Mississippi
Moments that mattered in Mississippi State’s loss to No. 23 Missouri
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State’s defense came to play early in Saturday’s game against Missouri, but as has frequently been the case when Coleman Hutzler’s unit has a rare bright moment, the offense could not take advantage.
The No. 23 Tigers were backed up inside their own 10-yard line following a 48-yard Nick Barr-Mira punt, and then the Bulldogs’ defense delivered three straight big plays. Safety Hunter Washington violently broke up a screen pass on first down, linebacker Stone Blanton tripped up running back Nate Noel for a loss on second down, and after Isaac Smith brought the first wave of pressure on third down, Zakari Tillman sacked Brady Cook just outside the end zone.
With limited space for the snap, the ensuing Missouri punt traveled just 39 yards, and Kevin Coleman’s return gave MSU the ball at the Tigers’ 32. But on second-and-8, freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren faked a handoff to Davon Booth and faced pressure from Eddie Kelly Jr. as he surveyed his options downfield. He stumbled as he tried to step up in the pocket, leaving the ball dangling in his right hand as he tried to stay on his feet.
Defensive tackle Kristian Williams knocked the ball out, and before anyone in maroon realized what was happening, safety Daylan Carnell scooped it up in stride and took it back 68 yards for a touchdown without any Bulldog laying a hand on him.
MSU never recovered from the shock to its system, and Missouri went on to win 39-20.
“That was rough,” center Ethan Miner said. “Those situations happen, and it’s human instinct when something goes wrong, you want to get down. You can’t allow yourself to do it. You have to keep pushing. That’s what happens in life. That’s what happens in this game. Adversity is going to strike. How are you going to respond?”
Burden’s impressive catch underscores Tigers’ third-down success
The Bulldogs (2-9, 0-7 Southeastern Conference) trailed by just four points after a quarter, but the Tigers (8-3, 4-3) extended their first drive of the second quarter when Cook evaded a would-be sack from Branden Jennings and scrambled to move the chains on third down. Missouri kept moving on the ground until Sulaiman Kpaka burst into the backfield to bring down running back Nate Noel for a four-yard loss, bringing up a third-and-9 at the MSU 28.
Cook rolled to his right and flung the ball on the run toward the end zone, where star receiver Luther Burden III was tightly covered by safety Corey Ellington. But Ellington never turned back to the ball, and Burden made a last-second adjustment to separate himself from the defensive back and bring the ball in as he went to the ground. The Bulldogs never again trimmed the deficit to one score.
The Tigers finished 11-for-18 on third down and 2-for-2 on fourth down, and their average yards to go on third down was just 4.6. Missouri was a perfect 6-for-6 on medium-distance third downs (between five and eight yards).
“That’s just a play. (Burden) made a play,” said Blanton, who had a game-high 18 tackles. “Can’t hang our heads too hard on that. Other stuff, we have to be able to get off the field on.”
Fourth-down stop effectively ices game
Despite possessing the ball for less than four minutes in the second half, MSU pulled back within striking distance on Booth’s 43-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. After a missed field goal from Missouri, the Bulldogs were poised to get even closer, starting their next drive with a 49-yard deep ball from Van Buren to Kelly Akharaiyi.
On the second play of the fourth quarter, MSU faced a fourth-and-3 at the Tigers’ 17. Instead of kicking a field goal to get within one score, head coach Jeff Lebby kept his offense on the field, and Van Buren made a simple two-step drop and had Mosley open across the middle. But his throw was too low, and Mosley couldn’t quite reach down far enough to gather the ball in.
The Tigers proceeded to take almost nine minutes off the clock before Marcus Carroll put the final nail in the coffin with his third touchdown run of the game.
“We’re down 11, we have a chance on fourth-and-3,” Lebby said. “We’re being aggressive. The book (says) go all the way, I’m going for it, and we have to make that layup. That’s truly a layup where we have the ability to pitch and catch.”
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STARKVILLE, Miss. (WLBT) – Mississippi State got a dominant performance from Tomas Valincius and a 13-hit offensive performance to defeat Cincinnati 10-5 on Saturday night at Dudy Noble Field, moving on the the Starkville Regional Championship.
The Bulldogs broke open a tight game with a three-run fifth inning before adding four more runs in the sixth and two in the seventh.
Reese gets it started
Ace Reese started the scoring with a solo home run to center field in the first inning, giving the Bulldogs an early 1-0 lead. Cincinnati answered in the second when Christian Mitchelle doubled to shallow left, scoring Enzo Infelise to tie the game at 1-1.
Bulldogs score three in the fifth
Mississippi State scored three runs in the fifth inning, beginning with an RBI infield single from Bryce Chance to shortstop that scored Jacob Parker. Gehrig Frei followed with an infield single to second, plating Reed Stallman and Kevin Milewski to push the lead to 4-1.
Four more in the sixth
Mississippi State added four more runs in the sixth. Stallman delivered an RBI double to left to score Parker before Valincius crossed the plate on a wild pitch from Cincinnati’s Alex Gonzalez. Two batters later, Milewski launched a two-run homer to right field, stretching the Bulldogs’ lead to 8-1.
Stallman extends lead in the seventh
The Bulldogs extended the lead in the seventh when Stallman ripped a double to right, scoring Noah Sullivan and Parker for a 10-1 advantage.
Cincinnati added two runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth, making the final 10-5.
Valincius dominates on the mound
Valincius worked 7 1/3 innings, allowing just three runs on five hits while striking out 10 and walking two. He threw 112 pitches and recorded his 10th strikeout before exiting in the eighth inning. Maddox Webb took over after that and walked two batter. Ben Davis closed the game for State, pitching 1 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out two.
Offensive leaders
Mississippi State finished with 13 hits.
Stallman led the way offensively, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs and two doubles. Chance collected three hits and drove in a run, while Frei finished with two hits and two RBIs. Reese added his first-inning homer, and Milewski’s two-run blast highlighted the sixth-inning surge. Parker scored three runs.
Up next
The Diamond Dawgs now head to the Starkville Regional Championship, where they will face the winner of the Cincinnati and Louisiana elimination game. State will only need one more win to advance to a Super Regional.
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HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) – The Mississippi Miss Hospitality Program announced Saturday that contestants competing for the title in 2026 will be eligible for the organization’s largest scholarship offerings in its 77-year history.
Contestants will be eligible for more than $105,000 in scholarships and prizes, including $32,500 in direct cash scholarships.
The winner of the competition will receive a $10,000 cash scholarship, tuition scholarships, travel opportunities and a total prize package valued at $27,000. The first alternate will receive a cash scholarship of $6,000, the second will receive $3,500, the third will receive $2,500 and the fourth will receive $2,000.
During Saturday’s announcement, the Advisory Board of the Mississippi Miss Hospitality Program also revealed that the winning cash scholarship will be named for Bonnie Warren.
Warren has spent decades supporting tourism, hospitality and economic development efforts across Mississippi. She also helped move the Miss Hospitality Program from Starkville to Hattiesburg in 1998 and has remained one of its strongest advocates.
The theme for this year’s Miss Hospitality will celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.
The competition will take place July 17-18 in Hattiesburg. Tickets will go on sale in two weeks.
The Miss Hospitality Program was founded in 1949.
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Copyright 2026 WDAM. All rights reserved.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Taryne Mowatt-McKinney called Mississippi State softball’s first Women’s College World Series appearance back in the fall.
Coach Samantha Ricketts said the Bulldogs’ pitching coach walked into her office in October to deliver her bold prediction.
“She said, ‘If our pitching continues to progress the way it is, we’re going to the World Series,’” Ricketts said. “We may have looked at her like she may have been a little crazy.”
But Mowatt-McKinney wasn’t crazy, and the Bulldogs delivered, making it to the WCWS for the first time in program history.
That experience was short-lived as the Bulldogs (43-21) lost 4-0 to No. 2 seed Texas (48-12) in an elimination game at Devon Park on May 29, ending their season.
The Bulldogs went 0-2 in the WCWS and did not score a run.
“Could not be more proud of this group for what they’ve done for Mississippi State softball and for each other, the way they’ve represented this team, this program, our community,” Ricketts said. “… They believed that Mississippi State could be here on this stage when nobody else did.”
Ricketts noted the team never wavered in its belief even when things got difficult. Mississippi State went 9-15 in SEC play, finishing 10th in the conference. The Bulldogs only won two of their SEC series and fell out of hosting contention for regionals in late April.
As a road team, MSU made it out of the Eugene Regional to super regionals. The Bulldogs upset No. 3 seed Oklahoma on its home field to be the only unseeded team at this year’s WCWS.
“Really we talked all year long that our roster was built for May,” Ricketts said. “With how difficult our SEC schedule was, the lessons we learned along the way, we knew that postseason it’s 0-0 for anyone. If we could continue to trust in the work that we had done, we could really do something special here.”
The trip to the WCWS was especially meaningful for seniors Nadia Barbary, Morgan Bernardini and Kiarra Sells. All three began their careers in Starkville. They took the program from not even making the NCAA Tournament their freshman year to the WCWS in their final season.
“It meant the world to us,” Sells said. “Even getting here was such a big deal to all of us. Honestly, we’re grateful to have been on this stage, to have worked our butts off to be here, to be a Mississippi State Bulldog. It was such a blessing.”
The team’s accomplishments also resonated with players who started their careers at other schools. Pitcher Peja Goold, a transfer from Chattanooga, reflected positively on what she’d gained from this final year.
Goold finished with a 2.50 ERA, 182 strikeouts and eight shutouts. She was picked in the second round of the AUSL draft by the Oklahoma Sparks.
“I’m just so grateful that Mississippi State gave me the chance to be here and the opportunity to play on this stage,” she said. “… I chose Mississippi State, look where it brought me. That’s such a blessing and I’m so thankful that God placed me here and led me to them.”
During the team’s two WCWS games, not much went in the Bulldogs favor. They were shut out both times and run-ruled by Texas Tech in their first game. Still, the Bulldogs are walking out of Oklahoma City full of gratitude and pride for what they achieved in 2026.
“We did the unthinkable, making history throughout our whole season,” Bernardini said. “Yes, this sucks right now, but it’s like what a better way to end it at the end?”
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at treid@usatodayco.com and follow her on X @tiareid65.
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