Mississippi
Mississippi Mud Monsters announces first-ever manager
PEARL, Miss. (WLBT) – The Mississippi Mud Monsters have announced its first coach ahead of the state’s newest professional team’s inaugural season at Trustmark Park.
On Monday, former professional baseball player and experienced coach Jay Pecci was announced as the club’s Field Manager.
“I am thrilled to join the Mississippi Mud Monsters organization and take on this exciting opportunity,” said Pecci. “Mississippi has a passionate sports community, and I look forward to helping build a winning culture that fans can be proud of. My goal is to foster a team that competes at a high level while staying deeply connected to our fans and the community. Together, we’ll make the Mud Monsters a team to remember.”
Pecci was named the 2008 Northern League All-Star MVP and played seven seasons of Minor League Baseball and over a decade of MLB Partner League play. Pecci had the 4th highest batting average (.588) in College World Series history during his collegiate career at Stanford.
As a manager, he has led teams to success, including guiding the Florida Complex League Mets to the best regular season record in 2023.
Pecci has previously served in various coaching roles, including as the Bench Coach for the Syracuse Mets in 2022, and the Bench Coach for the St. Lucie Mets in 2021. He was also the complex coordinator for the Mets in both 2023 and 2024, further solidifying his role as a key leader in developing young talent.
The Mud Monsters will play their inaugural Frontier League game on May 8 at Trustmark Park against the Florence Y’alls.
Click here to view the full schedule.
Want more WLBT news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please click here to report it and include the headline of the story in your email.
Copyright 2025 WLBT. All rights reserved.
Mississippi
Mississippi lawmakers face pressure to counter looming federal cuts to health care after punting this session
Wicker: Mississippi powered Artemis II
Published 4:00 pm Monday, April 20, 2026
For nine days this month, space travel captivated the world. Families gathered around their screens as four astronauts strapped into the Integrity spacecraft docked at the Kennedy Space Center. As the launch countdown ended, four Mississippi-tested RS-45 engines ignited, and the ground shook. Seven seconds later, the Integrity had liftoff. For six intense minutes, the RS-45 engines rocketed the crew into high Earth orbit, sending them on their historic lunar flyby mission.
Mississippi should take a bow. The four RS-45 engines were tested at our very own Stennis Space Center, where Mississippians have been ensuring the quality of rocket engines since the Apollo program. For eight years, engineers, safety managers, and logistics specialists from the state have tested the engines that powered the Integrity and will power future Artemis launches. Their work paid off, and the launch was a marvel of engineering. NASA leadership made special mention of the rocket engine burn, calling it “flawless.”
One Mississippian in particular helped make the mission a success. Hernando native Matthew Ramsey handled a great deal of responsibility as the mission manager for Artemis II. The Mississippi State University graduate helped set the focus for the mission and equip the astronauts and staff for the job. Matthew also served as the deputy of the Mission Management Team, the group of NASA staff that comes together just days before a launch. The team assumes the risks of the mission ahead, and they make tough calls during flight if challenges arise.
As the Artemis II journey progressed, the world could not stop watching. Our social media feeds were full of photos and videos beamed down from the heavens. They captured humorous situations, such as the astronauts adjusting to life without gravity or testing their plumbing skills.
We also witnessed moments of majesty. On the fifth day, the Integrity began using the Moon’s gravity to slingshot our astronauts back home. That trajectory led the crew around the Moon, farther from Earth than any humans have ever gone. As the explorers looked upon outer space, they captured stunning images. Among the most remarkable is Earthset, in which Commander Reid Wiseman photographed Earth as it appeared to fall below the horizon of the moon.
When their spacecraft returned to Earth’s atmosphere, the crew was traveling nearly 35 times faster than the speed of sound. Ten minutes later, a series of parachutes began opening. Eventually, the spacecraft’s speed fell to 20 miles per hour, and the crew splashed down into the Pacific Ocean.
Mississippi was once again there to assist. The astronauts were greeted by the USS John P. Murtha, a U.S. military vessel built in the Huntington Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula. The ship’s amphibious design was suited to welcome the space travelers home—equipped with a helicopter pad, medical facilities, and the communications system needed to locate and recover the astronauts safely. Crucially, the USS Murtha was built with a well deck, a sea-based garage that stored the Integrity on the journey to shore.
Artemis II was a resounding success, paving the way for planned future flights. When the Artemis program returns humans to the moon, Mississippi will be there every step of the way.
-
North Dakota2 minutes agoValue of North Dakota oil rises as Iran war upends markets – KVRR Local News
-
Ohio8 minutes agoNWSL announces expansion to Columbus, Ohio
-
Oklahoma14 minutes ago
Woman rescued from Oklahoma City house fire; no injuries reported
-
Oregon20 minutes agoWine Enthusiast names 2 Oregon sparkling wines among best
-
Pennsylvania26 minutes agoDavid A. Mansel, West Middlesex, PA
-
Rhode Island32 minutes agoRhode Island shifts its primary to Wednesday, Sept. 9, easing a Labor Day poll setup crunch
-
South-Carolina38 minutes agoFormer SC Lt. Gov. André Bauer nominated to be next US Ambassador to Belize
-
South Dakota44 minutes agoSouth Dakota extends AD Jon Schemmel through 2030-31 academic year