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Chaffin shines as No. 24 Mississippi State goes 4-1 at NFCA Leadoff Classic

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Chaffin shines as No. 24 Mississippi State goes 4-1 at NFCA Leadoff Classic


Just a few months ago, Raelin Chaffin was undergoing treatment for thyroid cancer shortly after transferring to Mississippi State from LSU. But she was at the top of her game in her first weekend as a Bulldog, helping No. 24 MSU win four of five games at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Florida.

In the season opener Friday against No. 13 Texas Tech, Chaffin emerged victorious in an eight-inning pitchers’ duel with NiJaree Canady, the best pitcher in the country last year. Canady struck out 12 Bulldogs and issued just one walk, but Chaffin matched her out for out until MSU broke through in extras.

Outfielders Kiarra Sells and Sierra Sacco each hit RBI singles in the eighth and Morgan Bernardini hit a sacrifice fly to break a scoreless tie and put the Bulldogs ahead by three. Chaffin issued two walks and hit a batter in the bottom of the inning to load the bases, but closed out the 3-1 victory on a foul pop-up to shortstop Kylee Edwards.

“Raelin’s performance was awesome. I’m so excited for her. We knew bringing her in that there was just a little something in her, just that competitive edge. She just still wanted to prove herself in her last season,” MSU head coach Samantha Ricketts said. “There was no doubt that we were letting her finish that game. She’d earned the right, and she was doing a great job of competing. She was confident.”

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The Bulldogs lost 8-0 in five innings later Friday to No. 7 Duke as both junior Josey Marron and senior Lexi Sosa struggled in the pitchers’ circle, with the Blue Devils scoring in every inning. MSU then made five errors and struggled to get the bats going against Bethune-Cookman on Saturday, but woke up just in time.

Bernardini led off the bottom of the seventh with a single, and Sacco drove her in with one out to tie the game. With two outs, Sells singled to left field to bring home Sacco and give the Bulldogs a 3-2 win. Chaffin, who relieved Marron in the sixth, earned her second win of the weekend.

“I was super confident that any ball that was coming my way, I was going to hit it,” said Sells, a junior who had played sparingly prior to this season and had not recorded a hit with MSU before this weekend. “That was kind of my mindset.”

Sacco and the offense remained hot in Saturday’s second game against Penn State. Sosa’s RBI single and Edwards’ two-run double gave the Bulldogs a three-run lead in the first inning, and Sacco added on with run-scoring doubles in the second and the sixth.

Her three doubles in the game set a school record and helped make life easy for Chaffin, who tossed six shutout innings before freshman Sara Phillips closed out the 6-1 win in her first collegiate appearance.

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“For me, it’s just about getting a barrel on it and just getting a good swing off,” Sacco said. “Whether it turns out to be a double, single, triple, it doesn’t really make a difference to me as long as I’m on base for my next teammate that will get me in.”

Chaffin — who was named SEC Pitcher of the Week on Monday — concluded her stellar weekend Sunday with a complete-game shutout against No. 19 Nebraska, striking out six without issuing a walk. Sacco cleared the bases with a two-out, three-run double in the second for all the runs Chaffin needed in a 3-0 victory.

MSU (4-1) will open Nusz Park for the 2025 season this coming weekend with The Snowman: Alex Wilcox Memorial tournament — named in honor of former outfielder Alex Wilcox, who died from ovarian cancer following her freshman year in 2018. The Bulldogs will play Southern Illinois, North Texas, Bradley and Georgia Tech.

“I didn’t have a whole lot to show in the fall, but the whole time (the coaching staff) just kept reinforcing that they brought me here for a reason,” Chaffin said. “Just carrying that out to the field and knowing that they want me here, they have confidence in me and they’re going to let me get whatever I’ve got to get out and keep me in the game and let me ride.”

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Mississippi’s first Dutch Bros now open in Pearl

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Mississippi’s first Dutch Bros now open in Pearl


PEARL, Miss. (WLBT) – Mississippi’s first Dutch Bros is now open in Pearl!

The coffee shop had its grand opening on Wednesday, July 8, around 5 a.m. It is located at 200 Bass Pro Dr.

To celebrate the grand opening, customers can enjoy $3 medium drinks on Wednesday.

Store hours are Sun-Thurs: 5 a.m.- 10 p.m., Fri-Sat: 5 a.m.- 11 p.m.

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Dutch Bros now has stores in 26 states.

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 2026 WLBT. All rights reserved.



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Police investigating video of Nolan Wells’ alleged argument on Horn Island before Mississippi teen went missing

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Police investigating video of Nolan Wells’ alleged argument on Horn Island before Mississippi teen went missing


MIAMI – Police are said to be investigating a video that allegedly shows a heated argument before Mississippi teen Nolan Xavier Wells went missing and was later found dead – as his grandfather said: “There’s nothing right about this.”

The 18-year-old star football player vanished during a Fourth of July boat trip with friends Saturday and a body which authorities said matched his description was found Monday morning.

Wells was last seen around 3 p.m. Saturday “talking to a girl” at the north end of Horn Island, a popular barrier island about 10 miles off the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the Cajun Navy Jackson County Sheriff’s Department said.

Nolan Wells, left, with friends during July 4 celebrations before he went missing. Facebook/Christine Wonsley

Law enforcement have been looking into a viral clip circulated online which appears to show several people having an “intense” argument near the shoreline, TMZ reported.

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It sparked speculation that the tense moment could be connected to Wells’ disappearance.

However, authorities have not confirmed that the footage is authentic or whether the people seen in it have any connection to the college student.

Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said that Wells’ friends had left the island and gone back without him, ABC News reported.

“From what we understand, he chose to stay there,” Ledbetter added.

Nolan Xavier Wells with his mother Christine Wonsley. Facebook / Christine Wonsley

Ledbetter said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon that officers want to speak with anyone who “observed or heard an argument, disturbance, or other unusual activity while on the island that day.”

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Meanwhile, the family of the teen – who played as a wide receiver at Southwest Mississippi Community College – said they were seeking answers.

“Too many unanswered questions — how can a Island that was searched yesterday produce my grandsons body this morning,” his grandfather Christopher Wells Sr. wrote on Facebook on Monday.

The search for 18-year-old Nolan Wells has been called off after a body was located on the northwest end of Horn Island on July 6, 2026. United Cajun Navy

“There’s nothing right about this, Nolan Xavier Wells deserved the same things that people he knew and associated with will enjoy in life.”

Wells Sr. later said Wells’ mom Christine and dad Elmore had “prayed for a positive outcome but they also had to prepare themselves for the worst”, adding that “it’s time for answers.”

Photos of the 6-foot-1, 180-pound teen showed him shirtless while sporting blue swim trunks, sunglasses and grinning alongside friends on a boat before he went missing.

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The United Cajun Navy non-profit disaster relief organization launched aerial reconnaissance during the search to scour the waters between Horn Island and Ship Island, stretching south to the Chandelier Islands.

The United States Coast Guard, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department also reportedly assisted in the frantic search.





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Jabil to invest $119 million in Marshall County, create 2,200 jobs

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Jabil to invest 9 million in Marshall County, create 2,200 jobs


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  • Global manufacturing company Jabil is investing $119 million to open a new facility in Marshall County, Mississippi.
  • The project is expected to create approximately 2,200 new jobs in the North Mississippi region.
  • Jabil will renovate a 1.5 million-square-foot building to produce components for the data center market.
  • This marks Jabil’s second major investment in the county within a year.

Global manufacturing giant Jabil plans to open a massive new production facility in Marshall County, representing a $119 million corporate investment that will create approximately 2,200 jobs North Mississippi, officials announced Tuesday, July 7.

The St. Petersburg, Florida-based company is purchasing and renovating an existing 1.5 million-square-foot facility to support customers in the booming data center infrastructure market.

The expansion comes just nine months after Jabil first entered the Marshall County landscape. In September 2025, the company’s healthcare division announced a separate $70 million investment over three years to establish X-ray sterilization capabilities in the area.

“Investments like this are why Mississippi has one of the hottest job markets in America,” Gov. Tate Reeves said in a statement, noting the quick turnaround between Jabil’s local projects. “Jabil would not be making this investment unless the company was confident that Mississippi and her people can deliver results.”

The Mississippi Development Authority is assisting the project through the Mississippi Flexible Tax Incentive, known as the MFLEX program. Additional support is being provided by Marshall County officials, AccelerateMS and the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Large scale facility is key

State economic leaders emphasized that the scale of the facility positions Mississippi to capitalize on the rapid expansion of digital infrastructure.

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“A 1.5-million-square-foot operation producing data center infrastructure isn’t a marginal project,” said Bill Cork, MDA executive director. “It’s proof we are in the game for advanced manufacturing tied to global demand.”

Jabil operates in more than 25 countries with a workforce of 140,000 employees, providing engineering, supply chain and manufacturing solutions across the robotics, automotive, healthcare and energy sectors.

Matt Crowley, Jabil’s executive vice president of global business units for intelligent infrastructure, said domestic capacity is becoming increasingly vital for the industry.

“Companies across the data center ecosystem are looking to build fast, and they’re increasingly looking to build in the United States,” Crowley said.

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A timeline for the completion of the renovations and the start of hiring has not yet been disclosed.

Ross Reily is a writer for the Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter @GreenOkra1.



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