Mississippi
Leading rusher Davon Booth announces return to Mississippi State football for 2025 season
Mississippi State football will leading rusher Davon Booth back next season season.
The running back and the Bulldogs revealed the news in a joint social media post on Tuesday that said, “Booth is back.”
Booth, who was a senior and out of eligibility, is allowed to return because of an NCAA decision in December to grant junior college players an extra year of eligibility for 2025-26. Booth played two seasons at Cerritos College in 2021 and 2022 before joining Utah State and transferring to MSU.
He rushed for 759 yards and five touchdowns this season and also caught four touchdowns. Booth also returned kickoffs, averaging 25.7 yards per return.
What Davon Booth’s return means for Mississippi State
The running back room looks like it will be one of the strengths for the Bulldogs with Booth’s return.
In addition to Booth, Mississippi State added South Alabama’s Fluff Bothwell in the transfer portal, who was an All-Sun Belt Third Team selection as a freshman this season. MSU is also expecting Seth Davis to be healthy after he missed the entire season with a knee injury. In 2023, Davis was second on the team in rushing and averaged 6.0 yards per carry. Xavier Gayten, a former four-star recruit, also flashed potential in a limited role this season as a freshman.
What’s most encouraging about Booth is how he finished the season. He didn’t arrive at Mississippi State until after the spring semester and didn’t run efficiently in the first half of the season. However, Booth had a five-game stretch in the second half of the season with at least 90 scrimmage yards in each game. That includes 100-yard rushing games against Tennessee and Missouri.
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Mississippi
Mississippi Lottery Mississippi Match 5, Cash 3 results for June 6, 2026
Odds of winning the Powerball and Mega Millions are NOT in your favor
Odds of hitting the jackpot in Mega Millions or Powerball are around 1-in-292 million. Here are things that you’re more likely to land than big bucks.
The Mississippi Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 6, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mississippi Match 5 numbers from June 6 drawing
04-14-18-22-24
Check Mississippi Match 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 3 numbers from June 6 drawing
Midday: 8-7-5, FB: 9
Evening: 3-2-2, FB: 3
Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 4 numbers from June 6 drawing
Midday: 9-7-6-0, FB: 9
Evening: 0-7-1-7, FB: 3
Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from June 6 drawing
Midday: 11
Evening: 13
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Story continues below gallery.
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
Winnings of $599 or less can be claimed at any authorized Mississippi Lottery retailer.
Prizes between $600 and $99,999, may be claimed at the Mississippi Lottery Headquarters or by mail. Mississippi Lottery Winner Claim form, proper identification (ID) and the original ticket must be provided for all claims of $600 or more. If mailing, send required documentation to:
Mississippi Lottery Corporation
P.O. Box 321462
Flowood, MS
39232
If your prize is $100,000 or more, the claim must be made in person at the Mississippi Lottery headquarters. Please bring identification, such as a government-issued photo ID and a Social Security card to verify your identity. Winners of large prizes may also have the option of setting up electronic funds transfer (EFT) for direct deposits into a bank account.
Mississippi Lottery Headquarters
1080 River Oaks Drive, Bldg. B-100
Flowood, MS
39232
Mississippi Lottery prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing date. For detailed instructions and necessary forms, please visit the Mississippi Lottery claim page.
When are the Mississippi Lottery drawings held?
- Cash 3: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
- Cash 4: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
- Match 5: Daily at 9:30 p.m. CT.
- Cash Pop: Daily at 2:30 p.m. (Midday) and 9:30 p.m. (Evening).
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Mississippi editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Mississippi
How Mississippi State baseball star Ace Reese got his name
Mississippi State baseball’s Ace Reese crushes opponent’s ace pitchers, but that’s not exactly why he got that first name.
Reese is the Bulldogs’ star third baseman and a top prospect for the 2026 MLB Draft.
He’s in his second season at MSU, which is facing Georgia in the Athens Super Regional starting on June 6 (10 a.m. CT, ESPN). The winner will go to the College World Series, where MSU hasn’t been since the 2021 national championship.
Here’s what to know about Reese, including the story of his first name.
Ace Reese name
Reese’s parents named him Ace because they thought he’d be a star pitcher. They were correct that Reese would be a star baseball player, but just at a different position.
“I didn’t know, right?” Aaron Reese told The Clarion Ledger last season. “We prayed about it a lot and you have confidence and faith and know that you’re going to get going in the right direction. At that moment, that was the direction we were being led.”
Ace Reese stats
Reese is batting .328 with 22 home runs, 72 RBIs and 69 runs. He leads the team in home runs, RBIs and runs.
Reese joined Mississippi State legends Rafael Palmeiro and Will Clark this season as the only players in program history with consecutive 20-home run seasons.
Reese is a two-time All-SEC first-team selection and the 2025 SEC Newcomer of the Year.
In his two Mississippi State seasons, Reese is batting .337 with 43 home runs, 136 RBIs and 125 runs. His .707 career slugging percentage at MSU is on pace to be the third-highest in program history behind only Clark and Palmeiro.
Ace Reese MLB draft projections
Reese is ranked as the No. 21 prospect by the MLB for the 2026 draft. Mississippi State hasn’t had a batter drafted in the first round since Justin Foscue in 2020.
Reese spent last summer playing for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team with players like Roch Cholowsky, UCLA’s star who’s projected to be the No. 1 pick.
Ace Reese transferred to Mississippi State
Reese played at Houston as a freshman in 2024 before transferring to Mississippi State.
Ace Reese hometown
Reese is from Canton, Texas, which is southeast of Dallas, and went to Canton High School.
Mississippi State vs Georgia super regional schedule
- Game 1: Saturday, June 6 (10 a.m. CT, ESPN)
- Game 2: Sunday, June 7 (11 a.m. CT, ESPN)
- Game 3: Monday, June 8 (TBD), if necessary
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Mississippi
Mississippi lawmakers, educators target achievement gap as older students lag behind
JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi fourth graders have led the nation in gains in reading and math scores, but eighth graders and high schoolers sit near the bottom in certain categories. Lawmakers and educators have drawn up plans to prevent setbacks but need help from parents.
Since 2013, students completing fourth grade have taken Mississippi from 49th and 50th in reading and math scores to ninth and 16th.
“What we see is that students do really well in those earlier grades and then in those pre-teen years, we see some of those grades dip,” State Sen. Nicole Boyd said.
High school scores lag
The biggest drop is with the ACT.
According to ACT.org, in 2024, Mississippi ranked 49th in average scores out of all states and Washington D.C.
Students earned an average of 17.7. Only 17% of test takers met the math and science benchmark and 27% met the reading benchmark.
In total, only 1% of graduates in 2024 statewide took this test.
Eighth graders are also performing below the national average according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, sitting at 41st in reading and 35th in math scores nationally.
“One way that we can change that is provide students opportunities to learn and read things that they’re interested in and not make it punitive,” said Tiffany Cline, director of library services with Jackson Public Schools.
New screening requirements
This upcoming school year, children have more options.
Boyd, who sits on the Education Committee, helped pass a law requiring elementary and middle school students to undergo three math and reading check-ups each year.
The screenings from Senate Bill 2294 place students who fall behind on an individual plan to learn at their own pace with a coach.
“By doing these screeners and really finding out where children are, that will empower parents with more information,” Boyd said. “To really help and assess their kid when they need to have a little bit more support.”
“If we address those issues then, when they get into our upper grades, they are not learning to read; they are reading to learn,” Cline said. “So, now they’re able to comprehend and understand what they’re reading better.”
Summer learning
Summertime can allow children to slip in remembering what they learned last year. Some local students shared how they stay on track for fall.
“We have to read a book for 30 minutes and work on a summer packet for 30 minutes,” Major Marshall said.
“Studying my math problems and making sure I get a good education, get my reading skills up and stuff,” Baleigh Wollfolk said.
“Especially if I practice over the summer, it will be a lot easier to get the work done and understand it more,” Kailee Partee said.
The new tools from state lawmakers will also be available for students taking computer science and personal financial classes in the school years to come in 2027 through 2029.
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