After a stellar sophomore season, Mississippi State outfielder Dakota Jordan has once again been recognized for his outstanding on-field performance.

Baseball America, a leading college baseball publication, named Jordan a third team All-American on Friday, Jordan’s second All-America honor of the season.

Jordan also won the Ferriss Trophy, presented annually to the best college baseball player in Mississippi, and was a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award for the best amateur baseball player in the United States.

Jordan excelled for the Bulldogs in 2024, leading the team in home runs (20), RBIs (72), hits (85) and slugging percentage (.671). Jordan had the seventh-best batting average in the SEC, hitting .354. His 20 home runs are the eighth-most in a single season at Mississippi State and he led the team with 26 multi-hit games and 21 multi-RBI games. He was the only Mississippi State player to notch a five-hit game this season.

In two seasons, Jordan appeared in 107 games for State and had a career batting average of .336. He blasted 30 homers and drove in 112 runs along with scoring 86 runs. He had 132 hits for his career and 55 extra base hits. Jordan’s on-base percentage stands at .435 over his two seasons.

Jordan becomes the first position player since RJ Yeager in 2022 to earn multiple All-American honors in the same season and the first outfielder to do so since Tanner Allen in 2021.

Philip Poe is sports editor.

MSU

Peach season has arrived and it’s as sweet and juicy as ever. From the mountains to the beach and all the lakes and farmland in between, peaches represent that quintessential summer treat. What many North Carolinians may not know is that our very own state grows its fair share of these delectable stone fruits.

Between 2017 and 2022, the number of peach farms and total peach acreage increased in North Carolina. As of the 2022 Census of Agriculture, North Carolina had 356 peach farms on a total of 1,273 acres.

So buy yourself a bushel at a roadside stand, unfold your lawn chair, and dig into some fun facts about North Carolina’s perfect peaches.

Not all peaches are created equal. Plant breeders at several land-grant universities across the country spend decades developing unique varieties tailored to regional climates, pest pressures, and diseases while ensuring excellent texture and flavor. Like other fruit trees, peaches need to spend a certain number of hours at cold temperatures in the winter to bear fruit and avoid spring frost damage. North Carolina farmers are able to grow peaches today because NC State’s now-retired peach breeder developed varieties specifically suited to North Carolina’s climate.

“Anything we want to grow here in North Carolina has high chill requirements — around 1,000 or more chilling hours,” says Jeremy Martin, superintendent of the Sandhills Research Station in Montgomery County. “But folks south of us want 850 or less because they don’t have to worry as much about spring freezes. A lot of Clemson’s releases therefore have lower chilling hours with earlier bloom times. Luckily, we still have NC State varieties that are reliable for our climate, but they’re unlikely to be improved upon over time.”

Chilling hours: the number of total hours that a fruit tree must spend in temperatures below 40°F during the dormant (winter) season.

Since NC State University’s peach breeder retired several years ago, the university has partnered with Clemson University and the University of Arkansas to continue breeding peaches.

“The peach industry in North Carolina has changed a lot,” Martin says. “The pack-and-ship peach industry is almost completely gone with the closest operation in Macbee, South Carolina. Most of the peach growers in North Carolina are growing more for the fresh market in their immediate areas on less than 100 acres. Social media has helped a lot with getting the word out about their peaches.”

The Sandhills Research Station was originally founded as a working peach farm. It has since been used by breeders and researchers across academic departments for its unique soil type. The area’s namesake sandy soils drain quickly, allowing faculty to put peach trees and many other crops through severe stress tests to develop better solutions to a changing climate.

“Maybe I’m biased, but peaches from the Sandhills just taste better,” Martin says. “Because of the sandy soils that drain water, sugar builds up in the fruit. If we get hot and dry conditions when the peaches get ripe, they’ll be really sweet and juicy.”

Weather officials are surveying storm damage and thousands are without power after a sudden, severe thunderstorm crossed Central Oklahoma on Tuesday night.

In Oklahoma City, neighborhoods like Britton Road saw severe damage, KOCO reports, after wind gusts up to 80 mph blasted through, causing roof damage and downing power lines.

About 30,000 customers are still affected across 16 counties, with the largest impact in Oklahoma County, reports Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. Closer to 2 a.m. Wednesday morning, almost 60,000 OG&E customers were without power.

OG&E customers can report outages online.

Storm damage in Oklahoma today

Several neighborhoods reported some forms of storm damage, while others saw more extensive damage, including downed power lines and shredded roofs.

Map: Oklahoma power outages today

See live updates on how weather is impacting OGE power.

PSO power outage map

See live updates on how weather is impacting PSO power.

National Weather Service updates

Live radar Oklahoma weather