Mississippi
Golden Spikes watchlist features players from Mississippi State, Ole Miss – SuperTalk Mississippi
Two pitchers representing Mississippi universities are up for the 2026 Golden Spikes Award.
USA Baseball announced Thursday the 25 semifinalists for the award, which is presented annually to the most prolific college player in the nation. Both Mississippi State’s Tomas Valincius and Ole Miss’ Cade Townsend cracked the list. It’s the latest award each was announced to be up for after Valincius and Townsend became Ferris Trophy finalists earlier this week.
Valincius, a left-hander who followed first-year Bulldog head coach Brian O’Connor to Starkville from Virginia has been a star for Mississippi State this season. In 13 starts, the sophomore is 8-2 with a 2.52 ERA and 105 strikeouts, along with just 16 walks across 75 innings of work.
He has effectively limited opposing hitters to a .209 batting average on the year and ranks second in the SEC in strikeouts and wins, and is third in innings pitched and fourth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.56) and WHIP (0.99).
Valincius is the 10th Bulldog to earn a semifinalist distinction from the Golden Spikes Award and the first since Dakota Jordan in 2024. Will Clark is the program’s only Golden Spikes Award winner in 1985 while Rafael Palmeiro and Brent Rooker finished as finalists for the honor in 1984 and 2017, respectively.
For Ole Miss, Townsend is the first Rebel since Doug Nikhazy in 2021 and just the seventh ever to be named a semifinalist for the award. He is the first Ole Miss sophomore to ever be named a semifinalist as all six before him were juniors.
The right-hander boasts a 3.25 ERA and has struck out 77 batters while only allowing 20 earned runs in 55.1 innings. Townsend ranks fifth in the SEC in WHIP (1.01), strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.50), and strikeouts per nine innings (12.52). He leads the Rebels in all three categories as well as batters struck out looking (24) and wins and is second in opponent batting average (.202) and total strikeouts (77).
If Townsend is announced as a finalist, he will join Stephen Head and Drew Pomeranz in earning the honor. No Ole Miss player has ever won the Golden Spikes Award.
The full list of semifinalists can be found here. Finalists will be named on June 10, and this year’s Golden Spikes Award winner will be announced on the MLB Network on June 29. Fans can weigh in on which player is their favorite by clicking here.
Mississippi
Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for June 30, 2026
Odds of winning the Powerball and Mega Millions are NOT in your favor
Odds of hitting the jackpot in Mega Millions or Powerball are around 1-in-292 million. Here are things that you’re more likely to land than big bucks.
The Mississippi Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 30, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mississippi Match 5 numbers from June 30 drawing
02-11-17-29-30
Check Mississippi Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 3 numbers from June 30 drawing
Midday: 9-2-2, FB: 6
Evening: 0-0-8, FB: 8
Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 4 numbers from June 30 drawing
Midday: 4-3-6-6, FB: 6
Evening: 7-6-5-5, FB: 8
Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from June 30 drawing
Midday: 07
Evening: 02
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.
Mississippi
Amy Carruth named director of Mississippi State Hospital – SuperTalk Mississippi
Mississippi State Hospital now has a new director.
Following the retirement of 36-year veteran administrator James “Bo” Chastain, the behavioral health facility has announced Brandon native Amy Carruth as its director. Carruth was hired from within after having spent the last 14 years in several key roles, including deputy hospital administrator and director of quality assurance.

Throughout her tenure, she has led policy development, strategic planning, and organization-wide quality improvement initiatives, helping strengthen operations and support high-quality patient care across the hospital.
Recognized for her expertise in Joint Commission standards, Carruth has guided Mississippi State Hospital through multiple accreditation surveys while leading continuous improvement efforts across the organization. She has also helped modernize organizational workflows, implement evidence-based quality improvement practices, and strengthen accountability through data-informed decision-making, officials say.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Carruth coordinated infection prevention efforts, implementing evolving safety standards, developing operational procedures and supporting the rollout of employee vaccinations. Her leadership helped position the hospital to continue delivering care while adapting to unprecedented challenges.
In addition to her administrative responsibilities, Carruth has served as the designated institutional official for the medical center’s psychiatry residency program, overseeing graduate medical education and supporting the development of future psychiatrists.
Before joining Mississippi State Hospital in 2012, Carruth served in leadership positions with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, the Mississippi Public Employees’ Retirement System, and the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, where she gained extensive experience in public administration, organizational leadership, and strategic planning.
“At the core of Mississippi State Hospital’s mission is the belief that every person served here deserves compassionate, high-quality care,” Carruth said. “I’m proud to be a part of this agency and our mission, and I look forward to continuing the legacy of providing hope, safety and recovery to Mississippians in need.”
Mississippi State Hospital a publicly funded behavioral health facility operated under the direction of the Mississippi Department of Mental Health. It is located on 350 acres in Rankin County near Pearl and Brandon, and is colloquially known as Whitfield.
Mississippi
Bobby Harrison: Mississippi Democrats hope they are not saying ‘if’ again after midterm elections
“If” has often been the refrain for many Mississippi Democrats after losing statewide elections, as they have done with regularity since 2003.
“If we only had a candidate who could energize true Democrats to the polls, we could win those statewide elections,” is a paraphrase of the full refrain.
That “if” has to be in the back of Lowndes County District Attorney Scott Colom’s mind as the Democrat campaigns to upend incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in the November midterm election.
In short, what Colom has to ponder is some people’s belief that a lot of Mississippians support many of the principles of national Democrats but are not voting because Mississippi candidates generally avoid those issues or campaign with a more conservative bent.
Colom’s already herculean task is made even more difficult by the fact that independent Ty Pinkins, a former Democrat, is also in the race and could possibly siphon votes from him.
Colom, obviously, needs every Democratic vote in his bid to upset Hyde-Smith and become the first Democratic senator from Mississippi since the 1980s and the first Black Mississippi senator since the 1800s.
Recent Democratic campaigns
Former Attorney General Jim Hood, the last Mississippi Democrat to win a statewide election, was accused of not embracing his party as he campaigned with his hunting dog, rifle and pickup truck in his 2019 loss to Republican Tate Reeves in the governor’s race.
After the 2023 election, former Northern District Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley faced much of the same criticism after his unsuccessful attempt to defeat Reeves. Most would concede that Presley ran closer to the national Democratic Party than did Hood.
The results, though, were close to the same.
In his 2020 campaign against Hyde-Smith, former U.S. Rep. Mike Espy came closer to running as a national Democrat than both Presley and Hood. For that effort, Espy garnered more votes than any Democrat in a statewide campaign since Bill Waller in his victorious 1971 gubernatorial race.
But Espy garnered a lower percentage of votes in a higher-turnout election than did Hood or Moore.
In 2019, Reeves defeated Hood 52% to 47%, or by a little more than 45,000 votes. In a lower-turnout election four years later, Reeves beat Presley 51% to 48%, or by fewer than 27,000 votes.
In the 2020 Senate election, Hyde-Smith won 54% to 44%, or by fewer than 131,000 votes in the highest turnout election in the state’s history. Remember, Espy garnered more votes than any Democrat since Waller in the 1971 gubernatorial election.
What the numbers mean for midterm election
Based on the numbers, can the argument be confirmed that some Mississippians are sitting at home on election day who could sway the election to a Democrat if they could be inspired to go to the polls?
In considering that question, it is important to keep in mind that Mississippi is generally near the bottom each election cycle in terms of voter participation.
According to the University of Florida Election Lab, nationally 66.4% of eligible voters cast a ballot in 2020. That year 60.6% of eligible Mississippians did so.
If Mississippians had equaled that national participation in 2020, an additional 126,500 people would have voted.
If that had occurred and all the additional voters had cast Espy ballots, which of course would not have happened, he still would have lost to Hyde-Smith by about 5,000 votes.
But that was a presidential election, and by happenstance an election that set both a national and Mississippi record for the number of voters. A midterm election, such as the upcoming Colom vs. Hyde-Smith contest, is a different story. The turnout will be much lower – perhaps closer to a Mississippi gubernatorial turnout.
In that instance, new voters perhaps could make a difference for Colom if – there is that word again – he could equal Presley’s or even Hood’s performance.
Colom, though, must walk that fine line of attracting those mysterious hard-to-find Mississippi progressives while not scaring away moderate voters who might be considering him in the current political environment where Trump and the Republicans have lost some of their luster nationally and perhaps even in true-red Mississippi.
If – if – Colom could accomplish those goals, perhaps he could give Mississippi Democrats something to cheer about for the first time in a long time.
Bobby Harrison, Mississippi Today’s senior capitol reporter, covers politics, government and the Mississippi State Legislature. He can be reached at [email protected]
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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