Mississippi

Hunter Hines leads SEC freshmen in HR, RBI

Published

2 years ago

May 18, 2022

Hunter Hines leads SEC freshmen in HR, RBI

STARKVILLE — Hunter Hines knew the struggles would come ultimately, however he didn’t know what the severity could be.

The Mississippi State baseball freshman figured SEC pitching would determine him out over time, however a 1-for-30 stretch?

“I simply didn’t realize it was going to be that massive,” Hines stated.

He opened by hitting .330 (29-for-88) previous to his stoop in late March and into early April. It resulted in ugly at-bats the place Hines was swinging at strike three effectively above the zone and slamming his bat into the bottom.

Pitchers had been flooding at-bats with changeups to throw him off stability – the pitch he considers hardest to hit.

Hines knew what pitchers had been doing. Hitting coach Jake Gautreau knew it. Hines’ dad and lifelong coach, Richey, knew it from watching within the stands each sport.

“It’s an extended season than I’ve ever performed, so I type of hit a little bit wall there,” Hines stated. “It was a little bit irritating for me, however I simply saved grinding to get out of it every single day.”

Moderately than eradicating Hines from the lineup, coach Chris Lemonis let his freshman phenom be taught by means of the hearth. It resulted in Hines recovering and delivering one of many SEC’s high freshman seasons.

“I’m glad it occurred to me now, as a result of I’ve discovered from it,” Hines stated. “Now, it received’t occur to me once more.”

The Madison, Mississippi, native is hitting .296, and .358 since his stoop. His 15 house runs and 50 RBIs lead SEC freshmen.

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MSU SOFTBALL: Powerful path lies forward in NCAA regionals

He stated he got here into Dudy Noble Area in opposition to Lengthy Seashore State for opening day in February and felt the strain of taking part in in that setting. However Hines shortly tailored to change into one in every of State’s finest hitters in crunch time – highlighted by a ninth-inning, two-run house run in opposition to Alabama to tie the sport in his first SEC house collection.

“When you get within the sport, you sluggish it down a little bit bit,” Hines stated. “You get the primary ball and it type of slows down. You’re not as nervous as you had been. I took that all through the season. The gang is superior. I simply use it for me.”

STARKVILLE, MS - April 23, 2022 - Hunter Hines hits a home run at Swayze Field at Oxford-University Stadium in Oxford, MS. Photo By Kevin Snyder

His late-game success continued on the highway. He hit a pair of house runs and picked up 5 RBIs in a collection at Ole Miss. He has blasted house runs at Missouri and Texas A&M in weekends the place it felt nothing went Mississippi State’s means amid a horrid season.

“It’s cool as a result of they’ll be yelling and you may’t hear that,” Hines stated. “You then hit one thing they usually’re all quiet. All you’ll be able to hear is your teammates.”

Hines remembers rising up and considering how cool it could be to play at Dudy Noble, however within the second it turned exhausting for him to understand. Rounding the bases after dramatic house runs turned a blur, however as he displays on Yr 1, he realizes his desires have change into actuality.

With success comes raised expectations. Mississippi State (26-27, 9-18 SEC) enters its last regular-season collection in opposition to No. 1 Tennessee (46-7, 22-5), beginning Thursday, on the surface of the SEC Event.

The Bulldogs need assistance from convention foes to crack the sector, however after a nationwide championship run, even squeaking into the convention match is a letdown.

Strain shall be on Mississippi State to make a drastic turnaround subsequent season, and it’ll probably include a number of the crew’s greatest names departing for MLB. That’s when Hines shall be anticipated to take a leap not solely on the sector however within the clubhouse.

He’ll be a sophomore, however he may very well be among the many most skilled gamers on the roster pending switch portal additions.

“We don’t know what’s going to occur, if persons are going to go away or not; but when they do go away, I’ll should step it up and be a pacesetter,” he stated. “I like that. I prefer to be a pacesetter. I had individuals lead me this yr, they usually did an ideal job. Perhaps I can do it subsequent yr.”

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat author for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or observe him on Twitter @skrajisnik3.

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Mississippi

Mississippi St. demolishes E. Kentucky starting Lebby era with a 56-7 win

Published

4 hours ago

September 1, 2024

Press Room

Mississippi St. demolishes E. Kentucky starting Lebby era with a 56-7 win

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — From the moment Jeff Lebby arrived in Starkville, the first-time head coach has preached that a show is coming to Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs certainly put on a show for game one of his tenure, as MSU had 450 yards of total offense and ran away with a 56-7 victory on Saturday against Eastern Kentucky. It gave the coach his first career win and kicked off a new era of football.

“One of the coolest things for myself and my family, the fans showed out. Over 10,000 students showed up and hung with us through the rain. They did an unbelievable job creating the energy,” he said.

All three phases scored for the Bulldogs with touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams.

On offense, quarterback Blake Shapen debuted the new scheme with a 15 of 20 showing as the Baylor transfer found the end zone three times through the air and had 247 yards. On the ground, Shapen led the team with seven carries for 44 yards and a rushing score.

“I felt like it was a good day for us,” Shapen said. “There are obviously some things we can clean up and get better at, but overall it was a great start to the season. I’m just thankful for this opportunity at a new place and I know a lot of guys feel that way.”

The Bulldogs (1-0) had four wide receivers score touchdowns as Jordan Mosely had five catches for 104 yards and a touchdown and Kevin Coleman had five catches for 88 yards and a score. Coleman also had five punt returns for 117 yards.

MSU scored touchdowns on its first two possessions before a rain storm dampened the progress. The Bulldogs were back in the end zone in the second quarter on a Creed Whittemore 41-yard end around and then back-to-back touchdown passes to Coleman from 23 yards away and freshman Mario Craver for 54 yards.

Special teams got in on the mix with a blocked punt from JP Purvis — recovered by Craver — and another true freshman in defensive back Elijah Cannon who had a 51-yard pick-6.

“It’s fun to see those guys go out there and make some plays. It’s a players’ game, players have got to make the plays,” Lebby said. “Fun for our sideline, fun for our guys to be able to see them make plays late in the game like this.”

EKU (0-1) scored a touchdown in the final seconds of the first half but was held scoreless in the final two frames. The Bulldogs allowed 130 second half yards. Despite running 19 more plays than State (76-57) the Colonels were outgained 450-285 with the Bulldogs averaging 7.9 yards per play.

“There are plenty of things that we have to clean up. We’ve got to play better, we’ve got to play cleaner,” Lebby said. “So much good, but so much to clean up. That was the message in the locker room.”

BIG PICTURE

EKU: The Colonels were simply overmatched, but the Colonels have a manageable schedule coming down the line.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs have been searching for excitement and the team has it – at least for game one. State picked up nearly 500 yards of offense and showed explosiveness on that side of the ball as Lebby’s offense did its thing. There is a rough schedule on the horizon, but it appeared fun again for the Bulldogs.

UP NEXT

Eastern Kentucky travels to Western Kentucky on Sept. 7.

Mississippi State travels to Arizona State on Sept. 7.

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Mississippi

Seven Killed, Dozens Injured When Bus Flips in Mississippi

Published

14 hours ago

August 31, 2024

Press Room

Seven Killed, Dozens Injured When Bus Flips in Mississippi

A commercial passenger bus driving through Mississippi on its way to Mexico ran off a highway and overturned early Saturday, killing seven people and injuring dozens. The accident occurred on Interstate 20 east of Vicksburg, CNN reports. A total of 37 people were taken to hospitals in Vicksburg and Jackson, the Mississippi Highway Patrol said. A 6-year-old boy and his 16-year-old sister were among those killed, per the AP. “Anytime you have people injured or killed, it’s tragic, but when you have a situation like this where you have multiple fatalities and multiple injuries, it makes it even worse,” said Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace.

The bus, a 2018 Volvo, is owned by Autobuses Regiomontanos, which transports passengers between Mexico and the US, a company spokesperson said. The company is based in Monterrey, Mexico, Miranda Fernandez said. Its website lists several US locations; it’s not clear where the trip had originated. “All of the passengers go through proper immigration checkpoints and must show their passports or visas to enter either Mexico or the United States,” Fernandez told CNN. (More bus accident stories.)

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Mississippi

What channel is Mississippi State football vs EKU on today? Time, TV schedule for Week 1 game

Published

1 day ago

August 31, 2024

Press Room

What channel is Mississippi State football vs EKU on today? Time, TV schedule for Week 1 game

Mississippi State football opens the 2024 season with FCS opponent Eastern Kentucky on Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium.

The Bulldogs open Year 1 of the Jeff Lebby era with a lot of unknowns. Saturday’s game will be a good chance to find some answers.

Mississippi State QB Blake Shapen will make his first start in maroon and may have a big season in Lebby’s offense.

Here’s how to watch the Mississippi State football vs. Eastern Kentucky game today, including time, TV schedule and streaming information:

Mississippi State vs. EKU will broadcast nationally via streaming on SEC Network+ and ESPN+ in Week 1 of the 2024 college football season. Kevin Fitzgerald and Charlie Strong will call the game from the booth at Davis Wade Stadium. Streaming options for the game include ESPN+, ESPN’s subscription streaming service.

Date: Saturday, Aug. 31
Start time: 5 p.m. CT

The Mississippi State football vs. Eastern Kentucky game starts at 5 p.m. CT Saturday from Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi.

Clarion Ledger reporter Sam Sklar’s prediction: Mississippi State 50, Eastern Kentucky 10

Saturday will be a celebration of sorts for Lebby’s first game. The Bulldogs will come out hungry with something to prove on offense after last season. MSU will grab a big lead early and Blake Shapen won’t need to play a single snap in the fourth quarter.

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Thursday, Aug. 29

Odds: N/A
O/U: N/A
Money line: N/A

Aug. 31: EKU, 5 p.m. on ESPN+ and SEC Network+
Sept. 7: at Arizona State, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN
Sept. 14: Toledo, 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2 or ESPNU
Sept. 21: Florida, 11 a.m. on ABC or ESPN
Sept. 28: at Texas, TBD
Oct. 5: OPEN DATE
Oct. 12: at Georgia, TBD
Oct. 19: Texas A&M, TBD
Oct. 26: Arkansas, TBD
Nov. 2: UMass, 3:15 p.m. on SEC Network
Nov. 9: at Tennessee, TBD
Nov. 16: OPEN DATE
Nov. 23: Missouri
Nov. 29: at Ole Miss, 2:30 p.m. on ABC and ESPN+
Dec. 7: SEC Championship Game in Atlanta, 4 p.m. on ABC
Record: 0-0

Aug. 31: Mississippi State, 5 p.m. on ESPN+ and SEC Network+
Sept. 7: at Western Kentucky, 6 p.m. on ESPN+
Sept. 14: West Georgia, 5 p.m. on ESPN+
Sept. 21: Morehead State, 5 p.m. on ESPN+
Sept. 28: Robert Morris, 1 p.m. on ESPN+
Oct. 5: OPEN DATE
Oct. 12: at Southern Utah, 3 p.m. on ESPN+
Oct. 19: at Abilene Christian, 3 p.m. on ESPN+
Oct. 26: Utah Tech, 2 p.m. on ESPN+
Nov. 2: at Tarleton State, 6 p.m. on ESPN+
Nov. 9: Central Arkansas, 1 p.m. on ESPN+
Nov. 16: at Austin Peay, 1 p.m. on ESPN+
Nov. 23: North Alabama, 1 p.m. on ESPN+
Record: 0-0

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