Connect with us

Mississippi

Valincius brothers’ mom having her best season living with sons at Mississippi State

Published

on

Valincius brothers’ mom having her best season living with sons at Mississippi State


STARKVILLE — Vaida Valincius estimates she used to drive about 60,000 miles per year to watch her two sons, Tomas and Vytas, play baseball.

The Valinicius family is from Lockport, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, but the brothers have played all over the United States.

Vytas and Tomas are three years apart, so they very rarely played on the same team. Vaida did her best to be there, whether it was in California, Arizona, Tennessee, South Carolina, Virginia or greater Illinois.

Advertisement

“I put down like three cars I think,” Vaida told The Clarion Ledger.

But finally, after years of countless hours in the car to watch her sons play baseball, it all came full circle at Mississippi State.

Vytas, an outfielder and the older brother, and Tomas, a starting pitcher, both transferred to Mississippi State for the 2026 season but from different schools. It was a perfect reunion for Vytas’ final year of eligibility.

The brothers live together in a house and got a dog named Sergei. They get along well but, like typical competitive brothers, still banter over small things. Like who wins in a wrestling battle, or if Vytas batted closer to .500 or .100 against Tomas in fall scrimmages.

Advertisement

And making it even more special is that Vaida has been living with her sons in Starkville this season. She said there was “no question” she would be doing it, and the boys were welcoming.

The No. 12 Bulldogs (38-14, 15-12 SEC) begin a three-game series at No. 10 Texas A&M (37-12, 16-10) starting May 14 (6 p.m., SEC Network+) to conclude the regular season.

Vaida’s drive for home games at Dudy Noble Field has been just a few miles.

“It’s been great,” Vytas said in a joint interview with Tomas. “She cooks, cleans and does stuff for us. It makes our life easier.”

Advertisement

Valincius brothers had unusual path to baseball through immigrant parents

Vaida grew up in Lithuania, which at the time was controlled by the Soviet Union. At 7 years old, she was taken from her parents to train to be an Olympic cyclist until the Soviet Union fell in 1991.

In 1999, she immigrated to the United States.

“I had no English, no money and no friends,” Vaida said.

Vaida eventually settled in Chicago where she met her husband, Jozef Wolyniec, also a Lithuanian immigrant who was a speed skater growing up.

Advertisement

So, they each had athletic backgrounds, but knew nothing about baseball. They mostly spoke Lithuanian at home and learned baseball through the kids. Their introduction to baseball came in strange ways.

One day, 5-year-old Vytas was playing Wiffle ball with the neighbors. Vytas hit a home run, and the neighbor told him to go home.

Vytas didn’t understand what that meant. So instead of running the bases, Vytas ran to his house.

“I’m watching through the window, and my English was not good at the time,” Vaida said. “I go to the neighbor like, ‘What’s the problem? Why are you saying that?’”

Advertisement

Tomas is a left-handed pitcher, and one time Vaida bought him the wrong glove.

“Tomas was like, ‘Mom, I don’t feel right. I don’t feel right throwing the ball,’” Vaida said. “I was like ‘I don’t care. Throw the ball.’ I had no clue that they had gloves for the lefties too.”

Valincius brothers transfer to Mississippi State included missed flight

Tomas and Vytas both played high school baseball at the Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, but not at the same time.

Vytas is on his fourth college team, playing at South Carolina in 2022, John A. Logan Community College in 2023, then Illinois in 2024 and 2025. He was an All-Big Ten second-team selection last season, leading the Illini with a .348 batting average.

Tomas played at Virginia as a freshman in 2025, posting a 4.59 ERA and 6-1 record in 13 appearances and 12 starts to make the All-ACC Freshman Team.

Advertisement

The first domino to get the brothers to Mississippi State fell when MSU coach Chris Lemonis was fired on April 28, 2025.

The Bulldogs hired Virginia’s Brian O’Connor as the new coach on June 1, about one hour after the season ended in the Tallahassee Regional final.

“I think it was quick,” Tomas said. “I didn’t even know it was a possibility that this could happen just because of our age gap and I didn’t really know any of the rules or anything. It kind of all just worked out as it did with Coach O’Connor coming here.”

The transfer portal opened June 2. O’Connor had his public introduction on June 5 at Dudy Noble Field. The brothers and their mom were in attendance but arrived just minutes before it started. They missed a connecting flight in Atlanta because they didn’t realize they were sitting at the wrong gate.

Advertisement

The brothers, their mom, three other players and a parent rented a car and frantically drove from Atlanta to Starkville.

“We rented a car and were like who’s driving?” Vaida said. “Then Tomas goes, ‘Well, if we want to make it, let my mom drive.’ I’m like, ‘OK, boys, we’re not stopping.’”

Tomas and Vytas committed to MSU on June 6, with Vytas receiving an extra year of eligibility.

How Valincius brothers are impacting Mississippi State with their mom

Vaida moved in with the boys in February, not long before opening day.

She helps them around the house and takes care of the dog. She makes sure dinner is ready for them at home after every game. The dog even accompanies her in the car for road games.

Advertisement

“It’s fun to watch them going through this,” Vaida said. “It would be a different story if I was at home and just came for the games. That would be, not an outsider, but I wouldn’t be used to it because I’m always with them. It’s a blessing for sure.”

Tomas has been one of the top starting pitchers in the SEC. He has an 8-2 record and ranks third in the SEC with a 2.52 ERA and second with 105 strikeouts. Tomas didn’t allow an earned run in his first 19 innings of conference play.

“For me, it’s nerve-wracking,” Vytas said about watching Tomas pitch. “I enjoy when he does good, but when there’s like runners on (base) I really stress out a lot for him. I don’t know. It’s my little brother.”

Vytas is batting .371 with two home runs, 16 RBIs and 15 runs in 28 games and 19 starts.

He hit his first home run of the season against Georgia on April 4. Tomas was one of the first players out of the dugout waiting to celebrate with Vytas after he rounded the bases.

Advertisement

“That was the first home run I think I’ve seen him hit since, I don’t know, him playing in high school, which was like sophomore year,” Tomas said. “So that was fun. I was hyped up. I was screaming and yelling.”

Vaida said her favorite moments of the season are whenever Vytas and Tomas are in the lineup together. That’s only happened three times this season.

The most recent one, May 7 against Auburn, was the best though. Tomas pitched 6⅔ innings with three runs allowed on 13 strikeouts and 112 pitches. Vytas hit three singles and drove in a run in a 10-3 MSU win.

Tomas has one more season until he’s eligible for the 2027 MLB Draft, where Baseball America recently ranked him as the No. 3 college prospect.

Vaida said she hasn’t made any decisions yet if she’ll live with Tomas next season.

Advertisement

“As a mom, it’s just been a pleasure to be around them and watch how they grow in every way,” Vaida said.

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



Source link

Mississippi

Governor: At least 47 homes, 50 roads damaged by Mississippi storms, flooding – SuperTalk Mississippi

Published

on

Governor: At least 47 homes, 50 roads damaged by Mississippi storms, flooding – SuperTalk Mississippi


Gov. Tate Reeves has released updated damage assessments following the severe weather and flooding that inundated parts of southern Mississippi last week.

According to Reeves, assessments through the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency are ongoing, and disaster aid is still being distributed through a mix of federal, state, and local agencies, along with nonprofits. But numbers as of Monday morning showed dozens of homes and businesses damaged and even more public roads affected.

cspire 2025

Among the counties with significant impacts are Covington, Forrest, George, Greene, Hancock, Jackson, Pearl River, Perry and Stone. Across those counties and others, at least 47 homes were affected, seven of which were completely destroyed. Nine businesses sustained damaged, six of which are considered major. One farm sustained major damage.

A Harrison County roadway is flooded by the remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur on Friday, June 19, 2026. (Photo by Hunter Dawkins/The Gazebo Gazette via SuperTalk Mississippi News)

50 public roadways were affected, including four that are considered major and four that were completely destroyed. Two bridges sustained major damage, while two public buildings sustained minor damage.

Reeves said two rivers are in the moderate flood stage – Leaf River near McClain and the Pascagoula River at Graham Ferry.

15 other waterways are in the minor flood stage: Big Black River near Bentonia, Biloxi River near Lyman, Chickasawhay River at Enterprise, Chickasawhay River at Leakesville, East Hobolochitto Creek near Caesar, Pascagoula River at Merrill, Pearl River at Jackson, Pearl River near Pearl River, Pearl River near Philadelphia, Pearl River at Rockport, Strong River at D’Lo, Tallahala Creek at Laurel, Tuscolameta Creek at Laurel, West Hobolochitto Creek near McNeill, and Wolf River around Gulfport.

Advertisement
A sinkhole caused by flooding from the remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur is seen in Covington County on Friday, June 19, 2026. (Photo courtesy of the Covington County Emergency Management Agency)

Damage reports could have worsened on Monday with additional rounds of severe weather in some parts of the state. The worst of the storms and floods came with the remnants of what was Tropical Storm Arthur late last week and into the weekend.



Source link

Continue Reading

Mississippi

Family of 1-year-old killed by police at a Walmart in Mississippi wants video released

Published

on

Family of 1-year-old killed by police at a Walmart in Mississippi wants video released


(AP) – A Mississippi family whose 1-year-old child was killed when police fired into a moving vehicle said Monday they want authorities to release video showing whether officers were in danger of being struck when one of them opened fire.

The shooting has sparked outrage in the small city of Senatobia, where some say it’s the latest in a series of troubling encounters between police and Black residents.

Kohen Wiley was riding with his mother and another woman in a Walmart parking lot on June 14 when police responded to a shoplifting call. The family says they were driving away, while the officers say the car was heading toward them.

This undated photo provided by Veronica Roberson in June 2026 shows her grandson, Kohen Wiley, of Senatobia, Miss.(Veronica Roberson | Veronica Roberson via AP)

“I watched my baby take his first breath, and I watched my baby take his last breath,” Vellesiya Wiley said at a news conference Monday.

Advertisement

The other woman in the car, whose name has not been released, suffered “critical injuries,” according to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, which is handling the inquiry.

Standing alongside Kohen’s parents and grandparents at a local church, civil rights attorney Ben Crump told reporters Monday that the best way to determine whether the officers were at risk is to publicly release any body camera, dash camera or Walmart security camera video.

“If that is the truth, then show us that,” Crump said. “The longer you delay releasing the video, the more distrustful we become.”

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation declined to comment on what videos investigators have or whether they would be released, agency spokesperson Bailey Martin said Monday.

“This case has been made a top priority,” Martin said in an emailed statement, “and we currently have multiple agents working tirelessly to ensure every aspect of the investigation is thoroughly examined.”

Advertisement

The agency says the officers weren’t hurt. Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford did not return a phone message seeking comment Monday.

State investigators gave an initial account of the shooting last week, saying that when Senatobia police arrived at the Walmart, they found two women and a child getting into a car and driving away.

“Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver drove in the direction of the officers, almost striking one. An officer then discharged their weapon and the vehicle fled the scene,” the agency statement said.

Kohen’s mother has said the shoplifting call was over a box of diapers that her friend was carrying — and that she believes her friend had paid for the diapers. State investigators declined to comment on those details.

Crump questioned why police didn’t let the car go and take down the license plate number.

Advertisement

“They were called over a box of diapers and a family now has to bury their baby,” Crump said Monday. “You cannot put those two things next to each other and call it reasonable policing.”

Crump also said an independent autopsy would be performed.

While there’s no question the child was shot by police, he said, details about the angles at which any bullets struck the child could yield clues as to whether the officer fired from in front of the car or off to the side — and therefore whether that officer was in any danger.

Policing expert Ian Adams, who teaches criminal justice at the University of South Carolina, told The Associated Press last week that police should know that “shooting into a moving vehicle is a very bad idea and one to be avoided at almost all costs,” noting the danger to passengers and other bystanders.

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Mississippi

Mississippi Association of Coaches Inducts Six New Members

Published

on

Mississippi Association of Coaches Inducts Six New Members


Six new members were inducted into the Mississippi Association Coaches Hall of Fame on Friday.

Five electees and one surprise honorary inductee announced at the evening’s end.

Each says the MAC HOF is a special one and this is the ultimate honor for a coach in Mississippi.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending