Mississippi Today

College baseball is back, so whose turn is it in Mississippi?

Published

1 year ago

February 17, 2023

Staff Editor

College baseball is back, so whose turn is it in Mississippi?

by Rick Cleveland, Mississippi Today
February 17, 2023

Ole Miss players hold up the national championship trophy after a win over Oklahoma in Game 2 of the NCAA College World Series baseball finals, Sunday, June 26, 2022, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/John Peterson)

In 2021, Mississippi State baseball won its own regional, then its own super regional and then its first-ever national championship, painting Omaha maroon and white in the process.

In 2022, Ole Miss sneaked into the NCAA Tournament as the last at-large team chosen, won the Coral Gables regional, white-washed Southern Miss in the Hattiesburg Super regional, before a full-scale Rebel invasion of Omaha. Mike Bianco's Rebels won the national championship, sweeping Oklahoma in the championship series.

And so, you ask, what can Mississippi's Boys of Spring do for a 2023 encore? Let's put it this way: Expectations are sky-high.

Can Ole Miss, despite losing the legend named Tim Elko, repeat? Can Mississippi State bounce back from last year's aberrational 26-30 finish, which included an unsightly 9-21 record in the Southeastern Conference? Can Southern Miss, which won 47 games and its own regional last year, take its turn in college baseball's Omaha spotlight?

As we saw last season when Ole Miss vaulted from a 22-17 record (7-14 in the SEC) on May 1 to the national championship on June 26, just about anything is possible in college baseball. The team that lost to Southeast Missouri 13-3 on April 19 for its seventh defeat in nine games somehow won a national championship.

That's why hope really does spring eternal in college baseball — especially in Mississippi. All three of Mississippi's Division I baseball powers open at home this weekend. Ole Miss takes on Delaware for a three-game set that will feature three days of celebrating last year's championship. Southern Miss plays host to a strong Liberty team, which has advanced to the NCAA Tournament three consecutive years. And Mississippi State hosts VMI (16-40 a year ago) from the Southern Conference.

Let's take a brief look at all three.

Ole Miss

If you are looking for reasons why Ole Miss won't repeat, look no further than these: Elko, Kevin Graham and Justin Bench. All three were uber-productive last season. All three were leaders. All three are gone. Elko led the national champs in home runs (24), runs batted in (75 in 65 games) and slugging (.642). Graham hit .335 with 11 home runs and 51 RBI. Bench was Mr. Dependable, hitting .312 with 17 doubles and 42 RBI, while playing excellent defense wherever Mike Bianco needed him. That's an awful lot to replace. The Rebels also lost their No. 1 starter Dylan DeLucia and closer Brandon Johnson.

But if you are looking for reason not to write these Rebels off, there are plenty, starting with All-American shortstop Jacob Gonzalez and left-handed ace pitcher Hunter Elliot, who will lead what could be a deeper pitching staff than the one that won the national title.

Replacing Elko's power largely will fall on Kemp Alderman's broad shoulders. He hit 11 dingers last year and just might double that this year. Gonzalez also will look to increase his total of 18 homers a year ago.

Newcomers to watch: Tulane transfer outfielder Ethan Groff, who hit .404 last season, can steal a base and will likely hit at the top of the Rebel lineup; Northwestern first baseman Anthony Calarco (.325, 13 HRs 54 RBI); and Delgado Community College outfielder Ethan Lege (.399, 36 RBI). Pitching-wise, look out for freshman Grayson Saunier, who could well be this year's Rebel version of Hunter Elliot.

Southern Miss

Enthusiasm for Southern Miss baseball is at an all-time high. The home season is sold out before the season even begins. Southern Miss starts the season ranked in all the college baseball polls, unusual for program that normally has to play its way into the Top 20. That's what happens when you win 47 games, your own regional over LSU, and return nearly all of your everyday lineup. No telling where the Golden Eagles would be ranked if likely MLB first round pick Hurston Waldrep hadn't transferred to Florida.

Pitching depth is a huge concern since the Eagles also lost senior starter Hunter Riggins, plus a school record five pitchers in the MLB draft, including much of a dependable bullpen. Pitching coach Christian Ostrander is often referred to as the Wizard of Oz and he will need to live up to that nickname with so much mound production gone from a year ago.

But head coach Scott Berry has plenty back, including All American right-handed starter Tanner Hall and the everyday players who hit 65 of the team's 82 home runs a year ago. Hitting-wise, this will be a veteran team that already has experienced much success at the college level.

Pitching-wise, some young arms, including freshmen, must come through, including Mississippi's Gatorade Player of the Year Nick Monistere of Northwest Rankin and Benton Academy's JB Middleton, both hard throwers.

Newcomers to watch: Centerfielder Matthew Etzel, a highly touted transfer from Panola, a speedster who tore up the MLB Draft League last summer; left fielder/DH Tate Parker, who led Pearl River to the national junior college championship last spring; and second baseman Gabe Lacy, who hit .329 with 12 home runs and 63 RBI for Tennessee Tech last season.

Mississippi State

As if last year's losing record wasn't bad enough, Chris Lemonis' Bulldogs are picked to finish last in the SEC West in the preseason SEC coaches poll. Color this observer shocked if they do. There's just too much talent and too much tradition in Starkville for that to happen. But here's the thing about the SEC West: Every team in the division feels that way.

First things first: State does have some key players still around from the 2021 National Champions. Catcher Luke Hancock, outfielder Kellum Clark and shortstop Lane Forsythe have been there. That's a start. They know what it takes. The rest of the everyday lineup looks good as well, especially with first baseman Hunter Hines and his 16 home runs in the middle of the batting order.

Pitching is the big question mark. Some guys who didn't get it done last season will have to improve drastically. Last season, the Bulldogs finished last in the SEC with an earned run average of 6.07, a full two runs per game higher than the national championship season. Moving out of the SEC West cellar begins with improving that stat. Memphis transfer Landon Gartman, 7-1 and All American Athletic Conference last season, surely will help in that regard.

Newcomers to watch: Gartman, Texas, transfer pitcher Aaron Nixon; incoming freshman centerfielder Dakota Jordan; New Orleans transfer second baseman Amani Larry; and Samford transfer left fielder Colton Ledbetter.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

Read Mississippi Today’s Pulitzer Prize finalist series ‘’Unfettered Power: Mississippi Sheriffs”

Published

8 hours ago

May 6, 2024

Staff Editor

Mississippi Today's “Unfettered Power: Mississippi Sheriffs” investigation has been named a finalist for the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting.

The 2023 investigation from the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting at Mississippi Today and The New York Times' Local Investigations Fellowship revealed how Mississippi sheriffs rule like kings, wielding vast power, exploiting and abusing the very people they are called to protect with no one stopping them.

The seven-part 2023 series, which has continued into 2024, included new details about the Rankin County “Goon Squad.”

Click the links below to read the Pulitzer Prize-recognized series.

Sex Abuse, Beatings and an Untouchable Mississippi Sheriff

Where the Sheriff is King, These Women Say He Coerced Them Into Sex

New Evidence Raises Questions in Controversial Mississippi Law Enforcement Killing

The Sheriff, His Girlfriend and His Illegal Subpoenas

How a ‘Goon Squad' of Deputies Got Away With Years of Brutality

Days After Rankin's ‘Goon Squad' Tortured Two Men, Supervisors Gave the Sheriff a Pay Boost

Who Investigates the Sheriff? In Mississippi, Often No One.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

Mississippi Today named 2024 Pulitzer Prize finalist for “Unfettered Power: Mississippi Sheriffs” investigation

Published

9 hours ago

May 6, 2024

Staff Editor

Mississippi Today's “Unfettered Power: Mississippi Sheriffs” investigation has been named a finalist for the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting.

The 2023 investigation from the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting at Mississippi Today and The New York Times revealed how Mississippi sheriffs rule like kings, wielding vast power, exploiting and abusing the very people they are called to protect with no one stopping them.

The series included new details about the Rankin County “Goon Squad.”

“I feel so blessed to see our work investigating sheriffs in Mississippi recognized by the Pulitzer Prize Board,” investigative reporter Jerry Mitchell said. “This honor doesn't belong to us. It belongs to the people who dared to stand up and share their stories — victims of violence, sexual assault and many other abuses.”

This is Mississippi Today's second consecutive honor from the Pulitzer Prizes. The newsroom won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting for its “The Backchannel” investigation into key players in the welfare scandal, making it the seventh Mississippi news outlet to win in the history of the prizes.

“This series shocked the conscience of Mississippi, and the impact this group of incredible journalists had is enormous,” said Adam Ganucheau, Mississippi Today's editor-in-chief. “Anyone who has read the stories can see how much time and energy they put into serving the state, and they are so deserving of this recognition.”

The seven-part “Unfettered Power” series documented in vivid detail the stunning abuse of residents by officers across Mississippi for more than two decades. Officers spied on and tortured suspects and used their power to jail and punish political enemies.

The reporting was based on difficult-to-get interviews and a deep examination of records, including thousands of pages of Taser logs. Using other department records, the reporting team determined which device was assigned to each deputy, allowing reporters to substantiate allegations of torture by victims and witnesses.

“None of this would have happened without the hard work of our three tremendously talented investigative reporters, Ilyssa Daly, Brian Howey and Nate Rosenfield,” Mitchell said. “They are a model for what dedication, determination and perseverance can accomplish. Because of them, we know that the future of investigative reporting is in great hands.”

The impact of the series was profound. The reporting prompted federal investigations and the drafting of several pieces of Mississippi legislation to limit the power of sheriffs.

“In a short time Mississippi Today has built a prize-winning newsroom that has produced a string of accountability stories,” said Dean Baquet, executive editor of The New York Times' Local Investigations Fellowship. “Our combined coverage of horrific abuses by sheriffs in the state is an example of the power and importance of local investigative reporting. It has yielded results, and the work continues.”

The Pulitzer Prize is the most prominent award earned by Mississippi Today, the state's flagship nonprofit newsroom that was founded in 2016. The newsroom and its journalists have won several national awards in recent years, including: two Goldsmith Prizes for Investigative Reporting; a Sidney Award for thorough coverage of the Jackson water crisis; a Collier Prize for State Government Accountability; and the John Jay/Harry Frank Guggenheim Excellence in Criminal Justice Reporting Award.

Mississippi Today and its staff have also won dozens of regional and statewide prizes, including dozens of Society of Professional Journalists Green Eyeshade Awards; several Mississippi Press Association awards for excellence, including a Bill Minor Prizes for Investigative Reporting; and the 2023 Silver Em Award at University of Mississippi.

“We as Mississippians are so fortunate to have strong investigative journalism in our state,” said Mary Margaret White, Mississippi Today CEO and Executive Director. “This level of reporting takes a great deal of focus, determination and grit. The journalists being honored today are public servants in the truest sense, catalyzing accountability and change and standing up for, and with, those whose voices are otherwise ignored.”

This is Mitchell's second time to be named a Pulitzer finalist. He was previously named a finalist in 2006 for his relentless reporting on the successful conviction of Edgar Ray Killen, who orchestrated the killing of three civil rights workers in Philadelphia in 1964.

The ongoing work on the sheriffs series is far from done, he said.

“We've just begun to shine a light into the darkness in Mississippi, and we can already see the roaches scattering,” Mitchell said.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi Today

Could Spencer Rattler be Saints quarterback of the future? Archie Manning thinks so.

Published

12 hours ago

May 6, 2024

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – Rick Cleveland – 2024-05-06 11:38:53

Probably the biggest surprise in the recent NFL Draft came in the fifth round when the New Orleans Saints, who just last year signed veteran quarterback Derek Carr to a four-year, $150 million contract, chose South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler.

The Saints hadn't been expected to take a quarterback. Rattler had been expected to go much higher.

At least one expert, a former New Orleans Saints quarterback and a Mississippi legend, believes the drafting of Rattler was a wise choice by his hometown team.

“I like Spencer,” Archie Manning said recently. “I like him as a person and as a player. I can't wait to see what he does for the Saints.”

Rattler, an Arizona native, played college ball first at Oklahoma and then for the past two seasons at South Carolina. Manning knows Rattler best from when he was a counselor at the Manning Passing Academy the summer between Oklahoma and South Carolina.

“I really enjoyed Spencer at our camp,” Manning said. “His attitude was great. He worked hard, got along great with all the other quarterbacks and the campers. At our meeting to start every day, he always came in early, sat front and center and just seemed to soak everything in. He had a maturity about him. He wanted to learn. He just had this little gleam in his eye. Obviously, he can really throw the football.”

Manning, who counts South Carolina coach Shane Beamer as a friend, watched Rattler for the past two seasons, even visiting Columbia for practices and attending quarterback meetings.

“I just couldn't be any more impressed with how Spencer handled things, including some disappointments,” Manning said. “I think he has a bright future in the NFL.”

There are several knocks on Rattler that might have caused him to fall in the draft. For one, he stands just a shade over six feet tall and he is not particularly fleet of foot. That will bother some teams a lot more than it should bother the Saints, who were led to their only Super Bowl championship by a six-foot quarterback with average speed named Drew Brees.

Also, there was the transfer from Oklahoma to South Carolina after Rattler lost the starting quarterback job to Caleb Williams (the first pick of the 2024 draft). And there have been reports that an unflattering 2019 Netflix documentary, filmed during Rattler's senior year of high school when he was the nation's No. 1 quarterback recruit, caused some NFL teams to lower their evaluations. Said Manning, “I haven't seen that documentary but I've heard about it. All I know about his attitude and makeup is what I've seen first-hand.”

Clearly, Rattler has some upside. At Oklahoma and South Carolina combined, Rattler threw for over 10,800 yards, 77 touchdowns and 32 interceptions with a 68.5% completion rate. As a junior at South Carolina, he led the Gamecocks to eight victories including back-to-back wins over No. 5 Tennessee and No. 8 Clemson. He threw for 438 yards and six touchdowns against the Vols, 360 yards and two TDs against Clemson. Then, in the Gator Bowl against Notre Dame, he threw for 360 yards and two scores.

Last season, when South Carolina replaced much of its offensive line, Rattler was sacked 30 times but still threw for 3,196 yards and 19 touchdowns and only eight interceptions. Rattler was outstanding in the Senior Bowl, winning MVP honors.

A cynic might joke that the 30 sacks will be excellent preparation for the Saints, who hope to have solved some of their pass-blocking woes by taking Oregon State offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga with their first round choice. Fuaga did not allow a sack his entire senior season.

Rattler is expected to battle Nathan Peterman and Jake Haener for the back-up role behind Carr this preseason. Many, including Manning, believe he could project as a long-range starter down the road.

It has been amazing to watch the devaluation of the running back position in the NFL over recent seasons. Not a single running back was selected in the first round in the 2024 draft. Texas halfback Jonathan Brooks was the first back taken with the 14th pick of the second round, the 46th pick of the draft. Greenville native Trey Benson was the second running back taken (by the Arizona Cardinals) with the second pick of the third round. And get this: Benson's high school teammate Dillon Johnson, the Washington Huskies running star, wasn't taken in the draft at all.

Johnson, who runs with both power and speed, ran for 1,195 yards and 16 touchdowns, helping the Huskies to the national championship game despite a broken bone his right foot, a sprained left ankle and a ruptured bursa sac in his left knee. Seems to me the steal of the 2024 draft might be someone who wasn't drafted at all. Also seems to me those injuries to Johnson are an indication of why running backs are not valued as highly as was once the case. The shelf life of NFL running backs is not particularly long.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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