After a stellar sophomore season, Mississippi State outfielder Dakota Jordan has once again been recognized for his outstanding on-field performance.

Baseball America, a leading college baseball publication, named Jordan a third team All-American on Friday, Jordan’s second All-America honor of the season.

Jordan also won the Ferriss Trophy, presented annually to the best college baseball player in Mississippi, and was a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award for the best amateur baseball player in the United States.

Jordan excelled for the Bulldogs in 2024, leading the team in home runs (20), RBIs (72), hits (85) and slugging percentage (.671). Jordan had the seventh-best batting average in the SEC, hitting .354. His 20 home runs are the eighth-most in a single season at Mississippi State and he led the team with 26 multi-hit games and 21 multi-RBI games. He was the only Mississippi State player to notch a five-hit game this season.

In two seasons, Jordan appeared in 107 games for State and had a career batting average of .336. He blasted 30 homers and drove in 112 runs along with scoring 86 runs. He had 132 hits for his career and 55 extra base hits. Jordan’s on-base percentage stands at .435 over his two seasons.

Jordan becomes the first position player since RJ Yeager in 2022 to earn multiple All-American honors in the same season and the first outfielder to do so since Tanner Allen in 2021.

Philip Poe is sports editor.

MSU

GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) – What is Southern Literature? That was the topic of discussion at the Society for the Study of Southern Literature conference in Gulfport.

“How do we talk about Southern Literature, what kind and who are the writers that we try to incorporate into our conversations and there will be other workshops for scholars in Southern Literature at various stages of their careers,” Dr. Sherita Johnson said.

Dr. Sherita Johnson is the president of the society and an English professor at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. She said this is the first time the conference was held in Mississippi and it’s all thanks to the keynote speaker, Jesmyn Ward, who is a Pass Christian native.

“I am at the Hattiesburg campus, but I couldn’t think of a better place to hold it other than here on the Coast and especially here since Jesmyn Ward is a native writer here and a major contributor to Southern Literature today, so the Coast made perfect sense to hold it here,” Dr. Johnson said.

Dr. Johnson said she gets excited when talking about Southern Literature because of the impact it has on the country.

“We’re constantly having discussions about what is southern in terms of who we are as southerners and how this writing in any way represents the experience of being southern,” Dr. Johnson said. “So, in Southern Literature, the definition changes, depending on who you ask, but in general, it’s one of the most prominent forms of American literature.”

Dr. Johnson said when the conference is over and everyone returns home, she hopes the conversation of Southern Literature will continue.

“What and who we are as scholars and teachers of Southern Literature, how can we keep this field growing, evolving and changing,” Dr. Johnson said. “We don’t assume that once you have your degree, once you talk, you know what best way to teach, so we’re constantly trying to encourage and continue pedagogical practices and how to be better.”

Southern Literature has been around as a genre now for more than two centuries.

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HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WHLT) – Temperatures are soaring across Mississippi.

“It’s really bad. I am melting. I mean, the humanity just swamps over you quickly,” said Vickie Barfield, who lives in Hattiesburg.

The high humidity and a heat index of 110 made it feel even hotter. Logan Bryant, who works in construction, said the heat makes for a hard day on the job.

“Well, being that I work outside, it makes you sweat a lot worse. So whenever it’s humid outside, it’s just uncomfortable,” he said.

During the high temperatures, doctors said people should stay indoors between the hours of noon and 2:00 p.m., limiting activity to the evening and morning. If you have to be outside for an extended period, you should take precautions.

“We want to make sure before we ever go outside that we’re already hydrated, already taking care of ourselves and being prepared. When we are planning on going outside with sunscreen, with bottled water, to make sure that we’re not letting ourselves get too hot,” said Dr. Grace Gable with Forrest General Hospital.

Gable said not taking preventative measures during a heat wave can cause serious medical conditions, including heat exhaustion.

“The signs of that include being really confused, feeling really hot. If you check a temperature, it might be as high as 104 degrees. Your pulse may be really fast. You might feel your heart racing and feel really dizzy. When that happens, we definitely want you to move into some AC if possible. If you are not able to make it inside the AC, make sure to get in the shade,” she said.

If you begin to feel dizzy and disoriented, call 911. Heat exhaustion can be fatal if left untreated.