Tag Archives: Southern Miss

19 Nov

transaction watch

Though Reed Trimble has had trouble staying healthy and on the field in his pro career, Baltimore officials have seen enough good stuff to add the ex-Southern Miss star to the 40-man protected roster. Tuesday was the deadline for MLB clubs to set their rosters before next month’s winter meetings and the Rule 5 draft for eligible minor leaguers. Tupelo native Trimble was the 65th overall pick in 2021 after a standout sophomore year at USM (.345, 17 homers, 72 RBIs). A swift, switch-hitting outfielder, the 25-year-old Trimble has a .251 career average and 61 stolen bases (in 61 attempts) in 226 games over five minor league seasons. He reached Triple-A in 2025 and hit .259 with five homers and eight steals in 30 games for Norfolk. … Former Northeast Mississippi Community College standout Tyler Samaniego was added to Pittsburgh’s 40-man. Drafted in 2021 out of South Alabama, the 6-foot-4 left-hander posted a 3.08 ERA in 20 games in Double-A last season and has a career 3.82, working almost exclusively in relief. … Ryan Rolison, a former first-round draft pick from Ole Miss, was designated for assignment by Colorado, moving off the 40-man roster. The lefty put up a 7.02 ERA in 31 games as a 28-year-old rookie in 2025. … Ex-DeSoto Central High slugger Blaze Jordan and former USM standout Tyler Stuart were among the rated prospects (by MLB Pipeline) who did not get 40-man roster protection and could be plucked by other MLB clubs. Jordan belted a career-high 19 homers in 2025, playing at Triple-A in both the Boston and St. Louis organizations. Stuart, a 6-foot-9 right-hander in Washington’s system, has a career 3.44 ERA. … Brandon Woodruff, ex-Mississippi State standout, accepted a $22 million qualifying offer from Milwaukee; he had previously declined a reported $20M option in his last contract. The right-hander bounced back from injury in 2025, going 7-2 with a 3.20 ERA for the Brewers but missing the postseason. He is 53-28, 3.10, in 142 career appearances with Milwaukee. … MSU alum Nathaniel Lowe was designated for assignment by Boston and is likely headed for free agency. The seven-year veteran hit .280 with two homers and 16 RBIs in 34 games for the Red Sox last year after being released by Washington. He batted .228 with 18 homers all told in 2025.

17 Nov

of local interest

On this date in 1992, MLB held an expansion draft for the new Colorado and Florida franchises to stock their rosters for the ’93 season. Four Mississippians were among the 72 players drafted from the other MLB organizations. Charlie Hayes, the former Forrest County AHS star, was the second pick — and No. 3 overall — by the Rockies, having been left “unprotected” by the New York Yankees. Pat Rapp, Southern Miss and Hinds Community College alum, was picked 10th overall by Florida and Greg Hibbard, a Mississippi Gulf Coast CC and Harrison Central High product, went two picks later to the Marlins. Mo Sanford, a former Starkville High phenom, was selected 62nd overall by Colorado. (Also picked in that draft were former Jackson Mets Chuck Carr, Tom Edens and Chris Donnels.) Hayes enjoyed his time in Colorado and Mile High Stadium, a hitter’s haven. He batted .305 with 25 homers and 98 RBIs in 1993 and hit 10 more bombs in the strike-shortened ’94 season. (He would wind up back with the Yankees in 1996 and earned a World Series ring.) Rapp went 4-6 with a 4.02 ERA for the Marlins in 1993 and would win 33 more games for the club over the next four years. (He did not pitch in the postseason when Florida won the 1997 World Series.) Hibbard, who won 57 games in six big league campaigns, never pitched for the Marlins; he was traded the day of the expansion draft to the Chicago Cubs. Sanford worked in 11 games for the ’93 Rockies, going 1-2, 5.30. That was his only year in their system. P.S. Southern Miss alum Nick Sandlin has rejected an outright assignment to the minors by Toronto (see previous post) and become a free agent. … Billy Hamilton, the ex-Taylorsville High standout, plays on at age 35, now with Jalisco in the Mexican Pacific League. Former big leaguer Hamilton is batting .273 with three steals and 10 runs in 13 games in the winter league. He has been in pro ball since 2009, when Cincinnati drafted him in the second round. He finished last season in the Cubs’ minor league system. … Ex-Ole Miss star Chris Ellis leads the Dominican Winter League with six saves for Cibao; the erstwhile big league has a spotless ERA over eight games.

15 Nov

he is worthy

Ace is a status that must be earned. And Garrett Crochet did exactly that in his first season with Boston, which traded a boatload of prospects to get the Ocean Springs native from the Chicago White Sox last off-season. Crochet went 18-5 with a 2.59 ERA for a playoff team. In just his second year as a starter, he led the American League in quality starts, innings pitched and strikeouts. He finished second in the Cy Young Award voting to Tarik Skubal, garnering four of the 30 first-place votes. The lefty also made the All-MLB first team. Crochet’s season — one of the best ever by a Mississippi-born pitcher — is worthy of the Cool Papa Bell Award, given here for the top performance by a Mississippian (native or school alum) in the big leagues. “He was phenomenal,” Craig Breslow, the Red Sox’s chief baseball officer, recently told mlb.com. “It’s what we had hoped he could be when we traded for him, but to see that actually materialize is great.” Crochet’s second-place finish in the Cy Young voting is the best by a Mississippi native. Weir’s Roy Oswalt placed third in 2004. Crochet was two wins shy of becoming the sixth Magnolia State native to win 20. That club includes Reb Russell (22 in 1913), Guy Bush (20 in ’33), Claude Passeau (20 in ’40), Boo Ferriss (21 in 1945 and 25 in ’46) and Oswalt (20 in both 2004 and ’05). … Other winners of AMB’s Bell Award: Brent Rooker, Justin Steele, Austin Riley, Tim Anderson, Corey Dickerson, Mitch Moreland, Brian Dozier, Desmond Jennings, Lance Lynn, Cliff Lee, Oswalt and Chris Coghlan. P.S. Nick Sandlin, former Ferriss Trophy winner out of Southern Miss, has been outrighted off the 40-man roster to Triple-A by Toronto. Sandlin, in his first year with the Blue Jays, had a 2.20 ERA in 19 games but ended the regular season on the injured list and missed the postseason. … It’ll be interesting to see if former USM pitcher Tyler Stuart and ex-DeSoto Central High slugger Blaze Jordan make the 40-man roster in their respective organizations. Both would be eligible for the Rule 5 draft next month if they aren’t protected on the big league roster. Stuart, a 6-foot-9 right-hander, went 2-2 with a 4.29 ERA in 10 games in an injury-curtailed 2025 season in the Washington system. He has a career 3.44 ERA and has pitched in Triple-A. Jordan, St. Louis’ No. 18 prospect, belted a career-high 19 homers in 2025, playing in Triple-A in both the Boston and Cardinals systems. Still only 22 years old, the fifth-year pro hit .270 with 99 RBIs all told last season. … Madison Central High alum Braden Montgomery compiled some amazing numbers in the Arizona Fall League. The White Sox’s top prospect went 15-for-41 (.366) in 12 games for Glendale, with a homer, six doubles, a triple, 11 RBIs, 12 runs, three steals and 13 walks. His OBP was .527. A switch-hitting outfielder, Montgomery batted .270 with 12 homers and 68 RBIs over three minor league levels in his first pro season. (He was acquired by the ChiSox in the Crochet trade with Boston.) … Brandon Woodruff, the ex-Mississippi State standout from Wheeler, has until Nov. 18 to make a decision on the one-year/$22.025 million qualifying offer he received from Milwaukee. Woodruff, who has spent his entire pro career in the Brewers’ system, became a free agent after the World Series ended. … MSU’s 2026 signing class was ranked No. 8 by Baseball America. The feature signee is catcher Will Brick from Memphis; he ranks among the top 10 prep prospects on Perfect Game’s latest chart.

07 Nov

on this date

Jake Gibbs, the Ole Miss icon who played parts of 10 years in the big leagues, was born on this date in 1938. A two-sport All-America pick at UM, Gibbs chose to pursue baseball and shifted from third base to catcher in the New York Yankees’ minor league system. He reached the big leagues in 1962 and played until 1971, batting .233 with 25 home runs in 538 games, primarily as a backup. His best season was 1970, when he hit .301 with eight homers and 26 RBIs over 49 games behind Thurman Munson. Gibbs became Ole Miss’ baseball coach in 1972 and his first team won the SEC championship. He won 485 games over 19 seasons. P.S. Former Mississippi prep stars Braden Montgomery and Cade Smith have been chosen to play for the American League team in Sunday’s Fall Stars Game in the Arizona Fall League. Mississippi Braves alum Nacho Alvarez Jr. made the National League roster. … Ex-Southern Miss star Chuckie Robinson was outrighted to Triple-A by Atlanta. Robinson, a catcher who got one at-bat with the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, was claimed off waivers by the Braves in late September but was never activated to the 26-man roster. He has been in pro ball for 10 years, with 52 MLB games under his belt. … Justin Dean, former M-Braves standout who played for the champion Dodgers in the World Series, was claimed off waivers by San Francisco. He played parts of four seasons (2021-24) in Pearl.

06 Nov

names in the news

Bobby Halford: Congratulations to the longtime William Carey University coach on his election to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. Halford is the state’s all-time winningest college coach with 1,375 wins over 40 years at the Hattiesburg school. His teams have made 26 appearances in the NAIA Tournament and three trips to the World Series. Halford has won more coach of the year honors than you can count.
Konnor Griffin: The former Jackson Prep star added a minor league Gold Glove award to the numerous player of the year honors he has collected. The first-year pro, Pittsburgh’s top prospect, had a .980 fielding percentage at shortstop with seven errors in 89 games. He also played some center field while moving through three levels.
Antoan Richardson: The ex-Mississippi Braves standout has joined new Atlanta manager Walt Weiss’ staff as first-base coach. Richardson, who coached with the New York Mets in 2025, played in Pearl in 2010-11 and made the majors in 2011 with Atlanta. He also played for the Yankees and is remembered for scoring the run on Derek Jeter’s walk-off hit in his final MLB at-bat.
Brandon Woodruff: The Mississippi State product from Wheeler declined his mutual option with Milwaukee and became a free agent. Woodruff went 7-2 with a 3.20 ERA in 12 games in 2025 but ended the season on the injured list. He missed all of 2024 following arm surgery. He is 53-28 over an eight-year big league career.
Michael Fowler: The former Southern Miss pitcher has made six appearances in the Arizona Fall League without allowing an earned run over seven innings. Milwaukee signed Fowler off the independent Mississippi Mud Monsters’ roster last summer, and he put up good numbers in A-ball.

29 Oct

boys of fall

Checking in on Mississippi products in the Arizona Fall League:
David Mershon, former All-SEC shortstop at Mississippi State, has been filling the box scores in the AFL after a rough 2025 season in the Los Angeles Angels’ chain. Playing for Salt River, Mershon went 2-for-4 on Tuesday, boosting his average to .258 over 10 games. He has a homer, six RBIs, 10 runs, five steals and 11 walks. After a strong pro debut in Double-A in 2024, Mershon batted just .182 this past season, missing a chunk of time with injury. … Ex-MSU and DeSoto Central High standout Cade Smith worked three scoreless innings as the starter for Mesa and trimmed his ERA to 0.93 in three appearances. The New York Yankees prospect, a third-year pro, has allowed just three hits with 11 strikeouts in 9 2/3 AFL innings. … Former Madison Central star Braden Montgomery, playing for Glendale against Mesa, went 1-for-3 with a walk (and an HBP) and is hitting .429 (.652 OBP) with three stolen bases in five games. Montgomery, the Chicago White Sox’s No. 1 prospect, reached the Double-A level this summer in a solid pro debut. … Southern Miss alum Michael Fowler has put up a 0.00 ERA in four appearances (five innings) for Surprise. The well-traveled right-hander was signed by Milwaukee off the independent Mississippi Mud Monsters’ roster this summer and made a good impression in A-ball. … Former Ole Miss standout Derek Diamond has a 5.63 ERA in six games for Salt River. Diamond, in his fourth year in Pittsburgh’s system, has allowed nine hits and eight walks in eight innings in the AFL. He was limited by injuries to 13 appearances (19 1/3 innings) in 2025. P.S. Mississippi Braves alum Antoan Richardson will not return as first-base coach for the New York Mets, per reports. He is expected to catch on with another organization.

22 Oct

back with a bang

Idled by an injury since early September, Braden Montgomery returned with a literal bang on Tuesday, smacking an RBI double off the center-field wall in his first at-bat in an Arizona Fall League contest. The former state Gatorade player of the year at Madison Central High walked in his other three ABs for Glendale. “I just wanted to add a little bit of normalcy, see a bunch of pitches,” he said in a story on the AFL website. Montgomery, a first-round pick in 2024 out of Texas A&M, is rated the No. 1 prospect in the Chicago White Sox’s system and No. 35 overall in the minors. In his first action as a pro this season, the switch-hitting outfielder batted .270 (.360 OBP) with 12 home runs, 68 RBIs and 14 stolen bases, moving seamlessly from Low-Class A to High-A to Double-A. His regular season ended Sept. 6 when he was hit by a pitch that broke a bone in his foot. He is playing catch-up in the AFL. On Tuesday, he also played right field, where his arm and athleticism are a good fit. Montgomery admits to being something of a copycat in his hitting approach. “I like watching Mookie (Betts) and how his hands work. I like watching Aaron Judge and his effortless pop. I like Shohei (Ohtani) and his torque. I like picking up and looking at tiny pieces of all the guys because I understand that everyone’s big picture is going to be different,” he said in a recent mlb.com story. At 22, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound Montgomery is likely a year away from making the big leagues, though the White Sox (three straight 100-loss seasons) need immediate help. P.S. Southern Miss (and Mississippi Mud Monsters) alum Michael Fowler, pitching for Surprise, faced Montgomery once on Tuesday and walked him. Fowler, now in the Milwaukee system, has made three scoreless appearances in the AFL. … In another AFL game on Tuesday, ex-Mississippi State star Cade Smith worked 3 2/3 sharp innings for Mesa, retiring the first 11 batters he faced and yielding just a lone run. The New York Yankees prospect, a third-year pro, has a 1.35 ERA in two outings; he went 2-1, 2.50, in 11 starts in the low minors this season. … MSU product David Mershon, playing for Salt River, faced Smith twice Tuesday and grounded out both times. Mershon, a 2024 draftee by the Los Angeles Angels, is coming off a tough, injury-dampened season; he hit .182 in 91 games, 14 at the Triple-A level.

21 Oct

hot dates

This much we know about the 2026 college season: Cal-Santa Barbara, Nevada and Hofstra will be making trips to the ‘Sip in mid-February. Each of the state’s Big 3 NCAA Division I schools have released their schedules, with Southern Miss doing so today. The Golden Eagles will host UCSB, a 36-win team from the Big West, in a three-game series beginning Feb. 13, the national starting date for D-I. Ole Miss welcomes Nevada (34-23, Mountain West) and Mississippi State will launch the Brian O’Connor era against Hofstra (18-36, Coastal Athletic Association) that same weekend. Each of the Big 3 is coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance and should have high expectations again for 2026. But, at this stage, who knows? Each will get some early season tests in round-robin events in Texas. USM will play in the Round Rock Classic in Texas from Feb. 20-22; Purdue, Oregon State and Baylor are also in that field. MSU will play in the Amegy Bank Series at Arlington, Texas, from Feb. 27-March 1. Arizona State, Virginia Tech and UCLA (and highly touted shortstop Roch Cholowsky) are in the field. And Ole Miss is slated to play in Astros Foundation College Classic in Houston from Feb. 27-March 1. Also in that field: Ohio State, Coastal Carolina and Baylor. Other notable dates: MSU will visit USM on March 3 and host the Golden Eagles on March 24. MSU hosts Jackson State on March 17, travels to Ole Miss for their SEC series March 27-29 and meets the Rebels again on April 28 in the annual Governor’s Cup at Pearl. Ole Miss will host JSU on Feb. 18, visits USM on March 10 and plays the Eagles again on April 14 in Pearl. USM also hosts Alabama on Feb. 24 and plays Nicholls State in Biloxi on March 17. … JSU has yet to release its 2026 schedule or a fall ball roster. One player not on that roster is Joseph Eichelberger, one of the top hitters the past couple years; he has transferred to Gardner-Webb. P.S. Somewhere, former USM star and Ferriss Trophy winner Nick Sandlin is celebrating Toronto’s thrilling win in the American League Championship Series. Sandlin is on the Blue Jays’ roster but on the injured list with an elbow issue. He isn’t expected to be active for the World Series. … Sandlin is on a rather lengthy list of Mississippians who have played for Toronto over the years. Included is Spencer Turnbull, the Madison Central High alum who went 1-1 with a 7.11 ERA in three games back in June before being released. Among the others with state ties who’ve played for the Jays since their inception in 1977: Dave Parker, Corey Dickerson, David Dellucci, Jarrod Dyson, Chris Coghlan, Kendall Graveman, Fred Lewis and Bobby Kielty. Former Mercy Cross High star Howard Battle debuted with Toronto 30 years ago. Ole Miss alum Jacob Waguespack broke in with the Jays in 2019. … Toronto, returning to the World Series for the first time since winning it in 1993, wasn’t expected to do this. In its season preview issue, Baseball America ranked the Blue Jays 19th overall, calling them “fairly average.” Lindy’s magazine pegged the Jays as the fifth-place team in the American League East, which they won. They’ve also won two postseason series without their star shortstop, Bo Bichette, down with a knee injury — but planning to return for the World Series.

18 Oct

stunning start

There have been 75 leadoff home runs in MLB postseason history, No. 75 coming courtesy of Shohei Ohtani as part of his epic performance on Friday night. A Mississippi native hit one of those 75 homers and another Magnolia State product was victimized by a big one. But first, Ohtani. What he did Friday night — the magnum opus of his career, some are calling it — began with a first inning unlike anything ever seen. As the Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting pitcher against hapless Milwaukee, he struck out the side after issuing a leadoff walk, then grabbed a bat and belted a 446-foot homer, his third postseason leadoff blast. He would hit two more homers — including a 469-foot bomb that left Dodger Stadium — and strike out seven more batters in six-plus innings, propelling the Dodgers to a 5-1 win, a sweep of the NLCS and a berth in the World Series. “I think we’re going to be talking about this forever,” said Freddie Freeman, Dodgers first baseman and Mississippi Braves alum. Simply stunning. Back in 2017, Brian Dozier, the Tupelo native and ex-Southern Miss star, enjoyed a moment that stunned the crowd at Yankee Stadium. Playing for Minnesota, in his first postseason appearance, Dozier led off the American League Wild Card Game with a bomb off Luis Severino. However, the Yankees would rally to win the one-game showdown 8-4. Back in 1986, Boston took the field at Fenway Park for Game 3 of the World Series holding a 2-0 lead in games over the Mets. Oil Can Boyd, the Meridian native and ex-Jackson State star, was on the bump for the Red Sox, and Jackson Mets alum Lenny Dykstra yanked Boyd’s third pitch out of the park, sparking a four-run first inning and a 7-1 Mets win. New York won that unforgettable Series in seven games.

06 Oct

afl cranks up

Michael Fowler, who pitched for the Mississippi Mud Monsters this summer, has been pegged as an Arizona Fall League “under-the-radar” prospect by MLB Pipeline. Fowler, now in the Milwaukee system, pitched for Southern Miss last spring and then went 2-1 with a 1.92 ERA in seven games for the independent Mud-sters, striking out 15 in 9 1/3 innings. The Brewers signed him, and he posted a 1.08 ERA in Low-Class A, showing enough stuff to earn an AFL assignment. The prospect-filled AFL starts its season today with Peoria playing Scottsdale. Twelve of MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 minor league prospects populate the rosters of the six teams. Fowler, not a rated prospect, is on the Surprise roster; the Saguaros open on Tuesday. Former Madison Central High star Braden Montgomery, the Chicago White Sox’s No. 1 prospect (No. 35 overall), is with Glendale, which also opens Tuesday. The switch-hitting outfielder, who reached Double-A in his first pro season, isn’t active yet, still recuperating from a foot injury. Former Mississippi State and DeSoto Central High standout Cade Smith, a New York Yankees prospect who pitched in A-ball in 2025, is on the Mesa roster. Ex-Bulldogs star David Mershon is with Salt River; he played at Double-A and Triple-A in the Los Angeles Angels’ chain this season but had some injury issues and scuffled at the plate. Also on the Salt River club is Ole Miss product Derek Diamond, a Pittsburgh prospect who missed much of the 2025 campaign. He pitched in Double-A at the start of the season. On the Glendale roster is former Mississippi Braves star Nacho Alvarez Jr., who finished the year with Atlanta; the third baseman missed much of the minor league season with injury.