Mississippi

East Mississippi running back Gavin Griffin selected to 2025 NJCAA All-America First Team – Meridian Star

Published

5 months ago

December 23, 2025

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East Mississippi running back Gavin Griffin selected to 2025 NJCAA All-America First Team

Published 12:08 pm Tuesday, December 23, 2025

East Mississippi Community College running back Gavin Griffin has added to his list of 2025 season accomplishments by being named to this year’s NJCAA Division I Football All-America First Team. The National Junior College Athletic Association announced the organization’s first-team, second-team and honorable-mention football selections on Dec. 20.

As an NJCAA All-Region 23 honoree as well as being the MACCC North Division’s Offensive Player of the Year recipient this season, Griffin’s most recent honor gives East Mississippi’s football program a total of 36 NJCAA All-America selections during the past 18 seasons under the guidance of NJCAA Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame head coach Buddy Stephens. Dating back to the 2008 season, the EMCC Lions have had at least one NJCAA All-American in football during 13 of the past 18 years.

In becoming EMCC’s 15th first-team NJCAA All-American dating back to 2008, Griffin helped lead the Lions to a 7-3 overall record and 5-1 MACCC North Division mark while earning the program’s 12th division crown and 15th conference playoff appearance during the Stephens coaching era.

A Troy University signee, Griffin was twice selected as the NJCAA and MACCC Offensive Player of the Week this season while topping the NJCAA Division I statistical leaders with 22 rushing touchdowns and ranking second nationally with 1,168 rushing yards. With six 100-yard rushing outings on the year, Griffin’s top performances on the ground included a career-high 220 rushing yards and four touchdowns in 22 attempts during EMCC’s 49-27 home win over Pearl River. He also had 189 rushing yards and three scores in 23 carries during the Lions’ 34-28 road victory at Northwest Mississippi.

With at least one rushing touchdown in all 10 games this past season, Griffin had seven contests with multiple scoring runs, including an additional four-touchdown effort in EMCC’s 50-39 home win over Holmes. During the Stephens coaching era at EMCC, Griffin’s 134 total points scored and 22 touchdown runs this season rank second behind Tyrell Price’s NJCAA-leading 24 rushing touchdowns and 150 points scored during the Lions’ 2017 national championship season.

On EMCC’s single-season statistical leaders list during the Stephens era, Griffin’s 1,168 rushing yards in 10 games played rank third behind 2025 EMCC Sports Hall of Fame inductee Rod Moore (1,303 in 2011) and Lakenderic Thomas (1,334 in 2013), who both had the advantage of playing two additional games during EMCC’s respective national championship seasons. Griffin’s 207 rushing attempts this season are the most by an EMCC player during the Stephens era, breaking the mark of 200 carries previously held by second-team NJCAA All-American Deon McIntosh during the Lions’ 2018 national championship season.

For his two EMCC seasons, Griffin’s 1,722 career rushing yards rank third behind Thomas (1,724) and Moore (2,211), while his 30 career rushing touchdowns tie Price for the most during the Stephens era. Along with the 66 points that Griffin scored (8 rush TDs and 3 TD catches) as an EMCC freshman in 2024, the 2023 MHSAA Class 1A Mr. Football out of Velma Jackson High School became just the second EMCC player of the Stephens era to reach 200 career points scored.

EMCC’s 35 NJCAA All-America players under Stephens’ leadership are divided among 18 offensive performers, 15 defensive honorees and two special teams players. Leading the way positionally for EMCC dating back to 2008, the Lions have had 10 All-America quarterback selections, including NJCAA Offensive Player of the Year recipients Ty Keyes (2023) and Bo Wallace (2011) as well as two-time All-America signal-caller Randall Mackey (2008 & 2009). On the defensive side of the football during the Stephens coaching era, the Lions have featured eight All-America defensive linemen, headlined by 12-year NFL veteran Denico Autry (2011) of the Houston Texans and recently retired 11-year NFL standout Za’Darius Smith (2012).

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Mississippi

Mississippi State advances to Super Regionals with 7-homer rout of Louisiana

Published

5 hours ago

June 1, 2026

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Mississippi State advances to Super Regionals with 7-homer rout of Louisiana

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WLBT) – Mississippi State hit seven home runs and scored 19 runs to defeat Louisiana 19-5 in the Starkville Regional final Sunday night.

Jacob Parker and Ryder Woodson each hit two home runs for the Bulldogs. Parker went 4-for-4 with four RBIs and five runs scored, while Woodson finished 3-for-4 with four RBIs.

Early power surge

Mississippi State took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on solo home runs by Gehrig Frei and Parker. Woodson added a solo homer in the second inning to make it 3-0.

Louisiana’s Nate Lewis hit a solo home run in the third inning to cut the lead to 3-1.

Bulldogs pull away with four-run fourth

Mississippi State scored four runs in the fourth inning. Kevin Milewski drove in Reed Stallman with an RBI single, Frei added an RBI hit and Ace Reese hit a two-run homer to right-center to make it 7-1.

Woodson drove in a run with a single in the fifth inning. Louisiana scored one run in the sixth inning to cut the deficit to 8-3.

Five-run seventh extends lead

Mississippi State scored five runs in the seventh inning. Parker hit an RBI double, Vytas Valincius followed with an RBI double and Stallman hit an RBI triple. Woodson capped the inning with a two-run homer to left to extend the lead to 13-5 at the end of the seventh.

Parker, Valincius deliver final blows

Parker hit his second home run of the game in the eighth inning, a two-run shot that made it 15-5.

Valincius hit a grand slam in the ninth inning to push the lead to 19-5.

Strong performances throughout lineup

Frei finished with four hits, three runs scored and two RBIs. Noah Sullivan had three hits and scored three runs.

Ryan McPherson pitched five innings for Mississippi State, allowing two runs on five hits with seven strikeouts and no walks.

Up Next

Mississippi State now heads to the Athens Super Regional where they will face 3-seed Georgia, a team that swept the Diamond Dawgs this season.

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Mississippi State baseball beats Cincinnati 10-5, moves within one win of regional title – SuperTalk Mississippi

Published

15 hours ago

May 31, 2026

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Mississippi State baseball beats Cincinnati 10-5, moves within one win of regional title – SuperTalk Mississippi

Tomas Valincius struck out 10, Ace Reese and Kevin Milewski homered, and Reed Stallman knocked in three runs to lead Mississippi State to a 10-5 victory in the winner’s bracket game of the Starkville Regional on Saturday night.

The top-seeded Bulldogs (42-17) managed early behind another standout performance from Valincius, who allowed two runs over 7.1 innings to earn his 11th win of the season.

Valincius was supported offensively by Reese’s solo home run in the first inning, a run two-seed Cincinnati (38-21) responded to in the second to tie the game at 1-1. The Bulldogs broke open the game with three runs in the fifth inning, then followed with four more in the sixth and two more in the seventh to build a 10-1 lead.

As part of the surge, Stallman knocked in three runs on two doubles, Gehrig Frei hit a two-run single, Bryce Chance drove in one, and Milewski hit a two-run shot. Vytas Valincius, Tomas’ brother, crossed home plate on a wild pitch.

Cincinnati worked to chip away late, but the deficit was too much to overcome. The Bearcats scored two in the eighth and two in the ninth before Mississippi State reliever Ben Davis limited the damage by getting the final outs to end the ballgame.

Mississippi State is now just one win away from winning its first regional championship since 2021 – the same year the Bulldogs won the College World Series. Mississippi State will play the winner of Sunday afternoon’s elimination game between Cincinnati and Louisiana at 7 p.m. If Mississippi State drops the game, a winner-take-all final will be played Monday.

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Mississippi State powers past Cincinnati, advances Starkville Regional Championship

Published

1 day ago

May 31, 2026

Press Room

Mississippi State powers past Cincinnati, advances Starkville Regional Championship

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WLBT) – Mississippi State got a dominant performance from Tomas Valincius and a 13-hit offensive performance to defeat Cincinnati 10-5 on Saturday night at Dudy Noble Field, moving on the the Starkville Regional Championship.

The Bulldogs broke open a tight game with a three-run fifth inning before adding four more runs in the sixth and two in the seventh.

Reese gets it started

Ace Reese started the scoring with a solo home run to center field in the first inning, giving the Bulldogs an early 1-0 lead. Cincinnati answered in the second when Christian Mitchelle doubled to shallow left, scoring Enzo Infelise to tie the game at 1-1.

Bulldogs score three in the fifth

Mississippi State scored three runs in the fifth inning, beginning with an RBI infield single from Bryce Chance to shortstop that scored Jacob Parker. Gehrig Frei followed with an infield single to second, plating Reed Stallman and Kevin Milewski to push the lead to 4-1.

Four more in the sixth

Mississippi State added four more runs in the sixth. Stallman delivered an RBI double to left to score Parker before Valincius crossed the plate on a wild pitch from Cincinnati’s Alex Gonzalez. Two batters later, Milewski launched a two-run homer to right field, stretching the Bulldogs’ lead to 8-1.

Stallman extends lead in the seventh

The Bulldogs extended the lead in the seventh when Stallman ripped a double to right, scoring Noah Sullivan and Parker for a 10-1 advantage.

Cincinnati added two runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth, making the final 10-5.

Valincius dominates on the mound

Valincius worked 7 1/3 innings, allowing just three runs on five hits while striking out 10 and walking two. He threw 112 pitches and recorded his 10th strikeout before exiting in the eighth inning. Maddox Webb took over after that and walked two batter. Ben Davis closed the game for State, pitching 1 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out two.

Offensive leaders

Mississippi State finished with 13 hits.

Stallman led the way offensively, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs and two doubles. Chance collected three hits and drove in a run, while Frei finished with two hits and two RBIs. Reese added his first-inning homer, and Milewski’s two-run blast highlighted the sixth-inning surge. Parker scored three runs.

Up next

The Diamond Dawgs now head to the Starkville Regional Championship, where they will face the winner of the Cincinnati and Louisiana elimination game. State will only need one more win to advance to a Super Regional.

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