Mississippi
Mississippi Coalition Urges Veto of Fee Increase on Alcohol
A 50% increase of the Mississippi state bailment fee has been opposed by a collation of wine and spirits councils amidst fears of negative effects for local businesses and consumers.
A coalition formed of the American Distilled Spirits Alliance (ADSA), the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) and the Wine Institute (WI) sent a letter today to Governor Tate Reeves urging his veto of another increase in the state bailment fee on every case of wine and spirits in the state.
The new fee would be $1.50 per case which is up from $1.00 in 2022. Prior to 2022, there was no such tax.
“The Mississippi Legislature just voted to raise prices on every bottle of wine and spirits in the state by passing a 50% fee increase,” said the coalition in the official press release. “This comes at a time when Mississippi’s hospitality industry has yet to fully recover from the pandemic while continuing to face new economic challenges like staffing shortages, inflation and supply chain disruptions.
“As prices increase, consumers in border towns will simply drive across state lines into Tennessee, Louisiana or Alabama to buy the same products at a cheaper price. We urge the governor to veto this misguided proposal that would harm consumers and local businesses in the state.”
The 50% hike is the second increase in two years, and has caused concern over the potential to jeopardize jobs in Mississippi and cause an increase in prices for consumers. In a landscape of global economic uncertainty governments need to balance taxes against the greater good of the economy and the people of its country. Taxing alcohol can seem like an easy solution, but it’s rarely a solution that is supported by local businesses and consumers.
We interrupt your downpour of college baseball news for a reminder that some basketball programs are still building out their roster for next season.
Mississippi State landed a commitment from Ashton Magee on Saturday.
Magee becomes the latest piece in what has turned into a near-total roster rebuild for Mississippi State, and his addition fits the broader theme of what the staff has been chasing this spring.
He’s a 6-7 forward coming off his freshman year at Southern University, where he played steady rotation minutes and showed enough long-term upside to draw interest once he hit the portal. He’ll arrive in Starkville with three seasons of eligibility and the option to redshirt if the staff wants to stretch his development.
The Laurel native and South Jones product didn’t put up big numbers in Baton Rouge, but he played in 31 games and logged 350 minutes as a true freshman.
Magee shot 44.4 percent from the field, averaged 3.0 points and 1.7 rebounds, and got a taste of what a full college season feels like. Southern finished 17-17 and 11-7 in SWAC play, and Magee’s role grew as the year went on.
His path to Mississippi State has already taken a few turns. Magee originally committed to Kansas State out of high school before reopening his recruitment and signing with Southern.
Now he’s back in his home state with a chance to carve out a role on a roster that has plenty of room for new contributors.
And that’s the real context here. Mississippi State returns only one full-time starter in rising senior Josh Hubbard, who will carry the scoring load again.
King Grace is back after playing meaningful minutes as a freshman, and redshirts Cameren Paul and Tee Bartlett will finally get their first real look after sitting last season. Everything else is open. Everything else is up for competition.
Mississippi State Basketball Transfer Portal Tracker
Women
Incoming
- Reese Beaty, 5-8, G, Fr. (Iowa State)
- Aryss Macktoon, G, 5-11, So. (La Salle)
- Arianny Francisco De Oliviera, F, 6-4, So. (Gulf Coast State College)
- Macie Phifer, 6-1, G, Fr. (Middle Tennessee)
- Cali Smallwood, 5-9, G, Jr. (UAB)
Outgoing
- Awa Fane, 5-8, G, Jr.
- Nataliyah Gray, 6-3, F, Fr.
- Rocío Jiménez, 6-7, C, R-So.
- Saniyah King, 5-7, G, So.
- Jaylah Lampley, 6-2, Fr.
Men
Incoming
- Thomas Bassong, 6-8, F, Fr. (Florida State)
- RJ Johnson, 6-4, G, Jr. (Kennesaw State)
- Ashton Magee, 6-7, F, Fr. (Southern)
- ND Okafor, 6-7, F, Sr. (Washington State)
- Kendyl Sanders, 6-8, F, Fr. (Utah)
- Tajuan Simpkins, 6-4, G, (Seton Hall)
Outgoing
- Gai Chol, 7-0, C, Jr.
- Jamarion Davis-Fleming, 6-10, F, Fr.
- Dellquan Warren, 6-2, G, So.
- Amier Ali, 6-8, G/F, So.
- Sergej Macura, 6-9, F, So.
- Brandon Walker, 6-8, F, Sr.
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Softball
May 16, 2026
Alyssa Faircloth’s no-hitter is Mississippi State’s first in NCAA softball tournament
May 16, 2026
Alyssa Faircloth threw a no-hitter in Mississippi State’s regional win over Oregon, the Bulldogs’ first in an NCAA tournament game. Watch the extended highlights from the no-hitter here.
Despite scoring 33 runs in its final three-game series, Mississippi State baseball didn’t leave College Station, Texas, with a series victory.
No. 10 Texas A&M beat the visiting No. 12 Bulldogs 7-6 on May 16. It was the rubber match of the three-game series. MSU (39-16, 16-14 SEC) won the first game 18-11 and Texas A&M (39-13, 18-11) took the second game 11-9.
The Bulldogs are still entering the postseason in good position. MSU will be anywhere between the No. 8 and No. 10 seed in the SEC Tournament and has a case to be awarded a top-16 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
MSU can hit and does it well. The Bulldogs entered May 16 with the No. 2 batting average in the SEC (.314) and the third-most runs (471). Pitching was more hit-or-miss.
Here’s what stood out regarding MSU’s pitching in the regular season finale as the Bulldogs head into the postseason.
Ryan McPherson is back, but can he find peak form?
Getting star sophomore Ryan McPherson back in any capacity is big for MSU, but the Bulldogs need him to look like his old self to have their best chance at a deep postseason run.
McPherson started Game 3 against Alabama. He pitched 2⅓ innings, allowing one earned run on 44 pitches. He got into some trouble in the third inning and was pulled.
McPherson has only pitched one other time since March 20, when he suffered a forearm strain against Vanderbilt. That was on May 9 vs Auburn, but he only threw 1⅓ innings before he injured his ankle after tripping behind home plate while backing up a potential throw in the second inning.
At his best, McPherson has lights-out stuff that can win a postseason game. He was 5-1 with a 2.45 ERA before getting injured.
Ben Davis quietly shined in bullpen
The MSU bullpen got plenty of action against Texas A&M. Senior reliever Ben Davis pitched all three days.
Davis threw one inning in the first game, 2⅓ in the second game and 1⅓ in the finale. Across the 4⅔-inning span, Davis allowed four hits and no earned runs. He struck out three.
It’s the first time this season Davis pitched three consecutive days.
Walks, not hits, cost Mississippi State the series
The Bulldogs outhit the Aggies 11-7 in Game 3, but the discrepancy in walks was too much to overcome.
MSU walked 13 batters and drew just one.
Four of the walks went on McPherson’s ledger, but the bullpen struggled with control as well. Five of the six relievers who pitched after McPherson walked at least one batter. Only 96 of the 176 pitches MSU threw were in the strike zone.
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
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