Mississippi
HPD recognized at 2024 Mississippi Public Safety Summit for saving baby’s life
From Hattiesburg Police Department Public Information Office
FLOWOOD, Miss. (WDAM) – A Hattiesburg police officer was recognized for saving a baby’s life and honored Wednesday at the 2024 Mississippi Public Safety Summit.
Hattiesburg Police Department Lt. Joe Kennedy was one of two law enforcement officers to receive recognition with a “First Responder of the Year Award.”
Kennedy was recognized for his life-saving emergency medical care to a baby at a restaurant in Petal on Jan. 23, 2023.
Gov. Tate Reeves, Attorney General Lynn Fitch, and Commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety Sean Tindell presented this year’s Governor’s Public Safety Awards.
The Public Safety Awards recognize those who were outstanding in their efforts to serve and protect residents across the state.
Kennedy and Flowood Police Department Officer Will Brantley were both designated as First Responder of the Year.
Brantley came to the aid of a choking baby while on shift in his patrol car on Oct. 6, 2023.
“Let me say this as clearly as possible,” Reeves said. “Lt. Kennedy and Officer Brantley are both heroes. Their actions saved the lives of two babies.
I’m incredibly thankful that God placed good men such as Lt. Kennedy and Officer Brantley in the right place at the right time. Their actions forever changed the lives of those children, as well as their families. That will never be forgotten, and our entire state is grateful to them.”
The winners of the safety awards are selected by Reeves based on candidate nominations by their peers in the public safety realm.
Want more WDAM 7 news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
Copyright 2024 WDAM. All rights reserved.
Samantha Ricketts credits Mississippi State’s ‘grit’ for rally vs OU softball in Game 1
OU softball alum and Mississippi State coach Samantha Ricketts talks about the Bulldogs’ 11-9 comeback win Friday in Game 1 of the NCAA Norman Super Regional.
Mississippi State softball’s NCAA Tournament super regional against Oklahoma was a David vs. Goliath scenario.
The Bulldogs were on the hunt for their first Women’s College World Series appearance. The No. 3 Sooners were looking for their 10th straight.
Few expected Mississippi State (43-19) to even win a game in the best-of-three series, let alone eliminate Oklahoma (52-10) from the tournament on its home field.
But that’s exactly what happened when the Bulldogs beat the Sooners 6-0 in Game 3 at Love’s Field on May 24, advancing to the WCWS for the first time.
They’ll face No. 11 seed Texas Tech (57-7) on May 28 (11 a.m. CT, ESPN) at Devon Park in Oklahoma City in the first round of the double-elimination tournament.
“An underdog is still a frickin dog,” pitcher Delainey Everett said in a TV interview after pitching a three-hit shutout. “We knew it. We were on the bus. Oh my gosh. Everything that we worked for came through today and we ain’t done yet.”
By encouraging her team to lean into the underdog mentality, coach Samantha Ricketts created an environment in which MSU could play “loose (and) free” in the game that could have been its final one of the season.
“A big message today was just staying present in the moment and understanding that this is a situation that it’s not life or death,” Ricketts said. “At the end of the day, it’s softball, and we’re going to go out there and give it everything we’ve got and have fun.”
This messaging helped to keep the players settled even when the crowd’s cheers grew in volume in support of the Sooners.
After losing 7-1 in Game 2, Mississippi State recorded nine hits, including two home runs, in Game 3 and struck out just once. The Bulldogs scored their first run in the first inning and never let up offensively.
“We definitely embraced it,” said Kinley Keller, who had two hits and three RBIs. “And I think just staying grounded is a big thing for us, and we knew we were going to punch them first and just play what we know we can play.”
For MSU and Ricketts, it didn’t matter that most of the crowd and the fans at home were not expecting them to knock off the eight-time national champions. All they needed was each other.
“Just so proud of this group,” Ricketts said. “When nobody believed in us, they believed in themselves and in each other. It was the 25 in the dugout and the parents over in the stands.”
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at treid@usatodayco.com and follow her on X @tiareid65.
NORMAN — The schedule for Sunday’s winner-take-all Game 3 in the Norman Super Regional is set.
Oklahoma will battle Mississippi State at 1:30 p.m. at Love’s Field, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
The Bulldogs roared back in Friday’s series-opener to notch an 11-9 victory over 3-seeded OU to put Patty Gasso’s team on the brink of elimination.
But the Sooners responded emphatically on Saturday.
Oklahoma plated seven runs in the top of the third inning to get a foothold in the series, and Audrey Lowry was excellent in the circle to bring home a 7-1 win.
How to Watch Game 3 of the Norman Super Regional
- When: Sunday, May 24
- Where: Love’s Field
- Time: 1:30 p.m.
- Channel: ESPN
The winner of Sunday’s contest will advance to the 2026 Women’s College World Series, where they will play either 6-seeded Florida or 11-seeded Texas Tech next Thursday, as the Gators and the Red Raiders will also clash in a Game 3 in the Gainesville Super Regional on Sunday.
Friday’s defeat was Oklahoma’s first in a Super Regional since 2015, and it snapped a 31-game NCAA Tournament winning streak at home. It was also the first NCAA Tournament game that the Sooners had lost at Love’s Field.
A victory on Sunday would see OU get back to the WCWS in Oklahoma City for the 10th-straight tournament. The last time the Sooners were not in the WCWS field was 2015.
Friday was Mississippi State’s first Super Regional win in program history. The Bulldogs’ only other trip to a Super Regional came in 2022, where Mississippi State lost both games to Arizona.
Former OU star and current Mississippi State head coach Samantha Ricketts is looking to take the Bulldogs to their first WCWS in program history with a win on Sunday.
Both coaching staffs will have big pitching decisions to make on Sunday.
Lowry only needed 87 pitches to notch the victory on Saturday, but Mississippi State did score five runs on six hits in 1 1/3 innings of work by Lowry on Friday.
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.
The Bulldogs also saw OU right-hander Miali Guachino and senior Sydney Berzon on Friday.
Conversely, Oklahoma’s hitters have gotten good looks at each of Mississippi State’s key pitchers.
Alyssa Faircloth started on Friday for the Bulldogs, and she allowed five runs on five hits and issued three walks in 2 1/3 innings. Peja Goold, the other top starter for Mississippi State, gave up a monster home run to Kendall Wells on Friday and threw just 17 pitches.
Saturday was worse for Mississippi State.
Goold started and lasted 2 2/3 innings. She gave up most of the damage in the third, finishing with five runs and five walks allowed while OU posted three hits. Goold threw 66 pitches on Saturday before Ricketts went to Faircloth.
Faircloth pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing two runs and a walk on three hits, but she threw 72 pitches in the loss.
Follow
-
Culture8 minutes agoBook Review: ‘America, U.S.A.,’ by Eddie S. Glaude Jr.
-
Lifestyle14 minutes agoIs the Handbag Over?
-
Education20 minutes agoStudent Loan Repayments Are Being Overhauled. What Borrowers Should Know.
-
Technology26 minutes agoCox Media fined after bragging it spied on users through their phones
-
World32 minutes agoIran signals ‘mass sacrifice’ in ‘high stakes’ Saddam-era warning amid Trump deal talks
-
Politics38 minutes agoTrump calls on Arab nations to sign Abraham Accords
-
Health44 minutes agoOne type of sitting may pose greater dementia risk than another, study suggests
-
Sports50 minutes agoWill Ospreay firmly believes he can carry AEW if he’s able to win world championship at All In
