Mississippi

OU Baseball: Oklahoma Drops SEC Home Opener to Mississippi State

Published

1 year ago

March 22, 2025

OU Baseball: Oklahoma Drops SEC Home Opener to Mississippi State

NORMAN — Oklahoma starter Kyson Witherspoon put his team in position to win the program’s SEC home opener on Friday night.

The OU ace held Mississippi State to two runs, and the Sooners needed just one run in the ninth to extend the game.

Right fielder Sam Christiansen drew a walk to bring the winning run to the plate, and a wild pitch allowed Christiansen to move into scoring position for pinch hitter Brandon Cain with two outs.

Cain took a pair of big hacks, but he ultimately chased a ball up in the zone to strike out and Mississippi State held on for a 2-1 win at L. Dale Mitchell Park.

With the series opener in their back pocket, the Bulldogs moved to 15-7 overall and 1-3 in SEC play, while OU while to 18-3 on the year and 2-2 in conference action.

Final Box Score / OU Stats

Mississippi State got a single from Sawyer Reeves to start the game, but Witherspoon bounced back with consecutive strikeouts.

The first inning was extended by an error by OU shortstop Jaxon Willits, however, a mistake which would come back to bite the Sooners.

With new life, Bryce Chance singled to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead after one.

Oklahoma applied some chaos of their own in the top of the second when a walk drawn by Drew Dickerson and a single from Christiansen put runners on first and second with one out.

Dawson Willis drew a walk to load the bases, but Dasan Harris struck out and Jason Walk flew out to end the Sooner threat.

Witherspoon cruised until the seventh, but OU couldn’t level the game.

The Sooners struck out eight times across the third, fourth and fifth innings, stranding just one batter in the process.

Oklahoma got two aboard in the sixth thanks to a Willits single and an error, but the home team was unable to make the Bulldogs pay for their miscues.

Mississippi State starter Pico Kohn’s day would end there as he was flawless on the mound for the Bulldogs where he allowed only two hits and would strikeout 10 Sooners in six innings of work.

The Bulldogs finally got to Witherspoon again in the seventh.

The leadoff batter, Ross Highfill, reached after a scary moment as he squared up to bunt and ended up taking a pitch to the helmet.

Michael O’Brien was called in off the bench to pinch run for Highfill, and he promptly stole second.

A deep fly out moved the runner up one bag, then Dylan Cupp’s sacrifice fly doubled Mississippi State’s lead.

OU coach Skip Johnson then withdrew Witherspoon, who was excellent. He pitched 6 2/3 innings, gave up five hits, two runs had 11 strikeouts and only walked one Bulldog.

But the Sooners immediately got a run back.

Harris gave the offense going in the bottom of the seventh when he reached on an error with two outs. Jason Walk drove in the first Sooner run of the night with an RBI-double, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Mississippi State prevented OU from taking any momentum, however, by striking out Kyle Branch to end the frame.

A clutch double play by the Sooner defense in the top of the eighth held Mississippi State off the board, but OU stranded runners in the eighth and ninth.

Oklahoma and Mississippi State will return to action in Game 2 of the series on Saturday at 4 p.m.

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Mississippi

An 1850s Parsonage in Natchez, Mississippi, Is Selling for the First Time in Over a Century

Published

5 hours ago

April 5, 2026

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An 1850s Parsonage in Natchez, Mississippi, Is Selling for the First Time in Over a Century

A 174-year-old brick parsonage house on a bluff above the Mississippi River is now for sale in Natchez, Mississippi, asking $1.985 million.

The home, completed in 1852, was built by architect James Hardie as a residence for Methodist ministers, according to historical records. The land was donated by Peter Little, a wealthy cotton broker and slave owner who built the city’s historic Rosalie mansion.

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The house was initially built as a one-story residence with an “English” basement and a carriage house; a two-story annex was added later, according to the listing with Douglas Adams of Crescent Sotheby’s International Realty, informed by the Historic Natchez Foundation.

“The location is what is superb because it is one of the highest points in Natchez overlooking the Mississippi River,” said Adams, who posted the listing Thursday.

In 1893, the Parsonage changed hands for the last time when it was purchased by James and Agnes Metcalfe, and has been in the Metcalfe family ever since.

Known as the Parsonage, the residence is considered a classic example of Greek Revival architecture from the pre-Civil War South, with a wide portico, raised porch and sash windows. It is located on South Broadway Street, in a commanding position that overlooks Bluff Park, the Mississippi and downtown Natchez. It spans 6,500 square feet with five bedrooms, two formal parlors flanking a central hall and richly detailed interiors that include original exposed-brick walls, fireplaces and stained-glass windows.

In addition to a front porch, the property includes several outdoor terraces and balconies, including a second-floor wraparound deck and a balustraded rooftop—which has the best vantage point from which to see the wide views.

The home was occupied for many years by the late Albert and Gay Metcalfe, who married at the Parsonage in 1959, and would host events for friends. “It became something of a social hub,” Adams said. “They’d host families to celebrate someone’s life; there may have been some weddings that occurred there.”

Gay Metcalfe died in 2023 and the heirs are her three children, Adams said. The family couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

Hardie, the architect, was a Scottish immigrant who built several other notable buildings in Natchez, including most prominently St. Mary Basilica, a Gothic Revival structure on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Homewood plantation, a Greek Revival mansion.

MORE: Manhattan’s Richest Home Buyers Were Out in Force as $10 Million-Plus Sales Surged in the First Quarter

According to local lore, the Parsonage was commissioned by Little because his wife, Eliza’s religious devotion led her to welcome every passing minister into their home, according to “Natchez,” a 1940s history of the city. Displeased with the “long siege of such guests,” Little decided to build a separate home for his wife’s visitors.

Little’s own mansion at Rosalie still stands today near the site of the 1729 massacre of the Natchez Native Americans, from whom the city takes its name.

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Mississippi Children’s Museum hosts annual Easter event

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17 hours ago

April 5, 2026

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Mississippi Children’s Museum hosts annual Easter event – WJTV

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Measuring Mississippi State baseball’s concern level after sweep by Georgia at home

Published

1 day ago

April 4, 2026

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Measuring Mississippi State baseball’s concern level after sweep by Georgia at home

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State baseball swept its previous two SEC opponents but fell on the other end against Georgia.

No. 4 MSU (25-7, 7-5 SEC) was swept by No. 5 Georgia (27-6, 10-2) at Dudy Noble Field. It was the first time MSU was swept under first-year coach Brian O’Connor.

Mississippi State lost 10-9 on April 2, 3-1 on April 3 and 8-5 in 10 innings on April 4.

The three straight losses created the longest losing streak of the season. Georgia’s last sweep of MSU at Dudy Noble Field was in 2004.

“I’m not concerned,” O’Connor said. “Listen, you see it all over the place in this league. People get swept and things like that. When I talk to the team, I talk about taking each game like its own individual game.

“… There were certainty plenty of bright spots, but just not enough. I believe we got away from what got us to this point for whatever reason. We have to own that; we have to stand up as men and acknowledge what happened and make the adjustments to get back on the right track and play winning Mississippi State baseball.”

Star third baseman Ace Reese launched a shot that looked like it was going to win Game 3 in the ninth inning, but it was caught at the warning track.

“It’s not concerning at all,” Reese said. “We’re a great ball club. I know what we can do. It was just unfortunate. We didn’t play good enough. We didn’t hit in situations well enough, and we didn’t pitch at the right time well enough.”

What Brian O’Connor wants more of from Mississippi State baseball

O’Connor said he agreed with a reporter’s observation that there was negative body language from Mississippi State players throughout the series.

“Words matter, and I met with the team before the stretch this morning and talked to them specifically about that and what a winner’s mentality looks like,” O’Connor said. “We just have to be better from that standpoint. We have to grow in that area. We showed some immaturity this weekend, and Georgia exposed that.”

Mississippi State fell behind 10-2 in Game 1 in the fifth inning after a poor start from Charlie Foster and relief appearance by Jack Gleason. MSU scored seven unanswered runs after that but failed to drive in the tying run in the ninth inning.

MSU got another outstanding pitching start from Tomas Valincius in Game 2, but never scored after the first inning. Game 3 was tied at 5-5 through six innings until Michael O’Shaughnessy hit a three-run home run in the 10th inning.

Mississippi State left 32 batters on base throughout the series and batted 1-for-22 in the final two games with runners in scoring position.

Georgia also scored numerous runs throughout the series because of passed balls and wild pitches.

“Just overall a tough weekend,” O’Connor said. “That can happen in this league. It’s no excuse. We don’t accept it. We just have to learn from it and play be a little bit more tough-minded and approach the game the right way.”

Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.

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