Mississippi

Mississippi State Baseball Signee Braden Booth is Eager to Get to Work

Published

2 years ago

June 13, 2024

Mississippi State Baseball Signee Braden Booth is Eager to Get to Work

STARKVILLE, Miss.— Mississippi State baseball is a prestigious program with some of the country’s top facilities. Dudy Noble Field is arguably the top stadium in the country, and high school recruits flock to the “Carnegie Hall of College Baseball.”

That was the case for Braden Booth, a native of Madison, Ala., who committed to the Bulldogs in November 2021.

“What stood out to me about Mississippi State was pretty much everything around it,” Booth said. “The atmosphere there, you can’t beat it, and the coaches, I felt like I made a really good connection with them. You can’t beat Mississippi State baseball.”

When Booth committed, the Bulldogs were coming off a national title, and the program was at an all-time high. However, the following seasons were a struggle for MSU, as the team finished at the bottom of the SEC in 2022 and 2023.

However, the righty never wavered on his commitment despite pitching coach Scott Foxall being let go before the end of the 2023 season.

“Whenever I found out that Coach (Scott) Foxhall was let go, I was obviously bummed about it,” Booth said. “I was talking with my parents about what we are gonna do, and we just decided to wait and see who they hire.”

It took MSU head coach Chris Lemonis a long time to hire the next pitching coach, but it was worth the wait, as South Carolina pitching coach Justin Parker was brought into the fold. Parker spent two seasons in Columbia, and the Gamecock hurlers posted a team ERA of 4.19 in 2023, ranking 12th in the nation, and impressed Booth.

“I talked to my travel coach about it, and he got me in touch with a South Carolina player, and I called him to talk about (Justin) Parker,” Booth said. “He was like, “I honestly think that is the best coach for you in college baseball.” I got to talk to Parker and realized that guy knows what he is talking about.”

The impact was immediate as Parker turned the State pitching staff from one of the worst to one of the best. He led the Bulldogs to a team ERA of 4.17, which ranked 13th in the NCAA, lowering the ERAs of Jurrangelo Cintje, Tyler Davis, Tyson Hardin, and first-team All-SEC pitcher Khal Stephen.

“Coach Parker did an amazing job with the pitching staff,” Booth said. “I’m really pleased with the way the team played this year.”

Booth had an impressive campaign this year at Bob Jones High School as he finished the season with a 13-1 record with an ERA of 1.31 and tallied 127 strikeouts. The most important achievement was leading his team to their first baseball state championship, and he was impressive in the series by tossing a two-hitter and striking out seven batters.

“It has always been a goal since my freshman year. At the beginning of the season our team always does season goals, and every single year, one of our goals was to win a state championship,” Booth said. “It wasn’t the case until my senior year, but we finally got it done.”

Not only did Booth excel on the mound, but he also held his own at the plate. The 6-2 190-pound third baseman batted .429 with ten home runs and 49 RBI, and he says that he will continue to do both in Starkville throughout the summer and fall.

His excellence on the mound and at the plate led him to be named the Gatorade Alabama Player of the Year, an honor he never expected.

“If you would have told me before the year that I was going to win all that, I honestly probably wouldn’t have believed you,” Booth said. “It means everything to win that award; I looked up to the older guys when I was in high school and middle school and thought they were the best players in the state, and for them to not win that award and turn around four or five years later and I win that it was just surreal to me and I still haven’t fully processed that yet.”

Recruiting and signing talented players is the lifeblood for any program to sustain success, and Booth certainly fits the bill. Despite all the accolades, he is hungry to get better and put MSU back where it needs to be.

“What I look forward to most is being around great players and the process of getting better each day and trying to make our way to Omaha eventually,” Booth said.

Three Bulldogs Earn Spots on NCBWA All-America Teams (si.com)

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Mississippi

No. 15 Arkansas uses balanced scoring to beat Mississippi 94-87 in SEC matchup

Published

10 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

No. 15 Arkansas uses balanced scoring to beat Mississippi 94-87 in SEC matchup

OXFORD, Miss. — Darius Acuff, Jr. had 26 points and nine assists, and No. 15 Arkansas got double-figure scoring from five players in a 94-87 win over Mississippi on Wednesday night.

Arkansas (12-3, 2-0 SEC) used a decisive 14-6 run midway through the second half to build an insurmountable 76-61 lead. The win snapped a three-game losing streak to Ole Miss (8-7, 0-2).

The Rebels pulled within 91-87 in the final minute, but Acuff converted a short jumper and Trevon Brazile added a free throw to help seal the win. Arkansas finished 22 of 30 (73%) from the free throw line, including 11 of 12 by Acuff.

Brazile scored 18 points, Billy Richmond III and Meleek Thomas added 13 points apiece, and Karter Knox scored 10 in the balanced Arkansas performance.

Ole Miss was led by Ilias Kamardine and Malik Dia with 16 points apiece. AJ Storr scored 12 points, Eduardo Klafke had 11 in the second half and Patton Pinkins added 10.

Arkansas used a 10-2 surge in the final two minutes of the first half for a 42-32 lead at the break. Brazile and Thomas had 10 points apiece in the first half, as the Razorbacks never trailed after the opening five minutes.

The Arkansas win is a sharp contrast to last season when John Calipari’s club started 0-5 in SEC play. The Razorbacks rallied to finish 7-3 with a berth in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.

Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. (5) steps back to take a shot at the basket while guarded by Mississippi guard Travis Perry (11) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Oxford, Miss. Credit: AP/Rogelio V. Solis

Ole Miss, after a Sweet Sixteen appearance in the NCAA Tournament, has struggled to replace four starters and three other significant contributors from last season’s nine-player rotation.

Up next

Arkansas: Completes a two-game trip at Auburn on Saturday.

Ole Miss: Hosts Missouri on Saturday.

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Mississippi

Vote: Who is the Mississippi High School Football Quarterback of the Year?

Published

22 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

Vote: Who is the Mississippi High School Football Quarterback of the Year?

Today, we take a look at some of the best signal callers in the state of Mississippi from the 2025 season.

This season was one to remember in the state of Mississippi, and part of that is due to the terrific play from the quarterback position. Our nominees include a mixture of gunslingers and dual-threat quarterbacks who put on a show every single week, and because of that each nominee is worthy of a vote.

However, we will leave that up to you, the fan, to decide who is the High School on SI Mississippi high school quarterback of the year for 2025.

Voting will close on January 31 at 11:59 p.m. PT.

Here are the nominations:

Chancelor comes in as our first nominee as he led the Magnolia State in passing yards this season. He completed 65 percent of his passes for 3,419 yards and 28 touchdowns. Chancelor also added two more scores on the ground.

This season, Mayes completed nearly 67 percent of his passes for 2,934 yards and 40 touchdowns with just seven interceptions. He also showed that he was one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the state this season. He rushed for 1,195 yards and 17 touchdowns on 122 carries.

Craft led the Oilers to an appearance to the Class 2A state championship after a terrific season as the signal-caller. He completed nearly 72 percent of his passes for 2,912 yards and 35 touchdowns with eight interceptions. Like Mayes, Craft was one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the state this season. He rushed for 1,027 yards and 17 touchdowns on 117 carries.

Stockett completed nearly 66 percent of his passes this season for 2,905 yards and 23 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He also rushed for one touchdown.

Wilcox was another outstanding quarterback from the MAIS this season. He completed 58 percent of his passes for 2,868 yards and 34 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He also rushed for 272 yards and eight touchdowns on 72 carries

Stringer completed just shy of 61 percent of his passes this season for 2,783 yards and 37 touchdowns to seven interceptions. He added 144 yards on the ground with two touchdowns.

As the leader on the offense, and one of the leaders on the entire team, Nettles was outstanding all season long as he helped led the Admirals to the Class 7A state championship. He finished 2025 with a 66 percent completion percentage and 2,750 yards with 23 touchdowns. He added two more scores on the ground.

This season, Shettles completed nearly 62 percent of his passes for 2,730 yards and 28 touchdowns with only one interception. He also rushed for 325 yards and nine touchdowns on 67 carries.

Hall took the momentum he had from his sophomore season and carried it over to this season. He completed 64 percent of his passes for 2,709 yards and 34 touchdowns with just four interceptions. He added 189 more yards on the ground with one touchdown.

Trivillion helped led the Pirates to 11 wins this season which is a school record thanks in part to his play from the quarterback position. He completed nearly 53 percent of his passes for 2,570 yards and 34 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. Trivillion also rushed for 1,120 yards and 15 touchdowns on 105 carries this season.

This season, Ducksworth completed 67 percent of his passes for 2,581 yards with 27 touchdowns to only five interceptions.

Davis was one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the state this season. He completed nearly 64 percent of his passes for 2,547 yards with 27 touchdowns and nine interceptions. On the ground, he rushed for 650 yards and seven touchdowns on 96 carries.

Edwards showed that he was one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the state this season with a 73 percent completion percentage. On top of completing nearly three-fourths of his passes, he passed for 2,534 yards with 20 touchdowns and just one interceptions. He also added 170 yards on the ground with three touchdowns.

Johnson completed over 50 percent of his passes for 2,510 yards with 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also rushed for 488 yards and eight touchdowns on 104 carries.

Wade is our final quarterback of the year nominee for the 2025 season in the state of Mississippi. He completed 60 percent of his passes for 2,402 yards and 22 touchdowns with three interceptions. Wade also rushed for 407 yards and 12 touchdowns on 107 carries.

Editor’s note: Our corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. This poll is specifically for fans to vote on the players that have been nominated and in no way discredits any other player that may not be mentioned in our poll.

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Mississippi

Miami Hurricanes have two Mississippi connections – and one is quite large

Published

1 day ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

Miami Hurricanes have two Mississippi connections – and one is quite large

The Miami Hurricanes, who play the Ole Miss Rebels in Thursday’s Fiesta Bowl, have two Mississippi connections. One is left tackle Markel Bell, a former standout at Holmes Community College. The other is offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson, who previously worked at Millsaps College and Southern Miss.

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