the new season

Road tests are in order as conference play begins this weekend for the state’s Big 3. Ole Miss is at South Carolina, Mississippi State is at Georgia and Southern Miss is at Marshall. All three series are big in their own way, but it’s USM’s that seems most compelling. The Golden Eagles are scuffling at 7-10. They’re hitting .230 as a team, with a .301 slugging percentage. They aren’t running much either: 7-for-12 on steals. Keep in mind that USM started sluggishly in 2013 and wound up winning the Conference USA regular season title and making the tournament championship game. No need for panic at this stage. Note, too, that the pitching has been generally good. Cameron Giannini, slated to start Sunday, is 1-1 with a 1.42 ERA in four starts, and Bradley Roney (a .302 hitter) has five saves and a 0.96 ERA in seven relief appearances. Perhaps the bats will get going at Marshall, which is 5-10 overall — but 2-1 in the league. P.S. Two other key series are going on this weekend: Jackson State hosts Mississippi Valley State in the SWAC and Belhaven visits Faulkner in a Southern States Athletic Conference clash. JSU is 13-6 (2-1 SWAC) and has won six straight games, with Melvin Rodriguez (.317, 15 RBIs) swinging the hot bat. Valley is 0-15 and 0-4. … Belhaven is 22-4 with seven straight wins. Faulkner is 22-5 – and ranked No. 1 in NAIA. The teams are tied atop the SSAC at 7-2. The Blazers love to run; they’ve got 96 steals. The Eagles love to mash; they’ve got 17 home runs.