Mississippi
Ninth-inning magic comes through once again for Mississippi State baseball in Hoover
The Diamond Dawgs are getting hot, and they might have some magic in them. For the second-straight night, Mississippi State baseball pulled off a thrilling victory in the 9th inning, with the same player coming through when needed.
MSU battled with 4-seed Texas A&M for eight innings, with the game tied at three. With two outs in the top of the 9th, Connor Hujsak drove in a pair of runs to put State up 5-3. Tyler Davis would get three quick outs to end to the game and advance the Bulldogs in the winner’s bracket.
Mississippi State is now 38-19 on the season.
One of the biggest critiques from State fans this season has been the lack of clutch hitting from the Bulldogs. When they’ve been in a key moment, needing a run, and have baserunners on, no one in the lineup has shown the ability to consistently come through.
That is, until Connor Hujsak stepped up.
Fresh off of emphatically ending his rival’s season, Hujsak once again stepped to the plate with two outs in the 9th inning with the pressure on him to deliver. Consecutive hit by pitches and a throwing error had the bases loaded for State in a 3-3 game. They just needed someone to drive them home.
And Mr. Clutch himself was up for the task. Hujsak drove a single through the middle of the infield, bringing in the winning runs for the Bulldogs.
MSU has found its guy they can rely on in the big moments, and that makes them all the more dangerous in the postseason.
The story of the season for Mississippi State baseball has been the turnaround of their pitching staff. First-year pitching coach Justin Parker has worked wonders with the group, taking them from one of the SEC’s worst a year ago to being amongst the league’s best.
That showed Wednesday night against Texas A&M’s powerful lineup.
Starter Khal Stephen didn’t have his usual dominant stuff, but he still entered the 6th inning having allowed just one run. A walk and a single put a pair on, and he was pulled for Tyson Hardin. The Aggies managed to get those runs home to tie the game at three, but Hardin limited the damage.
The final three innings of work by MSU’s staff was shutdown. Nate Dohm and Tyler Davis allowed just one combined hit, no walks, and no runs, with Davis getting the save in the bottom of the 9th to secure the win.
The Aggies had just five hits on the night, and their three biggest bats went a combined 1-10. Pitching wins in the postseason, and State has it.
If MSU wanted to host a regional, they needed two wins in Hoover at a minimum. They’ve achieved that, and now, they’ll almost certainly see another weekend at Dudy Noble Field. State’s back into the Top-20 of the RPI and now owns 16 Q1 wins, third most of any team.
This morning’s update from Baseball America, who has been lower on State as a host, was a positive one. They have MSU as the #15 national seed, hosting Arizona, Georgia Tech, and Nicholls State in Starkville.
The Diamond Dawgs will look to improve their positioning tonight against Vanderbilt. First pitch is set for approximately 8:00 pm CT, and you can watch on the SEC Network.
Here’s the nominees for Clarion Ledger girls Athlete of the Week for May 4-9
Here’s the five nominees for the Clarion Ledger girls Mississippi high school Athlete of the Week for May 4-9.
There were several top performers across the state in girls high school sports, but only one can be voted as the Clarion Ledger athlete of the week for May 4-9.
Fans may vote in the poll BELOW one time per hour per device. The poll closes at noon on Friday.
To nominate a future athlete of the week, email mchavez@gannett.com or message him on X, formerly Twitter, @MikeSChavez.
To submit high school scores, statistics, records, leaders and other items at any time, email mchavez@gannett.com.
Nominations
Kara Applewhite, Sumrall: Applewhite had four hits with a home run and five RBIs in Sumrall’s 10-0 win against East Central.
Caydance Brumfield, West Marion: Brumfield produced four hits and five RBIs in West Marion’s two wins against Pisgah.
Addison Collum, West Union: Collum pitched eight innings and recorded seven strikeouts and only two earned runs in West Union’s wins against Smithville.
Addison Cornish, West Lauderdale: Cornish recorded five hits and a home run in West Lauderdale’s wins against Choctaw Central.
Addison Davis, George County: Davis pitched nine innings with 20 strikeouts and recorded two home runs and four RBIs in George County’s wins against Pearl River Central.
Michael Chavez covers high school sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or reach out to him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.
‘We’re doing this to decrease the pressure we get early in the season. We’re trying to move that pressure on into later in the season.’
Bobcat stalks and strikes at Wisconsin turkey hunter
Turkey hunter Carson Bender of Wisconsin Rapids recorded a video of a bobcat that stalked and lunged at him as he hunted April 18, 2026 near Nekoosa, Wis.
Carson Bender
If a proposal made in the April meeting of the Mississippi Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks is finalized, nonresident turkey hunters will see big changes in the 2027 spring turkey season.
“We’re doing this in a way to impact how hunting pressure occurs and how the harvest happens in the early season,” said Caleb Hinton, Wild Turkey Program coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. “We’re doing this to decrease the pressure we get early in the season. We’re trying to move that pressure on into later in the season.”
Turkey hunters enjoy a three-bird bag limit and a little more than six weeks of hunting in spring, which is similar to some other states. What is at issue is when it opens. March 15 is the typical opening date for the regular season, making it one of the earliest in the nation.
That early opening date combined with a growing trend among turkey hunters is where the problem lies.
Mississippi is a destination for early season, nonresident hunters
Possibly more than any other group of hunters, turkey hunters like to travel. For some, it may be a matter of seeing a different landscape and hunting birds under condions they don’t encounter in their home state. For others it may be a quest to harvest each of the subspecies in North America.
For yet another group, it’s the challenge of harvesting a gobbler in each of the 49 states that have turkeys.
“It seems to be getting more and more popular every year,” Hinton said.
Regardless of why a turkey hunter chooses to travel, it puts a target on Mississippi’s back because for the first few weeks of the season, it’s almost the only game in town, so hunters flock to the state.
In an effort to curb the amount of hunting pressure in those first weeks of turkey season, MDWFP proposed limiting nonresident hunters to two legal gobblers per season and only one of those can be harvested before April 1.
“Hopefully, it will help curb the massive influx of pressure we get the first week or two of the season,” Hinton said.
When will turkey season changes for nonresidents be voted on?
The proposed changes aren’t the first that have been geared toward alleviating pressure on turkeys in the early part of the season by nonresidents. In 2022, the commission passed a rule requiring nonresident hunters to enter a drawing for a hunt on public land during the first two weeks of turkey season. Currently, the number of hunters drawn is limited to 800.
Like that change, the current proposal will pass or fail by a vote of the wildlife commission. In the April commission meeting, the proposal passed an initial vote. It is now in a 30-day public comment period and a final vote will be taken in the May meeting.
Public comments may be submitted at https://www.mdwfp.com/proposed-rules-regulations.
A lifelong outdoorsman and wildlife enthusiast, Brian Broom has been writing about hunting, fishing and Mississippi’s outdoors for the Clarion Ledger for more than 14 years. He can be reached at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.
Mississippi
Mississippi high school addresses social media post, says it won’t tolerate racism or harassment
LAUDERDALE COUNTY, Miss. (WLBT) – A Mississippi high school has made a statement after a social media post involving a student surfaced.
Northeast Lauderdale High School officials say they’re reviewing a social media post involving a student.
In a statement, the school said administrators are aware of the post and are “reviewing the situation.”
The school said it is committed to maintaining a safe, orderly and respectful environment for students and staff.
“Neither our district nor our school accept or condone racism, discrimination, harassment, or behavior that is inconsistent with the expectations of our school community,” the statement said.
Officials said they are working with the appropriate parties and will address the matter in accordance with district policies and procedures.
The school added that it cannot share additional details because of student privacy laws.
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