Mississippi

Mississippi State baseball 2024 bold predictions: Will Bulldogs return to postseason?

Published

2 years ago

February 12, 2024

Mississippi State baseball 2024 bold predictions: Will Bulldogs return to postseason?

STARKVILLE — The expectations for Mississippi State baseball entering the 2024 season are as low as the program has seen. The Bulldogs are projected to finish last in the SEC West across various publications and could be headed toward a third straight year with no postseason appearance.

However, coach Chris Lemonis’ offseason suggests MSU could exceed the lowly expectations.

The Bulldogs hired Justin Parker away from South Carolina to serve as the program’s pitching coach. After back-to-back years with the conference’s worst ERA, MSU parted ways with Scott Foxhall and replaced him with Parker – who helped guide the Gamecocks to the SEC’s second-best ERA last season.

Offensively, Mississippi State returns plenty of its production, highlighted by slugging first baseman Hunter Hines and All-American outfielder Dakota Jordan.

Throughout its struggles, MSU has continued to collect among the nation’s best recruiting classes. With talent still on the roster, could Mississippi State turn its fortunes around this year? Here are three bold predictions that suggest the answer is yes.

Mississippi State’s pitching will rank in the top half of the SEC

Parker got a first-hand look at Mississippi State’s pitching when South Carolina came to Dudy Noble Field for a series last season. Since being hired by the Bulldogs, Parker has frequently praised the potential he saw from MSU’s staff despite allowing nearly eight runs per game in the series.

With Parker’s track record, that talent should result in improved production this season. Switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje should take a step forward as a sophomore in the starting rotation. The return of Brooks Auger and Stone Simmons should help the bullpen. Nate Dohm, who praised Parker’s impact on his mechanics, and Colby Holcombe should turn flashes from last season into consistent play.

Even an ERA around five should be enough to finish seventh in the SEC.

Hunter Hines will be All-SEC

Hines spent his first two seasons primarily as MSU’s designated hitter, but as he looks to improve his professional prospects, his play at first base will be crucial. If he can do enough defensively to stay at the position, Hines will have the offense to make a case for All-SEC honors.

Florida’s Jac Caglianone, who was the preseason first-team pick and a projected first-round MLB Draft selection, will be hard to beat out. However, Hines can surpass Georgia’s Charlie Condon as the second-team option.

In his career, Hines is hitting .299 and averages 19 home runs per season.

ONE-ON-ONE: Inside the anger fueling Mississippi State baseball, Chris Lemonis and the drive for 2024

Mississippi State will make an NCAA Regional

MSU’s schedule paves a path back to the NCAA Tournament. Outside of SEC play, Mississippi State faces just one power conference opponent – a midweek contest against Ole Miss that doesn’t count toward conference standings. The Bulldogs should be able to stack wins there.

The road SEC slate is tough, with trips to Texas A&M, Florida, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt and Arkansas. However, the home conference schedule – LSU, Georgia, Auburn, Alabama and Missouri − is a chance for MSU to work its way up the SEC standings.

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.

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Mississippi

MS House committee passes massive school choice expansion bill. What it means

Published

7 hours ago

January 15, 2026

Press Room

MS House committee passes massive school choice expansion bill. What it means

Mississippi Clarion Ledger

A Mississippi education bill proposes creating 12,500 educational savings accounts for school choice.
The accounts would provide up to $7,000 per child for private or charter school expenses.
The legislation also includes a $3,000 pay raise for assistant teachers.
Democrats raised concerns that the bill would divert necessary funds from public education.

The education bill championed by Mississippi House Speaker Jason White narrowly passed its first test in the legislature Wednesday. The legislation focuses on aligning Mississippi with its conservative neighbors by expanding and funding school choice options.

One of the most controversial provisions of the massive bill involves creating 12,500 educational savings accounts. The state would allocate more than $87 million to create these accounts, which would give the families of eligible students up to $7,000 per child to cover costs such as uniforms and tuition at private and charter schools.

Half of the initial savings accounts would be designated for students currently enrolled in public schools, and education committee chairman Rob Roberson, R-Starkville, said the selection process would prioritize low-income students.

“This is designed to make certain that if you’re 100% below the median income, you are the first in line to get this money,” he said in the Wednesday committee meeting. “We want to make certain that our kids out there that really haven’t had an opportunity to go anywhere else would have that opportunity.”

The accounts would provide funds for fewer than 3% of Mississippi’s school-age children in the 2027-2028 school year, if the bill passes, with scheduled increases in the number of savings accounts for the following three school years. After that, the number of savings accounts would only increase if there aren’t enough savings accounts for all interested students.

The bill is estimated to cost more than $160 million in its first year, the bulk of which would go to the student savings accounts. Included in the total is around $29 million allocated for assistant teacher pay raises. Roberson said the raise, a $3,000 bump that would bring minimum assistant teacher salaries up to $20,000 a year, was one of the provisions he thought was most important.

“It’s absolutely insane that anybody could even do it for $20,000 a year, and I hope we can work on increasing that going forward,” Roberson said.

The bill does not include teacher or professor salary increases, which differs from the legislation coming out of the Senate. A bill from Sen. Dennis DeBar, R-Leakesville, proposing a $2,000 raise for teachers passed the Senate and was sent to the House last week, but the House has not voted on it yet.

Roberson said he thought a discussion about teacher pay raises was worth having, but the House education bill was not the right place for it.

“It’s not in this bill because I don’t want to put anybody in this room in a position to suggest that I’m forcing you to vote against the teacher pay raise if you’re against [school choice],” he told the committee. “I’m all in favor of a teacher pay increase, but what I’m more in favor of is making certain that our babies are getting educated.”

Democrat legislators focused on the school choice aspect of the bill in the committee hearing, where they debated the impact of a potential mass exodus to private or charter schools on public education.

“We talk about how public education is the gateway for every family to have success, but we also know that we have underfunded public education since we’ve been in this government,” said Rep. Cheikh Taylor, D-Starkville. “This is a gateway, in my opinion, that we see that there’s going to be an advancement of tons of charter schools coming forward with zero accountability.”

Roberson said the bill was not the perfect solution to the problems facing Mississippi schools.

“This bill is not the end-all to fix all for schools. Never has been,” he said. “It is a piece of the puzzle that we need to continue working on.”

Democrats, including Taylor, warned committee members of the legislation’s impact on the average Mississippi family.

“Most of us run on public education, and therefore, if we divert these funds from public education, we’re also diverting funds from the entire philosophy that gives advancement to most families,” Taylor said, gesturing at banners on the committee room wall declaring that several school districts received an “A” grade. “How do we throw away the progress on the wall for 12,500 students?”

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Mississippi

Verizon outage reported across Mississippi, in more states. What we know

Published

19 hours ago

January 14, 2026

Press Room

Verizon outage reported across Mississippi, in more states. What we know

Can you hear me now? If your Verizon phone stopped working in Mississippi, you’re definitely not alone.

Customers all over the U.S. are reporting technical difficulties making and getting phone calls. Multiple cellphone service providers were hit on Wednesday, but Verizon is reporting the most widespread issues. (It’s the largest wireless provider in the country, with 146.1 million connections.)

Here’s what we know so far about the outage, what Verizon says is happening and when it could be fixed.

Is Verizon down in Mississippi?

According to Downdetector, more than 150,000 people across the nation have reported outages. The map shows swaths of reports from Mississippi are mostly in the northern part of the state and along the Gulf Coast at this time.

Customers in several other major cities have reported outages including New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle and Washington, D.C.

Downdetector showed other providers had outages on Wednesday, too, with at least 1,600 on T-Mobile and more than 1,700 on AT&T.

What does the Verizon outage look like?

Those affected are saying their phones can’t get a signal, showing no bars of service or “SOS.”

What caused Verizon outage?

Verizon released a statement midday Wednesday saying they are aware of the issue and their engineers are working to solve the issue. They gave no details on the cause of the outage.

How long will Verizon outage last?

A time/day for when the outages will be resolved has not been released yet. Stay tuned for further updates as they are provided.

Contributing: Jonathan Limehouse, Mike Snider

Miguel Legoas is a Deep South Connect Team Reporter for USA Today. Find him on Instagram @miguelegoas and email at mlegoas@gannett.com.

Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with USA TODAY Network. Email her at bbolden@gannett.com.

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Mississippi

Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for Jan. 13, 2026

Published

1 day ago

January 14, 2026

Press Room

Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for Jan. 13, 2026

The Mississippi Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 13, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mississippi Match 5 numbers from Jan. 13 drawing

01-06-11-25-30

Check Mississippi Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 3 numbers from Jan. 13 drawing

Midday: 7-4-3, FB: 2

Evening: 1-6-7, FB: 3

Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from Jan. 13 drawing

Midday: 2-1-0-2, FB: 2

Evening: 2-5-3-8, FB: 3

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from Jan. 13 drawing

Midday: 03

Evening: 14

Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Story continues below gallery.

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Winnings of $599 or less can be claimed at any authorized Mississippi Lottery retailer.

Prizes between $600 and $99,999, may be claimed at the Mississippi Lottery Headquarters or by mail. Mississippi Lottery Winner Claim form, proper identification (ID) and the original ticket must be provided for all claims of $600 or more. If mailing, send required documentation to:

Mississippi Lottery Corporation

P.O. Box 321462

Flowood, MS

39232

If your prize is $100,000 or more, the claim must be made in person at the Mississippi Lottery headquarters. Please bring identification, such as a government-issued photo ID and a Social Security card to verify your identity. Winners of large prizes may also have the option of setting up electronic funds transfer (EFT) for direct deposits into a bank account.

Mississippi Lottery Headquarters

1080 River Oaks Drive, Bldg. B-100

Flowood, MS

39232

Mississippi Lottery prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing date. For detailed instructions and necessary forms, please visit the Mississippi Lottery claim page.

When are the Mississippi Lottery drawings held?

Cash 3: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Cash 4: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
Match 5: Daily at 9:30 p.m. CT.
Cash Pop: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Mississippi editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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