green machine

Congratulations go out to Delta State coach Mike Kinnison on the occasion of his 600th win at the Division II power in Cleveland. He picked up the last two he needed in Saturday's sweep of West Alabama, another nationally ranked club. It's almost taken for granted every season that the Statesmen will be a contender for their conference title and the national tournament — and it shouldn't be. A lot of diligent effort goes into it, by players and coaches. What's really amazing is how seamlessly DSU has moved from the Boo Ferriss era to the Bill Marchant era to the Kinnison regime without suffering any real drop-off. Kinnison played for Ferriss and coached under Marchant before taking the reins in 1997. He has won a national title (2004) and been to three other D-II College World Series in his 14 seasons. The Statesmen will be in the CWS hunt again this year. You can count on it.

spotlight

Junior college baseball has a big stage to itself in Jackson on Sunday, when undefeated Jones County JC plays ninth-ranked Itawamba CC at Smith-Wills Stadium. The Bobcats are 10-0, a record made even more impressive by the fact that they haven't played any home games while their facility is under renovation (see previous post). JCJC is hitting .312 as a team and has a 2.18 ERA. That's tough to beat. ICC, the defending state champion, is off to a 6-2 start. First pitch is scheduled for noon. It's worth a look.

love those rankings

Sports fans seemingly can't function without lists. Or at least the information-generating sources out there seem to think that is the case. Baseball America certainly loves its lists — and on that subject, the magazine's Top 100 minor league and high school prospect rankings are out. Just for the record, 2009 Mississippi Braves star Jason Heyward is the No. 1 prospect (no surprise there), and his '09 M-Braves teammate Freddie Freeman checks in at No. 32. Former Itawamba Community College standout Desmond Jennings (Tampa Bay) is No. 6. A pair of possible future M-Braves pitchers, Julio Teheran and Arodys Vizcaino, are Nos. 51 and 69. On the prep chart, Richton's JaCoby Jones is No. 39, Madison Central's Ryan Bolden No. 43 and Terry's Deshun Dixon No. 79. Not to be overlooked, Sumrall High, which went 36-0 in 2009, is ranked 12th in BA's preseason Top 25 prep poll. 

lemon fresh

Marcus Lemon, a speedy young infielder, was invited to the Texas Rangers' big league camp on Wednesday. Wasn't there another speedy guy named Lemon in baseball a few years back? Yes, Chet Lemon, the Jackson native who played center field for the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers in the '70s and '80s. Chet, now an amateur baseball coach in Florida, is indeed Marcus' dad. Marcus, a fourth-round pick by Texas in 2006, is trying to follow in dad's footsteps. It won't be easy; dad, a three-time All-Star, set a pretty good pace.

rocket man

Not trying to jinx him or anything like that, but Southern Miss' B.A. Vollmuth appears ready to launch into stardom. The lanky shortstop from Biloxi burst onto the scene last spring when, as a true freshman, he stepped in for the injured Brian Dozier and helped the Golden Eagles reach the College World Series. He's 6 feet 4, 220 pounds with power in his bat and his arm. (Does Cal Ripken come to mind?) Vollmuth was the Atlanta Regional MVP last year, then a Cape Cod League All-Star (and rated the top shortstop in the summer league by one service) and now a third-team preseason All-America pick by Baseball America. He hit eight home runs (six in postseason) in just 97 at-bats. His .237 average a year ago was surely an anomaly; he's off to 5-for-11 start this season. USM fans have got to be pumped about what Vollmuth will do over a full season.

P.S. This slipped by unheralded last week, which is a shame: Hill Denson won his 1,000th game as a high school and college coach in Belhaven's 9-1 victory over LSU-Alexandria at Smith-Wills Stadium. Denson,  a fixture on the Magnolia State baseball scene as either a player or coach for some 50 years, has had great success building college programs at Southern Miss and Belhaven. Denson currently has 787 wins as a college coach.

dwindle, dwindle

Alan Zinter holds a special place in Mississippi baseball lore. Not so much for any major on-field accomplishment in his long pro career but simply for being the last ex-Jackson Met to play in a big league game. Zinter, who was on the last JaxMets team in 1990, was still in The Show in 2004. He was still putting on minor league unie in 2006. Well, it's been 11 years since the Generals packed up and left Jackson — and the number of ex-Gens currently in big league spring camps is down to 10. The race is on to see who'll be the last old General standing. Several of the 10 clearly are near the end, including 38-year-old Billy Wagner, expected to be the Atlanta Braves' closer this season. Don't bet against Lance Berkman outlasting the others. He's still with Houston and still going strong.

P.S. Mississippi Valley State ran out of steam — and pitching, too — in Sunday's series finale against Notre Dame. The Delta Devils lost 19-3 at Legion Field in Greenville. They lost the first two games of the intriguing series 12-4 and 8-3. Ya gotta think they'll play again. ... Tougaloo, still in search of its first Gulf Coast Athletic Conference win, fell to 0-77 in a three-game series at nationally ranked LSU-Shreveport. The Bulldogs were 10-run ruled in each game.

smashing

Most eye-opening result from Friday's opening day of Division I play: Alcorn State 1, Louisiana Tech 0. In Barrett Rey's ASU coaching debut, the Braves went to Ruston, La., and beat the Bulldogs behind Collin Armold's six-hit shutout and a home run by Kilby Perdomo. Armold, a senior transfer from Vincennes in Indiana, struck out six and walked just two in a dominating performance. Watch him. And Perdomo, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound outfielder who transferred in from a Florida junior college. The teams play again today. Stay tuned.

P.S. The state's Big 3 drew more than 17,000 combined for their home openers. On a chilly Friday in February ... 17,000. Yes, Mississippi is a baseball state.

the list

Camps are open or opening. Players are there or en route. So here it is, the 2010 list of Mississippians in big league spring training:

40-man roster members
Position players
Julio Borbon (Starkville), Texas; Chris Coghlan (Ole Miss), Florida;  Bill
Hall (Nettleton), Boston; Jarrett Hoffpauir (Southern Miss), Toronto; Rhyne
Hughes (Pearl River CC), Baltimore; Desmond Jennings (Itawamba CC), Tampa Bay; Fred Lewis (Gulf Coast CC), San Francisco; Edwin Maysonet (Delta State), Houston; Seth Smith (Ole Miss), Colorado; Craig Tatum (Mississippi State), Baltimore; Matt Tolbert (Ole Miss), Minnesota;  Eli Whiteside (Delta State), San Francisco
Pitchers
Dusty Hughes (DSU), Kansas City; Brent Leach (DSU), Los Angeles Dodgers;
Cliff Lee (Meridian CC), Seattle; Paul Maholm (MSU), Pittsburgh; Matt
Maloney (Ole Miss), Cincinnati; Brandon Medders (MSU), San Francisco; Roy
Oswalt (Holmes CC), Houston; Jonathan Papelbon (MSU), Boston; Tony Sipp
(Gulf Coast CC), Cleveland; Taylor Tankersley (Vicksburg), Florida; Donnie
Veal (Jackson), Pittsburgh

Non-roster invitees
Position players
Zack Cozart (Ole Miss), Cincinnati; Wendell Fairley (Lucedale), San
Francisco; Joey Gathright (Hattiesburg), Toronto; John Lindsey
(Hattiesburg), Los Angeles Dodgers; Paul Phillips (Meridian CC), Colorado;
Marcus Thames (East Central CC), New York Yankees; Jonathan Van Every
(Itawamba CC), Pittsburgh; Corey Wimberly (Alcorn State), Oakland
Pitchers
T.J. Beam (Ole Miss), Arizona; Roy Corcoran, (Gulf Coast CC), Houston; Tim
Dillard (Itawamba CC), Milwaukee; Lance Lynn (Ole Miss), St. Louis; Cody
Satterwhite (Ole Miss), Detroit

spring break

Though his numbers in two minor league seasons are decidedly modest, Wendell Fairley has an invitation to the San Francisco Giants' major league camp in Arizona. The former George County outfielder, a first-round pick in 2007, has a .249 average with five homers and 59 RBIs on his ledger. He spent last season at low Class A Augusta. But he does have tools. He's 6 feet 2 and 195 pounds. As a prep senior, he was out of his league, batting .538 and posting a 9-2 record as a pitcher. He was a USA Today All-American, and the Giants plucked him 29th overall in the '07 draft. They must be eager to see him face better competition this spring.

keep a sharp eye

The college season gets into full swing starting Friday, when the Division I programs launch. There's so much to watch for. The Scott Berry era begins at Southern Miss, and Barrett Rey debuts at Alcorn State. Ole Miss is rebuilding but still carries high expectations, as does Mississippi State in John Cohen's second season as coach. Jackson State faces a tough and perhaps telling opening doubleheader at South Alabama. Mississippi Valley State starts a compelling three-game series against visiting Notre Dame (see previous post). Among the small schools, Gulf Coast Athletic Conference rivals Belhaven and William Carey hook up in Hattiesburg. Millsaps plays a big Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference series at Southwestern in Texas. ... But don't overlook this little series that also starts Friday: Tougaloo at LSU-Shreveport. The watch is on for the Bulldogs' first win in GCAC play. They are 0-74. That's right zero and seventy-four since they began playing an official GCAC schedule in 2008. The GCAC might fall apart after this season, when Belhaven, Carey and others depart for another league. So 2010 may be Tougaloo's last crack at this conference. USM alumnus Robert Franciskato took over the program last season and went 1-47. The Bulldogs are 0-5 this year, not including a pair of losses to Southwest Mississippi CC. They'll have their hands full with perennial GCAC power LSU-S. But there has been a sign of progress. Bulldogs outfielder William Walker was named the GCAC player of the week on Feb. 9, a first for the program. The Holmes CC transfer went 5-for-9 in a league series at Spring Hill. It's something to rally around.

P.S. Mississippi College beat Millsaps 9-6 in a Maloney Trophy Series game, scoring seven runs in the first inning with the help of one of the Majors' two errors. Millsaps is 5-1 but has committed a jaw-dropping 21 errors. Of course, their opponents have made 22. Maybe it's the cold weather.

in passing

Noticed while looking up other things: Jermaine Van Buren recently signed a minor league contract with the Florida Marlins. Boy, he had really slipped off the radar. Actually, he had slipped over to the Chinese Professional Baseball League, where he pitched the last two seasons. The former Hattiesburg High ace, a second-round draft pick by Colorado back in 1998, hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2006 with Boston. Wonder if he's got anything left in what used to be an electric right arm? We'll know soon enough. Camps open very soon. Can feel it in the air.

P.S. Also noticed in the small print somewhere: Former Mississippi Braves left-hander Chuck James was signed to a minor deal by Washington. Did anyone ever fall faster than James, who looked like a mainstay with Atlanta in 2006 but was essentially discarded a year later? 

small world

Millsaps, current holder of the Maloney Trophy, plays its first game in the small college series Wednesday at Twenty Field against Mississippi College. Belhaven beat MC 4-3 at Smith-Wills Stadium last week in the first game of the three-team round robin that pits each against the other three times over the course of the season. This series, which has been around for nine years now, was a great idea and only gets better with time. All three of these programs are strong almost every year. It's worth checking out a game or two. Here's the remaining schedule:

Feb. 23, Millsaps at Belhaven;

March 2, Millsaps at MC (Frierson Field);

March 9, MC at Belhaven;

March 23, Belhaven at Millsaps;

March 30, MC at Millsaps;

April 6, Belhaven at MC;

April 14, Millsaps at Belhaven.

feel the love

Mississippi native Slim Love, a 6-foot-7 left-handed pitcher from a bygone era, was named to mlb.com's All-Valentine's Day team, along with the likes of Ellis Valentine, Pete Rose, Ron Darling, Sandy Amoros, et. al. Love, given name Edward, played parts of six years in the big leagues, hitting a peak in 1918, when he went 13-12 with a 3.07 ERA for the New York Yankees. Love hailed from the town of Love, which no longer shows up on most maps but apparently is or was located along I-55 between Coldwater and Hernando. Never seen a sign. It's a good thing we have Valentine's Day to remind us of both the man and his roots.
P.S. Peyton Gardner of Meridian Community College threw a no-hitter today in the Eagles' 15-1 win over Southeastern Illinois JC. MCC is hosting its annual Rush Tournament at Scaggs Field.

odd couple

Notre Dame. Mississippi Valley State. Not exactly a baseball rivalry. Well, maybe not yet. The Fighting Irish, who hosted the Delta Devils for a couple of games — and won both — two years ago, come south next weekend to return the favor with a three-game series. They play Feb. 19 in Itta Bena, then Feb. 20 and 21 in Greenville. Could be interesting. Doug Shanks has pumped life into Valley's program. The Devils are a SWAC contender every year now; they won't be embarrassed against the Irish. Notre Dame baseball isn't on the level of Irish football or basketball, but there's some tradition there. The Irish have made 21 NCAA Tournament appearances, though the last was in 2006. They went 36-23 in 2009. Next week's series is worth keeping an eye on. Maybe a rivalry will begin to brew. Just hope it doesn't snow.

good move

The wheels are in motion in the state Legislature to name Alcorn State's baseball stadium and field for former coaches Willie "Rat" McGowan and Bill Foster. This is a good move. McGowan, who retired following last season with over 700 victories, has been synonymous with Braves baseball for years, consistently fielding competitive teams in a difficult environment. Foster is one of the truly unsung heroes of Mississippi baseball history. Though he was selected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996, 18 years after his death, Foster isn't widely known in his adopted state. Born in Texas, he grew up in the Lorman area, went to school at Alcorn and played baseball there before going on to a stellar career in the Negro Leagues of the 1930s. He played in several Negro League All-Star games and on two World Series winners. He later coached at Alcorn and served as the school's dean of men. Naming the Alcorn field in his honor would bring Foster some much-deserved recognition locally.

ferriss and foremost

If you were to make a watch list for the 2010 Ferriss Trophy, Ole Miss left-hander Drew Pomeranz's name would have to be near the top. Pomeranz, a junior, already has made a couple of preseason All-America teams and was rated the No. 3 college prospect for the June draft by Lindy's baseball magazine. Pomeranz wasn't a finalist for Mississippi's top college player award a year ago despite going 8-4 with a 3.40 ERA and 124 strikeouts for an NCAA Tournament team. He was a bit overshadowed on his own club by pitcher Scott Bittle, the 2008 Ferriss winner. Ultimately, Belhaven's two-way star Craig Westcott won the 2009 award. Ole Miss has had three winners in the six years the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum has given out the award. With the preseason attention he already has received — and the scouts who vote notice such things — Pomeranz stands a good chance of joining Stephen Head, Brian Pettway and Bittle in the winner's circle. He's just got to go out and produce.

back to start

His big league career began with a bang for the New York Yankees in 2002. So maybe Marcus Thames can recharge the batteries with his original club this spring. The Yankees have signed the former East Central Community College star to a minor league contract, which will give Thames an opportunity to win a major league spot in spring training. The right-handed slugger fell off to 13 homers for Detroit in 2009, when he missed almost two months of the season with a rib cage injury. The Tigers released Thames, who hit 26 homers for their World Series club in 2006, following the season. Thames has 101 career homers, including one in his first big league at-bat, against Randy Johnson at Yankee Stadium on June 10, 2002. No matter what else happens in his career, Thames will always have that story to tell.

ringing in the year

If there is a target on Bo Bell's back, the Mississippi College senior wears it well. A first-team All-America pick by d3baseball.com last season, Bell opened the 2010 campaign today by blasting a key, eighth-inning home run in the Choctaws' 5-2 win over Huntingdon at Montgomery. Bell, from Gulfport by way of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, hit .425 with 13 homers and 73 RBIs for the Choctaws last season. If he has another big year, so will MC.

update

Tim Dillard cleared waivers today and was assigned to Triple-A Nashville by the Milwaukee Brewers. Don't be surprised if the former Itawamba Community College star gets back to The Show this season.
P.S. Millsaps, preseason favorite in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, opened its season in good form today, beating Ozarks (Ark.) 16-2 at Twenty Field. Josh Ordeneaux scored three runs and drove in two for the Majors. Wes Perkins and Jake Mills also had two RBIs. Aaron Williams went five innings for the W, and three relievers combined for four scoreless innings.

road trippers

Jones County Junior College won't have a home this season. Construction of the $2.8 million Community Bank Park, a baseball and softball complex going up on the Ellisville campus, will put the Bobcats on the road for all of their scheduled 50 games. The odyssey begins next Tuesday at Jackson's Smith-Wills Stadium, where JCJC will play two (noon start) against Bishop State of Alabama. The Bobcats will play designated home games at various locations around the state, including Southern Miss' Taylor Park in Hattiesburg and William Carey's Wheeler Field in the Hub City. ... Itawamba CC, which went 43-13 and won the state title last season, is ranked No. 9 in the preseason NJCAA Division II poll, the only Mississippi school in the Top 15. The Indians open Saturday at home against Southwest Tennessee.
P.S. Jackson native and former big leaguer Stu Cliburn is the pitching coach for the Puerto Rican Winter League championship club currently playing in the Caribbean World Series. Might catch a glipse of him on MLB Network's broadcasts of the series this week.

pop, pop, pop ... fizz

Delta State showed some power in its opener today, hitting three home runs. But the Statesmen also got a shaky start from Trey Griffin and committed three errors in a 6-4 loss to Lynn, which is also ranked in NCAA Division II. Cade Hoggard, who led DSU with 13 homers in 2009, hit one of the three today at Boca Raton, Fla. Michael Niemann, who led DSU with a .353 average in '09, hit a homer and Josh Gordon added the other. Griffin, 7-0 last season, lasted just 4 1/3 innings and allowed eight hits and four runs (three earned). DSU may be playing with a chip on its shoulder this season, having been left out of the D-II Tournament field last spring despite a 38-16 record and a share of the Gulf South Conference West title. The Statesmen were picked second in the West in a preseason poll this year.

numbers

The numbers got Tim Dillard on Wednesday. The former Itawamba Community College standout was designated for assignment by the Milwaukee Brewers, who no longer had room for him on their 40-man roster after claiming another right-handed pitcher, Marco Estrada, off waivers from Washington. Dillard, 26, has had a couple of lackluster stints in the big leagues, posting a 6.27 ERA over 18 2/3 innings. He's a big guy with good stuff, as they say, and has had success in the minors (he won 11 games at Triple-A Nashville in 2009). But the Brewers had to make a roster move, and Dillard was the odd man out. "Hopefully, we can work out a way to keep Dillard," Brewers assistant GM Gord Ash told mlb.com. The Brewers could lose Dillard to a waiver claim by another club. Or Dillard might want to pursue other opportunities. He's not done yet, for sure.