targeted for Double-A Biloxi this season, and K.C. Hunt (Mississippi State), who pitched in Double-A in 2024, is rated No. 25 in the Brewers’ chain. … In the American League Central, former Madison Central star Braden Montgomery — a 2024 first-rounder — is No. 5 in the Chicago White Sox’s organization, and Jacob Gonzalez (Ole Miss) checks in at No. 14. Doug Nikhazy (Ole Miss) is No. 22 on Cleveland’s list, and Eric Cerantola (MSU) is ranked 28th on Kansas City’s. … In the NL East: ex-Southern Miss standout Hurston Waldrep ranks No. 4 in Atlanta’s system. Waldrep made his MLB debut in 2024. Kemp Alderman (Ole Miss) is Miami’s No. 11; Nate Dohm (MSU) is the New York Mets’ No. 19; and Tyler Stuart (USM) ranks 15th in Washington’s system. … In the AL East: Jackson Prep product Will Warren is No. 5 on the Yankees’ list; he also debuted in The Show last season. Cade Smith (Mississippi State) is No. 16 in the Yankees’ chain. Elsewhere in the AL East, Colton Ledbetter (MSU) and Matthew Etzel (Southern Miss) rank Nos. 26 and 27 for Tampa Bay, and Khal Stephen (MSU) is ranked 11th in Toronto’s system. … In the NL West, Dakota Jordan (MSU), a 2024 draftee, is ranked sixth on San Francisco’s list. In the AL West, switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje (MSU) — 15th overall pick last July — is ranked No. 9 in Seattle’s system. The A’s have J.T. Ginn (MSU), who debuted in MLB last summer, at No. 14 and Gunnar Hoglund (Ole Miss) at 16. Justin Foscue (MSU), who got some limited time with Texas in 2024, is rated No. 15 in the Rangers’ chain. … Griffin (43), Montgomery (54) and Pratt (56) are ranked in MLB Pipeline’s overall Top 100. P.S. Props to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s James Vines and Dom Jackson for earning the MACCC pitcher and hitter of the week honors. Vines posted a 1.12 ERA and 15 strikeouts in eight innings last week; he is 1-0 with a 2.00 in five games on the season. Jackson hit three homers and drove in 10 runs as the Bulldogs won four of six games. He has seven homers on the season. … Copiah-Lincoln CC’s Tucker Jones, a Northwest Rankin High alum, ranks second in NJCAA Division II with 19 stolen bases in just 12 games for the 15-8 Wolves, and teammate Jennings Kimbrell, a St. Joe product, is 5-0 with a 1.93 ERA, tied for the national lead in wins.

03 Mar

weekend wrap

Riding a nine-game win streak, Ole Miss (10-1) has jumped in at No. 19 in the new Baseball America poll released today. Oxford’s Swayze Field was the wrong place for Wright State over the weekend. The Rebels swept three from their visitors, including a 7-3 win Sunday that featured some sparkling relief work from Mason Morris. The junior from Tupelo threw three hitless innings to get his second career win. Ole Miss, 8-0 at home, plays its next five games in Oxford. … For Southern Miss, which cracked the BA poll at No. 24, Matthew Russo hit two homers and drove in five runs to lead the Golden Eagles to an 11-3 win in Sunday’s rubber game at TCU. The Golden Eagles, crushed by Ole Miss last week, will take a 9-3 record into Tuesday’s intrastate clash at Mississippi State. … The Bulldogs (7-4) lost two of three in the Astros Foundation College Classic in Houston over the weekend and tumbled from No. 15 to No. 22 in BA’s rankings. … Jackson State (9-2 with five straight W’s) overwhelmed rival Alcorn State 43-10 in a non-conference series sweep at Smith-Wills Stadium. JSU’s Jordan McCladdie went 8-for-10 with nine runs in the series, and Joseph Eichelberger had a five-hit, five-RBI game on Saturday. … Alcorn, under new coach Carlton Hardy, fell to 0-9. … Mississippi College (9-8, 5-4 Gulf South) moved over .500 with a doubleheader sweep at Union (Tenn.) on Saturday. In the 10-1 win in Game 2, cousins Blake Gollott (2-0) and Coby Gollott (first save), both from the Coast, combined on a three-hitter. … Amari Conley, Holmes Community College’s leadoff batter from Grenada, is hitting .417 with 27 runs, 16 RBIs and 14 steals for the 16-3 Bulldogs, who’ve won nine in a row. P.S. In MLB, Austin Riley, the ex-DeSoto Central High and Mississippi Braves star, blasted his first home run of the spring in Atlanta’s win over the New York Yankees in the Grapefruit League. Off to a slow start this spring after missing the last month and a half of the 2024 season (broken hand), Riley had two hits Sunday and is batting .214 in 14 at-bats. … Former Jackson Prep standout Konnor Griffin, rated the top power prospect in Pittsburgh’s system by MLB Pipeline, hit his first spring bomb on Saturday. (Note: He is also very fast.) The 2024 first-round pick is 2-for-7 in five Grapefruit games and has played exclusively in center field. … Ole Miss product Doug Nikhazy, now on Cleveland’s big league roster, has been impressive this spring, throwing four scoreless innings with four punchouts in Cactus League play. … Ex-Biloxi High star Colt Keith, a breakout rookie with Detroit in 2024, was a guest on MLB Network’s Hot Stove today and talked about his move to first base, dealing with the highs and lows of an MLB season and his Star Wars-themed Bobblehead Night coming on May 9. (He said he’s never watched any Star Wars movies.)

19 Feb

juco snapshot

And then there were none. East Central Community College, the last unbeaten team in the state juco ranks, lost to Northeast CC 10-8 in a round-robin event Tuesday at Decatur. ECCC, No. 2 in the NJCAA Division II poll, is now 8-1, including a 13-5 win over No. 12 Jones College earlier Tuesday. Jayden Adcox hit a big home run for ECCC against Jones, and Langston Cotten went yard against Northeast. But the visiting Tigers prevailed as Drake Douglas and Carter Wells combined for five RBIs and Wells notched the save. Fifth-ranked Pearl River (10-2) beat Holmes and East Miss in a three-way at Poplarville. Jackson Hood homered in both games for PRCC, and Carson Fair closed out the win against Holmes for his fifth save, which leads the nation. Meridian, ranked 20th, moved to 10-3 with a sweep of Gulf Coast and Southwest on Monday at Summit. Chris Fox got a walk-off hit in a 1-0 win against Gulf Coast and Hampton Ross drove in four runs vs. Southwest. At Jackson’s Smith-Wills Stadium on Tuesday, Northwest (9-3) beat Hinds and Coahoma. … Gulf Coast’s Samuel Marsh was named the MACCC pitcher of the week after throwing a 13-strikeout complete game last week vs. Northwest Florida State. East Miss’ Hugh LeMasters (Bay Springs) took hitter of the week honors; he batted .429 (6-for-14) with eight RBIs and four runs in a 4-0 week for the Lions. P.S. Have a day, Judd Utermark. The Ole Miss junior stole home and hit a walk-off bomb in the 10th inning Tuesday as the Rebels (3-1) beat Arkansas State at Swayze Field. … Mississippi State (3-1) had as many errors as hits (four) in a 3-0 loss at Southern Miss (5-0). Joey Urban homered for the Golden Eagles, and five pitchers combined on the shutout. … Left-hander Brandon Mitchell, who won 22 games over five seasons at New Orleans, is the latest addition to the Mississippi Mud Monsters’ inaugural roster. He was 5-2 with a 7.28 ERA in the indy Pioneer League in 2024. The Mud-sters, of the indy Frontier League, have announced 17 player signings to date. The season starts in May.

17 Feb

three stars

A trio of heroes from Sunday’s NCAA Division I games:
Luke Hill, Ole Miss: The junior second baseman went 3-for-3 with two homers, a triple and five RBIs to power the Rebels (2-1) to a 15-5 win over nationally ranked Clemson in the Shriners Showdown at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Hill is batting .556 with six RBIs and four runs on the season.
Joseph Eichelberger, Jackson State: The senior outfielder went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer as the Tigers (2-1) beat Texas Southern 7-3 in the Cactus Jack HBCU Classic at Houston’s Daikin Park. Eichelberger is 4-for-12 with four RBIs and four runs for the Tigers.
Stone Simmons, Mississippi State: The grad student pitcher, making his first appearance in almost three years, threw three shutout innings, allowing one hit with five strikeouts, in a 5-1 victory over Manhattan on a cold day at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville. Simmons was a member of the Bulldogs’ national title team in 2021, had Tommy John surgery in 2022 and persevered through setbacks to return to the mound. “It was great,” the 6-foot-4 right-hander told 247sports.com. “It took a little while to settle in.” For the record, he retired the first batter he faced for the 3-0 Bulldogs, punched out the fourth and picked off a runner to end the first inning.

15 Feb

pitching in

This one goes out to the ones who pitch. A boatload of state college pitchers showed no love for hitters on Valentine’s Day. Yes, Mississippi State scored 30 runs in a doubleheader demolition of Manhattan on Friday, but not to be overlooked are the mound efforts of starters Pico Kohn (no runs, one hit, 11 strikeouts in five innings) and Karson Ligon (one run, eight K’s in four innings). The visiting Jaspers scored just four runs on the day. For Southern Miss, in a 9-2 victory against visiting Lafayette, J.B. Middleton delivered six scoreless innings. Ole Miss took down nationally ranked Arizona 2-1 as Hunter Elliott, looking like his old self, threw five shutout innings at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Delta State’s Drake Fontenot and Dylan Farley combined for 13 shutout innings in the streaking Statesmen’s 6-0 and 3-0 sweep of Lee University to open Gulf South play. Fontenot punched out 11 in seven innings. Mississippi College beat GSC foe West Georgia 3-1 as Caleb Peterson held the Red Wolves to one earned run over five innings. Andrew Shirah went 7 1/3 innings (two earned runs) for William Carey in a 9-2 win at Abraham Baldwin AC. Shirah is 3-0 with a 2.84 ERA for the 6-2 Crusaders and has won 21 games in his three seasons at WCU. At Trustmark Park in Pearl, Belhaven opened its season with a 7-3 win against Mount Saint Mary and with Colton Sylvester limiting the New York-based visitors to a lone earned run over six innings. And Millsaps beat Edgewood 10-4 as Nick Tarantino allowed one earned run with nine K’s in five innings.

14 Feb

spring flings

Kendall Graveman’s next comeback will begin with Arizona, which reportedly has agreed to a one-year deal ($1.35 million plus incentives) with the ex-Mississippi State standout. The veteran right-hander, 34, missed all of 2024 following shoulder surgery last off-season. He has a career ERA of 3.95 in 280 games and was an effective middle reliever during Houston’s playoff run in 2023. He was on the Astros’ roster in 2024 before becoming a free agent. He missed the 2019 season following Tommy John surgery and moved from starter to reliever in 2020 after a experiencing a neck problem related to a benign tumor. An eighth-round pick by Toronto in 2013, Graveman has pitched for the Blue Jays, Oakland, Seattle, the Astros and the Chicago White Sox. P.S. Still unsigned are pitchers Lance Lynn, former Ole Miss star, and Spencer Turnbull, a Madison Central High product. Lynn, 37, a starter most of his career, is being courted by some clubs as a closer, per reports. “I definitely have the fire for it,” he said in a recent interview. Turnbull put up a 2.65 ERA in an injury-shortened 2024 season with Philadelphia. … Former Taylorsville High star Billy Hamilton is looking for a return to affiliated ball after playing in Mexico last summer and this winter (see previous posts). Hamilton, 34, can still run: He stole a total of 73 bases in the two Mexican loops and has 838 bags all told in pro ball. … Coming off two rather awful seasons, East Central Community College alum Tim Anderson is “grateful” to be in the Los Angeles Angels’ spring training camp as a minor leaguer. “I’m still only 31,” he said in an mlb.com story. “There’s still room to grow, still room to get better, still a window.”

14 Feb

here and there

Four out of a hundred ain’t bad, all things considered. Little ol’ Mississippi has produced four members of MLB Network’s Top 100 Right Now in the big leagues. Austin Riley, the ex-DeSoto Central High star, is ranked No. 33, Brent Rooker (Mississippi State) No. 46, Garrett Crochet (Ocean Springs) No. 56 and Justin Steele (George County) No. 88. Riley leads a pack of seven former Mississippi Braves in the Top 100, with Freddie Freeman heading that list at No. 8. Ronald Acuna, coming back from injury, is No. 16. Spencer Strider, who missed most of 2024 and will start this season on the injured list, isn’t ranked at all after being No. 17 prior to last season. Three Biloxi Shuckers alumni made the new rankings, topped by Corbin Burnes at No. 35. … Former Ole Miss standout James McArthur had off-season elbow surgery and apparently will not be ready for the start of the season with Kansas City. McArthur, 28, had 22 saves for the Royals in 2023-24, his first two MLB campaigns. … The independent Mississippi Mud Monsters have added four players to their 2025 roster: pitcher/outfielder Tahj Cunningham, right-hander Luis Devers, catcher Nick Hassan and shortstop Travis Holt. The Feb. 12 signings were released on the Frontier League transactions page. Cunningham, 25, has played for the U.S. Virgin Islands national team and in a couple of foreign leagues in addition to a stint at Lake-Sumter State College, a Florida juco. Devers, 24, from the Dominican Republic, spent six seasons in the Chicago Cubs’ system, posting a 3.28 ERA. He was 4-3, 5.33, at High-Class A South Bend last season. Hassan, 25, is a former all-conference player at Kennesaw (Ga.) State (.323 last season) who played briefly in the Frontier League last summer. Holt, 25, played four years at High Point (N.C.) and another at Butler, batting .295 career; he has played a couple of seasons in indy ball.

13 Feb

four to follow

On the eve of opening day for NCAA Division I programs, here’s a player to keep an eye on for each of Mississippi’s so-called Big 4. … At Southern Miss, coming off a Sun Belt title and an NCAA trip, Davis Gillespie will be a big bat in the lineup. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound outfielder/first baseman batted .318 with eight homers, 44 RBIs and 46 runs — great run production in 57 games as a redshirt freshman in 2024. He played well in the star-studded Cape Cod League over the summer, hitting .268 with five doubles and seven RBIs. An Alabama native, Gillespie was a two-way standout in high school. … At Mississippi State, also an NCAA tourney team a year ago, Sawyer Reeves — cool name — is one of several newcomers who’ll fill key roles for the Bulldogs. Reeves, a portal pickup who played three years at The Citadel, hit .304 with five homers and 31 RBIs last year. The South Carolina native, 6-3, 205, is penciled in at second base for 2025. … At Ole Miss, coming off a rough year (27-29), freshman Owen Paino, a lefty-hitting shortstop, is one to watch. The New York state Gatorade player of the year in 2024, the 6-3, 205-pound Paino was rated a Top 100 draft prospect last year by Baseball America. He was described as a fluid defender with power potential. … At Jackson State, which won 36 games a year ago, Jordan McCladdie is not going to sneak up on anyone in 2025, having been named the SWAC preseason player of the year. After transferring to JSU from a junior college in 2024, the Georgia native hit .364 with four homers, six triples, 42 RBIs, 71 runs and 40 steals in 55 games. A lefty-hitting outfielder, the multi-tooled McCladdie lists at 6 feet, 190. … Southern Miss opens Friday at home against Lafayette (Pa.); Mississippi State, ranked in some preseason polls, welcomes Manhattan for a twinbill; Ole Miss begins against Arizona in the Shriners Showdown round-robin in Arlington, Texas; and Jackson State plays Grambling State in the Cactus Jack HBCU Classic round-robin in Houston. Also, Mississippi Valley State hosts Western Illinois, while Alcorn State, in coach Carlton Hardy’s debut, will also play Western Illinois in Itta Bena. P.S. Itawamba Community College freshman Jud Files was named the MACCC pitcher of the week; the Mooreville native threw five no-hit innings in a 12-1 win over Olney Central, striking out eight and walking two for the 6-1 Indians. … On the high school front, MaxPreps ranks Sumrall No. 22 and Jackson Prep No. 23 in its preseason national Top 25. Purvis checked in at No. 75 and George County No. 93.

10 Feb

spring is in the air

Spring training has officially sprung. Pitchers and catchers are reporting this week and starting workouts in Arizona and Florida. Position players soon will follow. The first Cactus League game is Feb. 20; Grapefruit League play starts the next day. Here’s a list of players with Mississippi ties currently slated to be in big league camps:

40-man roster
Hitters
Nick Fortes (Ole Miss), Miami;
Justin Foscue (Mississippi State), Texas;
Adam Frazier (MSU), Pittsburgh;
Colt Keith (Biloxi HS), Detroit;
Grae Kessinger (UM), Arizona;
Nathaniel Lowe (MSU), Washington;
Jake Mangum (MSU), Tampa Bay;
Hunter Renfroe (MSU), Kansas City;
Austin Riley (DeSoto Central HS), Atlanta;
Chuckie Robinson (Southern Miss), Los Angeles Angels;
Brent Rooker (MSU), A’s;
Matt Wallner (USM), Minnesota;
Jordan Westburg (MSU), Baltimore

Pitchers
Eric Cerantola (MSU), Kansas City;
Garrett Crochet (Ocean Springs), Boston;
J.P. France (MSU), Houston;
J.T. Ginn (MSU), A’s;
Gunnar Hoglund (UM), A’s;
James McArthur (UM), Kansas City;
Doug Nikhazy (UM), Cleveland;
Nick Sandlin (USM), Toronto;
Justin Steele (Lucedale/George County HS), Chicago Cubs;
Chris Stratton (MSU), Kansas City;
Jacob Waguespack (UM), Tampa Bay;
Hurston Waldrep (USM), Atlanta;
Will Warren (Jackson Prep), NY Yankees;
Brandon Woodruff (MSU), Milwaukee

Free agents of note
Kendall Graveman (MSU);
Lance Lynn (UM);
Spencer Turnbull (Madison Central)

Non-roster invitees
Tim Anderson (East Central CC), Los Angeles Angels;
Gavin Collins (MSU), St. Louis;
Blaine Crim (Miss. College), Texas;
Tim Elko (UM), Chicago White Sox;
Matthew Etzel (USM), Tampa Bay;
Jacob Gonzalez (UM), White Sox;
Konnor Griffin (Jackson Prep), Pittsburgh;
Dakota Hudson (MSU), Angels;
Cooper Johnson (UM), Texas;
David Mershon (MSU), Angels;
Braden Montgomery (Madison Central), White Sox;
Ryan Och (USM), San Diego;
Konnor Pilkington (MSU), Washington;
Drew Pomeranz (UM), Seattle;
Cooper Pratt (Magnolia Heights), Milwaukee;
Ethan Small (MSU), San Francisco;
Tyler Stuart (USM), Washington;
R.J. Yeager (MSU), St. Louis