Mississippi
Mississippi legislature hosts Alabama for softball game at Trustmark Park
PEARL, Miss. (WLBT) – Saturday, the Mississippi legislature welcomed the Alabama legislature to Trustmark Park for the inaugural Battle of Tombigbee softball game.
“We got a challenge at the beginning of the year to play the Alabama legislators in a softball game,” said Rep. Troy Smith, who represents Mississippi’s 84th District. “They’ve been doing this for several years; this is our first go around.”
The meeting on the diamond was initiated with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety delivering the game ball to the field via helicopter and kicked off a fun and friendly rivalry between the two states.
“It’s great for the two states to come around and play together, it’s going to be an annual thing,” Smith said.
The state representatives were happy to take a day to have fun with their statesmen and neighbors to the east.
“You can see on the bench, we’re all one team, [we have] camaraderie,” said Mississippi District 1 Representative Lester Carpenter. “We work in the House together, we play ball together, so it’s a wonderful thing.”
“We have a job, we discuss laws, we get a lot of criticism on things we do, a lot of gratitude too,” Smith said. “To come out and mix it with other people who have got the same job, use the same stories, it’s fun.”
While it’s been a minute since some of the state reps took reps on the field, they were able to get back into the swing of things.
“It takes us a while to get used to this,” said Alabama House Majority Leader Scott Stadthagen. “We’ve been stretching and trying to run, but we’ve got to knock the dust off us a little bit.”
“We’ve got one in their 20s, one in their 30s, the rest 40 and above. A lot of us ain’t been on a ballfield in 20-30 years, but it feels good,” Smith said.
The best part of the whole event: revenue generated from the game went to benefit the Mississippi Children’s Hospital.
“The kids are the real winners, right?” Stadthagen said. “Hopefully we raise a lot of money for it, and hopefully it benefits a lot of kids.”
Saturday’s game did not disappoint. The showdown at Trustmark Park went into the 10th inning, and Alabama won 7-5.
Want more WLBT news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please click here to report it and include the headline of the story in your email.
Copyright 2024 WLBT. All rights reserved.
Coming off an exciting end to the season that saw them nearly make a miracle run to the NCAA Tournament, the Ole Miss Rebels have now lost a notable transfer portal battle to their heated rivals this offseason, leaving Chris Beard and the coaching staff with more questions about how to fill out their roster for next year.
Mississippi State has landed a commitment from Washington State transfer forward ND Okafor, giving the Bulldogs their fifth portal addition of the offseason. Okafor’s decision to choose Starkville comes as a surprise less than a month after he had announced his commitment to Ole Miss. He originally didn’t even have Mississippi State as one of his original finalists, but it’s clear head coach Chris Jans and the Bulldogs won him over.
By fumbling the commitment of Okafor, the Rebels miss out on a player who has four years of high-major experience and is coming off of the best season of his career. He started all 32 games for Washington State this past season, averaging 11 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. Okafor began his career at California and will now be playing for Mississippi State in his final year of college basketball.
Where Ole Miss Basketball’s Transfer Portal Class Stands
The Rebels have had a somewhat underwhelming offseason in the portal. Beard and staff brought in some interesting portal pieces last year but it remains to be seen how this offseason’s portal class stacks up.
Ole Miss has already landed five portal commitments, though the team has yet to add a true star-studded transfer. The Rebels have Pepperdine center Stefan Cicic, Seton Hall guard Adam Clark, James Madison forward Christian Brown, Saint Jospeh’s forward Dasear Haskins and Pitt forward Roman Siulepa.
As things stands, Ole Miss doesn’t have a portal addition that truly stands out as a potential game-changer for next season. Clark does offer some intrigue though, as he averaged 12.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.0 steals at Seton Hall last season. A strong defender and creator, Clark has started all 99 career games dating back to his first two years at Merrimack and will no doubt bring a veteran presence to the Ole Miss roster.
But the Rebels need more. Okafor would have been a solid addition on the wing who fits the defensive-mind approach that Beard is looking for.
It will be interesting to see where the Rebels go from here after missing out on a portal addition to their arch rivals.
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
Enter your email and we’ll send a secure one-click link to sign in.
WJTV is provided by Nexstar Media Group, Inc., and uses the My Nexstar sign-in, which works across our media network.
Learn more at nexstar.tv/privacy-policy.
WJTV is provided by Nexstar Media Group, Inc., and uses the My Nexstar sign-in, which works across our media network.
Nexstar Media Group, Inc. is a leading, diversified media company that produces and distributes engaging local and national news, sports, and entertainment content across its television and digital platforms. The My Nexstar sign-in works across the Nexstar network—including The CW, NewsNation, The Hill, and more. Learn more at nexstar.tv/privacy-policy.
This week on Behind the Lens: “Paraquat and Parkinson’s.” Wayne County, Mississippi is the largest emitter of paraquat in the world, an herbicide linked to the fastest-growing neurodegenerative disease. Environmental reporter Delaney Nolan explains the safety concerns and what they could mean for affected communities.
Theme music by Podington Bear. Additional music includes “Rumor” by Podington Bear (soundofpicture.com) and “Big Yellow Taxi” by Joni Mitchell.
This story is a product of the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, an independent reporting network based at the University of Missouri, in partnership with Report for America, with major funding from the Walton Family Foundation.
Music Credits:
Theme music by Podington Bear
Additional music “Rumor” by Podington Bear from soundofpicture.com and “Big Yellow Taxi” by Joni Mitchel
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe:
Related
-
Idaho5 minutes agoToday in History: May 2, carbon monoxide from Idaho mine fire kills 91
-
Illinois11 minutes agoWhere Route 66 begins: A tale of boom, bust, baseball, and a ‘big house’
-
Indiana17 minutes agoRapid Reaction: Indiana stomps Northwestern 9-2 at Wrigley Field
-
Iowa23 minutes agoRepublicans running for governor lay out conservative credentials
-
Kansas29 minutes agoKansas State freshman Jack Fleischaker, 19, dies after falling from fraternity house window
-
Kentucky35 minutes agoHow much does a Kentucky Derby jockey make? Highest paid, average salary and more to know
-
Louisiana41 minutes agoThoroughbred season has opened at Louisiana Downs
-
Maine47 minutes ago‘I’m proud of my record’: Sen. Collins says she’s looking forward to Senate race