Mississippi
PCS wins second title? Our 2026 Mississippi high school baseball predictions, top players
The 2026 Mississippi high school baseball season has arrived.
As MHSAA and MAIS hits the ground running for their first week of games, the Clarion Ledger has made three predictions and has looked at some top players around the state heading into the year.
Here are the Clarion Ledger’s predictions and top players to watch for the upcoming 2026 season.
Three predictions for MHSAA, MAIS baseball season
Presbyterian Christian wins MHSAA 3A title after move from MAIS
Presbyterian Christian won the MAIS 6A title last season against Hartfield Academy for the program’s first championship. The Bobcats have a chance at repeating, but in a whole new association, as they have moved to MHSAA 3A. Behind stars Bankston Walters, Jet Henderson and Tyner Flynt, PCS is one of the top teams in 3A.
Magnolia Heights starts … finishes 2026 season No. 1
It seems the dynasty isn’t stopping soon. After Magnolia Heights’ MAIS 5A title in 2025 and seven consecutive titles, the talent hasn’t slowed. The Chiefs have returners Cole Prosek, Christian Doty, Cayden Prestage and Devin Miller, all Division I commits. The clear preseason No. 1 team has the chance to remain in that top spot throughout the season and hunt for an eighth straight title.
Petal wins first title since 2011 in MHSAA 7A
The Panthers won consecutive MHSAA 6A titles in 2010-11, but have not reached a championship game since. Heading into the 2026 season, Petal could snap that streak. With returners Easton Gigr, Fisher Howell and transfer Tray Barnes will line up for the Panthers in the tough 7A class with Brandon, Lewsiburg, and Clinton.
30 top players to watch entering 2026 MHSAA, MAIS baseball season
Henry Abt, Hartfield Academy, Sr.: Abt, the Southern Miss signee, had a team-high .400 batting average with 44 hits and 14 stolen bases last season.
Trey Adcox, Brandon, Jr.: The New Orleans commit hit for .365 with 29 RBIs and 35 hits.
Crews Albritton, Tri-County Academy: Albritton hit for .367 with 33 hits, 32 RBIs and six home runs, helping Tri-County Academy to a MAIS 4A title.
Hayden Amis, Newton County, Sr.: The Pearl River College commit had a .422 batting average with 38 hits, 36 RBIs and four home runs.
Trey Barnes, Petal, Sr.: The Southern Miss signee transferred from Taylorsville and had a .421 batting average with 40 hits, 17 stolen bases and 29 RBIs.
Eric Booth Jr., Oak Grove, Sr.: The Vanderbilt signee hit for .467 with 53 runs, 42 hits, 25 RBIs, six home runs and 27 stolen bases.
Trent Buckley, Columbia Academy, Jr.: The Ole Miss commit had a .477 batting average with 51 RBIs and 15 home runs.
Logan Buckley, Columbia Academy, Sr.: The Southern Miss signee recorded a 1.34 ERA with an 8-3 record and 119 strikeouts.
Jax Coker, Tupelo Christian Prep, Sr.: Coker hit for .449 with four home runs, 27 RBIs and scored 34 runs. While on the mound had a 1.67 ERA.
Drew Davis, Sumrall, Jr.: The Alabama commit had a .410 batting average with 30 RBIs and 15 extra-base hits.
Ethan Dodson, Clinton, Sr.: The Memphis signee led Clinton with a .520 batting average, 51 hits and 42 RBIs.
Christian Doty, Magnolia Heights, Sr.: The Ole Miss signee helped Magnolia Heights to a 39-5 record and an MAIS 5A title.
Reed Duncan, Columbia Academy, Sr.: The Louisiana Tech signee had 15 RBIs with a 3.32 ERA.
Brayden Edmiston, New Hope, Sr.: The Northeast College signee was a preseason MaxPreps all-state team.
Tyner Flynt, Presbyterian Christian, Sr.: The Troy signee produced a 2.08 ERA with 93 strikeouts.
Reid Garrett, Caledonia, Sr.: The Liberty signee posted a 0.91 ERA with 102 strikeouts.
Deuce Jenkins, Jackson Academy, Jr.: The Mississippi State commit had 31 hits with 26 RBIs and five home runs.
Tanner Harris, Lafayette, Sr.: The East Central College signee had a .291 batting average with an .885 OPS, 30 hits and 29 RBIs, helping Lafayette win the MHSAA 5A state title.
Fischer Howell, Petal, Jr.: The Mississippi State commit had a .427 batting average with 31 hits and 16 extra-base hits.
Alex Lambert, Madison-Ridgeland Academy, Sr.: The Jones College signee had a .343 batting average with 18 RBIs and 37 hits.
Taylor Latham, Hartfield Academy, Sr.: The Southern Miss signee had a 2.32 ERA with 75 strikeouts and 21 RBIs.
John Lindsey III, Petal, Sr.: The UAB signee hit for .368 with 17 RBIs.
Jackson Meeham, Northwst Rankin, Sr.: The Southern Miss signee recorded 66 strikeouts with a 3.04 ERA.
Jon Grey Morrisson, West Union, Sr.: The MHSAA 1A Mr. Baseball winner and Itawamba College signee, had a 1.95 ERA and 30 RBIs to lead West Union to a MHSAA 1A title.
Caden Nelson, Lewisburg, Sr.: Nelson, the Jones College signee, had a .479 batting average with 22 RBIs and 35 hits.
Cole Prosek, Magnolia Heights, Sr.: The Ole Miss signee had a .462 batting average with 54 hits, 16 home runs and 37 RBIs, helping Magnolia Heights win the MAIS 5A title.
Sullivan Reed, Lamar School, Jr.: The Mississippi State commit had a .616 batting average with 61 hits, 54 RBIs and nine home runs, and a 5-2 record on the mound.
Kevin Roberts Jr., Jackson Prep, Sr.: The Florida signee hit for .406 with a 1.066 OPS and 39 hits, 30 runs, 17 RBIs, 15 stolen bases and three home runs.
Justin San Miguel, Ocean Springs, Sr.: The Troy signee recorded 27 RBIs and a .304 batting average.
Hayden Wilson, Madison Central, Sr.: The Hinds College signee helped Madison Central to an MHSAA 7A title.
Bankston Walters, Presbyterian Christian, Sr.: The Southern Miss signee produced an 11-1 record with a 1.64 ERA and hit for .351 with 38 RBIs, while helping PCS win the MAIS 6A title.
Justin Word, Jackson Academy, Sr.: The Southern Miss signee hit for .349 with 25 RBIs and 31 stolen bases.
Michael Chavez covers high school sports, among others, 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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(This story was updated to add new information.)
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State baseball starting pitcher Ryan McPherson exited his May 9 return against Auburn with an ankle injury, according to coach Brian O’Connor.
McPherson tripped behind home plate while backing up a potential throw in the second inning and limped back to the mound. The MSU coaches and trainer examined McPherson before pulling him.
McPherson was making his first start since March 20 after suffering a forearm strain.
The No. 11 Bulldogs (38-14, 15-12 SEC) trailed the No. 6 Tigers (35-15, 16-11) by one run with one out in the inning before getting run-ruled 13-2 in seven innings at Dudy Noble Field.
McPherson threw 34 pitches in 1⅓ innings with one earned and one unearned run allowed, two hits, no walks and no strikeouts.
He did not throw a practice pitch while being examined, and he didn’t limp as he walked into the dugout, either.
Ryan McPherson injury update from Brian O’Connor
O’Connor revealed after the game that McPherson was on a 40-pitch limit, so he was likely going to get pulled soon anyway.
“I would hate for the young man to have a setback because he goes out there and tries to throw to another batter or two and changes this delivery because of an ankle (injury),” O’Connor said. “So that’s what went into that decision. It’s unfortunate, but it was good to get him back out there.”
McPherson, a sophomore, missed six straight starts with his forearm injury. He took Charlie Foster’s spot in the pitching rotation for the Auburn series.
One series remains at Texas A&M before the SEC Tournament.
“We’ll see how he recovers from this and then to see what his availability will be for next weekend,” O’Connor said.
Ryan McPherson stats
McPherson was charged with the loss, dropping his record to 3-1 with a 2.62 ERA.
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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