Mississippi
After resurgent season, what are Mississippi State baseball’s biggest needs?
There’s no denying that Mississippi State made significant progress this spring, rebounding from two seasons without postseason play to return to the NCAA Tournament and finish fifth in a deep Southeastern Conference.
But in today’s college baseball landscape, top teams must deal with a perpetual state of roster churn as players choose to enter the transfer portal or leave to begin playing professionally. And the Bulldogs’ roster will almost certainly look very different in 2025 as they look to make it back to the Men’s College World Series for the first time since winning the 2021 national title.
MSU’s weekend rotation at the beginning of the season, consisting of Nate Dohm, Khal Stephen and Jurrangelo Cijntje, are all likely to be selected in the top 200 picks of next month’s MLB Draft, with Cijntje a potential first-rounder. The same goes for sluggers Dakota Jordan and Hunter Hines, who combined for nearly half of the Bulldogs’ home runs this season.
“We need more depth offensively,” head coach Chris Lemonis said after MSU’s season-ending defeat against Virginia on Sunday night. “That was one of the big areas. You need frontline pitching. We had that this year. But you have to go back out and find more every year.”
Pitching coach Justin Parker, hired away from South Carolina last summer, helped shave nearly three full runs off the Bulldogs’ team ERA from 2023. Stephen, coming off an up-and-down season in his lone year in Purdue’s starting rotation, turned into a First-Team All-SEC pitcher and leads the conference in innings pitched. Cijntje posted an 8.10 ERA as a freshman but lowered that mark to 3.67 this year and is tied for third in the SEC in strikeouts.
Two of MSU’s most reliable relievers, Tyson Hardin and Tyler Davis, were among the dregs of the Bulldogs’ pitching staff last season before emerging as Lemonis’ most trusted late-inning options this year in SEC play and the postseason. Brooks Auger and Pico Kohn, both coming off Tommy John surgery, took on big roles down the stretch as well.
Those success stories, as long as Parker sticks around, should make MSU an attractive destination for both established arms in the transfer portal and pitchers looking for a fresh start.
“We’re already experiencing that as we talk to kids, the graduates and the ones who went in already,” Lemonis said. “We’re in a (much) better spot. You have to win all phases of recruiting, the draft, the high school, the portal kids, keeping your own team together. It’s just a different world.”
Besides Jordan and Hines, the Bulldogs will also need to replace several other starting position players — center fielder Connor Hujsak, second baseman Amani Larry and third baseman Logan Kohler are out of NCAA eligibility, as are catchers Joe Powell and Johnny Long. Shortstop David Mershon and left fielder Bryce Chance are also draft-eligible.
MSU did land some impact transfers last offseason, Stephen and Kohler chief among them, as well as pitcher Cam Schuelke from the junior college ranks. But the Bulldogs struck out on the biggest fish in the portal, including Mississippi product Braden Montgomery, who chose Texas A&M after spending his first two years at Stanford.
The incoming freshman class is ranked 19th by Perfect Game, with a pair of top-100 prospects. But 10 SEC teams are ahead of MSU in the recruiting rankings, with rival Ole Miss at No. 7.
“We have a good high school group that will be going into the draft, and some of these guys in our clubhouse going into the draft,” Lemonis said. “Right now every team in the country feels like their team is so liquid with where we are with the NCAA. There’s a big month ahead of us.”
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Staff
A wood products manufacturer is set to create new jobs as part of a major expansion.
Carpenter Pole and Piling is investing nearly $5 million into its Wiggins, Mississippi, operation.
The expansion will add 10 new positions and support long-term growth in the region.
“Carpenter Pole and Piling is a true Mississippi success story, and we’re proud to see the company continue investing right here at home,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said.
“This expansion in Stone County is creating new opportunities for hardworking Mississippians while strengthening a company that has long contributed to our state’s economy,” Reeves said. “When Mississippi businesses grow, our communities grow with them, and we remain committed to fostering a business environment where companies can thrive.”
Carpenter Pole and Piling produces utility poles and pilings for marine and foundation use.
The project includes construction of a new treatment plant, investment in a 2,600-cubic-foot autoclave and an alternative treatment option to improve production capacity.
The company is also clearing and preparing an additional 20 acres for a new pole storage yard.
Stone County is also contributing to the project.
The company expects to complete construction by September 2026.
The new roles are expected to be filled by January 2027.
Carpenter Pole and Piling specializes in the production of utility poles. It also manufactures foundation and marine pilings.
The new autoclave will increase production and add an alternative treatment option.
This story was created by business and development writer Ross Reily, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more.
Mississippi
CBSB: Southern Miss sweeps again, Mississippi State shines in Texas, Ole Miss struggles – SuperTalk Mississippi
Southern Miss earned its second consecutive sweep, rounding out a mostly successful weekend of college baseball for Mississippi’s major programs.
The No. 12 Golden Eagles (10-1), fresh off a mercy-rule victory over Alabama, exited a hostile Louisiana Tech environment with three straight wins versus a former conference counterpart. Christian Ostrander’s crew won 8-3 on Friday, cruised to an 11-0 run-rule victory through seven innings on Saturday, and was on the good side of a 6-2 scoreboard in Sunday’s finale.
A three-run bomb by Kyle Morrison in the top of the fourth of Friday’s game put the black and gold up 5-3, and solid pitching carried the team the rest of the way. A six-run top of the fourth of Saturday’s game, in part due to a Matthew Russo 2 RBI single, broke a scoring stalemate and fueled Southern Miss to a win in a shortened matchup. A two-run long ball by Joey Urban in the top of the ninth of Sunday’s battle gave the Golden Eagles a buffer that would not be eclipsed.
Kros Sivley (2-0) was Friday’s winning pitcher after logging a pair of strikeouts in 1.2 innings. Grayden Harris (2-0) got the win on Saturday after fanning five batters and surrendering no runs through six complete innings. Camden Sunstrom (1-0) closed out the finale with the win after striking out two batters and not giving up a hit or a run in the final two frames.
Mississippi State wins two in Texas
The No. 4 Bulldogs (11-1) had a solid weekend in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series. Brian O’Connor’s club handled the weekend test with an 8-4 win over Arizona State, a 15-8 victory over Virginia Tech, and a heartbreaking 8-7 extra-innings loss to No. 1 UCLA.
Mississippi State broke a scoring hiatus on Friday with a strong bottom of the fifth. A Bryce Chance RBI single scored the game’s first run, then a Gehrig Frei homer put the Bulldogs up 4-0. Three insurance runs were added in the next offensive frame, and Mississippi State did not look back. On Saturday, an Ace Reece longball gave the maroon and white a 4-0 lead in the top of the second. Virginia Tech chipped away, cutting the deficit to two runs, until a five-run top of the seventh put things out of reach.
Sunday’s finale was a battle between two teams vying for bragging rights as the nation’s best. The Bruins took an early 3-0 lead, but Mississippi State quickly countered. A two-run bomb by Reed Stallman and an RBI double by Ryder Woodson knotted things up 3-3 in the bottom of the fourth. The Bulldogs added a run in the bottom of the seventh and eighth innings to lead 5-3.
A two-out home run by UCLA’s Roch Cholowsky tied the ballgame in the top of the ninth. Mississippi State, with runners on second and third and no outs in the bottom of the ninth, could not send a runner home. A wild pitch and a 2 RBI triple scored three Bruins in the top of the 10th. Stallman hit his second home run of the day to inch the Bulldogs within one run of their foe, but it was not followed up with more scoring.
Winning pitchers for Mississippi State this weekend were Ryan McPherson (2-0) and Tomas Valincius (3-0), while Ben Davis (0-1) was tabbed with the lone loss.
Ole Miss struggles in neutral-site tournament
In its first set of tests versus power conference opponents, the Rebels (10-2) struggled mightily, dropping two of three outings in the BRUCE BOLT College Classic. Mike Bianco’s club fell to Baylor 6-5 in extra innings on Friday before bouncing back on Saturday in an 8-0 win over Ohio State and suffering a 9-2 loss to Coastal Carolina in Sunday’s finale. Ole Miss was a combined 0-18 at the plate with runners in scoring position in the two losses.
Though the weekend didn’t play to the Rebels’ advantage, a few individual performers stood out. Murray State transfer Dom Decker, who entered his junior campaign without hitting a home run, hit three balls over the outfield wall at the Houston Astros’ Daikin Park. Hunter Elliott had a career-high 11 strikeouts on Friday, while Cade Townsend and Taylor Rabe collectively fanned 16 batters in Saturday’s shutout.
Next up
Southern Miss will play a pair of home midweek games, the first being against Mississippi State on Tuesday at 6 p.m. and the second versus Nicholls on Wednesday at 6 p.m., before hosting North Alabama over the weekend.
Mississippi State will host Lipscomb over the weekend after facing the Golden Eagles.
Ole Miss will host Memphis on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and North Alabama on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., before welcoming Evansville for a weekend series.
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