feels like home?

Brandon Jones is back on his old stomping grounds this week — and, for the most part, enjoying it. The former Mississippi Braves star, now with Southern League rival Huntsville, had two hits on Thursday night and two more tonight at Trustmark Park. The 27-year-old Jones, with his fourth organization since January 2010, is batting .324 with a homer, six doubles, two triples and 14 RBIs in 20 games for the Stars. The lefty-hitting left fielder went to big league camp with the Milwaukee Brewers but wound up back in Double-A, where he starred for the 2007 M-Braves. Atlanta seemingly gave up on Jones, once considered a prized prospect, after the 2009 season, most of which he spent in Triple-A.

root of the problem

The Mississippi Braves saw their record dip to 6-15 with another one-run loss on Thursday. To paraphrase the witty banter from "Bull Durham," how'd they ever win six? It's a miracle, is the response. Well, kidding aside, the M-Braves have a problem. But it might not be what you think. They are 2-10 in one-run games, true, but winning one-run games isn't the best measure of a good team, as the sage folks from the old Elias Baseball Analyst staff once revealed. Studies show that good teams generally don't play a lot of one-run games. They are more likely to win by blowing out the other team. They score early and often. The M-Braves aren't choking away games in the clutch. Though they've had some bullpen breakdowns, their bigger problem is they're just not scoring enough to take charge of many games. They are last in the Southern League in hitting (.244) and on-base percentage (.309) and next-to-last in scoring (79 runs). Until the offense begins to perk up, the M-Braves' record, overall or in one-run games, isn't going to improve.

lights, please

Tournament play is back in the spotlight this weekend. Raise the curtain. Attention stage west: Mississippi College, which has made the American Southwest Conference postseason for 11 straight years, takes on Hardin-Simmons (not Concordia-Texas, as previously announced) in the best-of-3 opening round series. Game 1 is tonight at 6 in Abilene, Texas. Getting past HSU and into the four-team tournament proper could be a tall task for MC (22-16), which goes in as the 4-seed from the East Division. HSU (28-11) won the West. The Choctaws were nationally ranked in Division III in preseason but wobbled out of the gate as coach Brian Owens worked to get his pitching staff in order. Three starters emerged to have respectable years: Ryan Glover (2-3, 3.50 ERA), Ian Underwood (4-1, 3.72) and Bo Craig (4-1, 3.90). Carrying the load for MC much of the time was the Bashers Three: Spencer Brunson (.416), Brandon Benton (.372) and Stuart Magee (.361), each of whom hit nine home runs. Shane Bennett wasn't far behind with six homers. MC last won the ASC Tournament in 2003. Now, attention stage east: Belhaven and William Carey begin play today in an eight-team Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament that features six teams ranked in the NAIA poll. Carey (26-23) meets No. 4 Lee (29-5) at 9 a.m. and No. 22 Belhaven (39-15) plays No. 16 Brewton-Parker (32-14) at 3 p.m. in Columbus, Ga. Carey scrambled late just to get into the SSAC event. The Crusaders' top pitchers are Scotty Reese (4-5, 3.24) and Taylor Martin (3-2, 3.47). Javier Ortiz (.355) and Carlos Castro (.348) are the leading hitters, while Quin Stokes provides pop (10 homers). Belhaven, which reached the NAIA World Series in 2010, might just have the weapons for another run. Ace Brett Blaise is 7-1 with a 3.49 ERA and Allen Johnson 4-4 with a 2.24. They've also got six-game winner Alan McHenry and All-SSAC closer Josh Clarke (three wins, nine saves, 1.23 ERA). Jimmy Gilford paces the Blazers' attack, hitting .374. Tyler Wrinkle (.363) and Lake Eiland (.353, 42 RBIs) also have swung steady bats for a team that hit more triples (30) than homers (27). Action.

beyond the numbers

Alcorn State's team statistics are generally underwhelming. The Braves — yes, they're still nicknamed the Braves — are seventh in the Southwestern Athletic Conference in hitting. They've got an unsightly staff ERA of 5.81, fifth in the 10-team league. Their defense is among the weakest in the league, with 81 errors in 29 games. But there they are, atop the SWAC East with a 16-4 mark. In 2010, his first season in Lorman, coach Barret Rey led the Braves to the championship game of the SWAC Tournament and a 27-26 finish. Alcorn may be better this year, those mediocre numbers notwithstanding. Rey has cast a wide net in recruiting; the Alcorn roster includes players from four different countries (plus Puerto Rico) and 10 different states. A pair of pitchers from an Illinois junior college (Oakton) have bolstered the Braves' staff. Steve Easter is 6-2 with a 2.92 ERA, and Troy Williams is 5-3, 3.73. Harrison Gary, from Georgia (the state, not the country), has a 3.58 ERA with a win and three saves. That might be enough arms to get through the SWAC tourney, which starts May 18. The Braves have more, however. Kilby Perdomo, a native of the Dominican Republic, is No. 3 in the league in hitting at .389 and has six homers. Alvin Jackson, a Mississippi kid from Hollandale, is ninth in the league at .351. Floridian Eduardo Gonzalez leads the club in RBIs with 32. And these Braves make things happen on the bases. As a team, they top the league with 95 steals. Brandon Hollins, from Yazoo City, is the SWAC's No. 1 individual base stealer with 29. Kenny Rowan, from Jackson by way of Hinds Community College, has 13 steals and Jann Butler (Moss Point, Gulf Coast CC) 11. This looks like a club that could nab the league's NCAA bid — if the defense doesn't let it down, as it did in 2010. That's a big if. But a little pitching and a lot of speed might be the right combination in the SWAC.

all the buzz

Former Jackson area Double-A players are grabbing attention all over the map nowadays. On Tuesday night, ex-Jackson General Lance Berkman returned to Houston as a St. Louis Cardinal and went 2-for-5 with a big RBI. Former Mississippi Braves right-hander Charlie Morton delivered another quality start for Pittsburgh (only to get a no decision). A handful of M-Braves alumni contributed to Atlanta's 8-2 win over San Diego, and hot-hitting Jeff Francoeur got another knock for Kansas City. Former General Bobby Abreu had a hit and two walks in the Los Angeles Angels' win over Oakland. But the former JADAP scene-stealer was Brent Lillibridge, who M-Braves fans will recall as the swift shortstop on the 2007 club. He plays all over the field for the Chicago White Sox now — he was part of the 2008 Javier Vazquez trade — and on Tuesday found himself in right field in the ninth inning of a one-run game against the New York Yankees. With the tying and winning runs on base, Lillibridge made a catch crashing against the wall for the second out and then laid out for a sensational grab that ended the game. If you haven't seen the video, check it out on mlb.com.
P.S. Cory Gearrin, No. 51 on your M-Braves to The Show list, pitched two perfect innings for Atlanta in its 13-inning loss to San Diego on Monday night.

remember so well

Saw the item in the paper today. Marcus Lawton of Biloxi High hit two home runs in a win for the Indians last week. Yes, he is the son of the former big leaguer Marcus Lawton, a Gulfport native who played 10 games in The Show for the 1989 New York Yankees. But what the elder Lawton is better remembered for is his amazing base-stealing numbers in the minor leagues. He could fly. He swiped 379 bases in his career, including 111 in 1985 for the Class A Columbia Mets. In 1987, with the Double-A Jackson Mets, Lawton stole 44 bags and helped that club get to the Texas League championship series. His son has helped Biloxi make the state playoffs in Class 6A. Something to keep an eye on.

closing time

Starting pitching is the essence of a winning team, at every level, over the long term. Starters impact every game. But this isn’t to dismiss the value of a reliable bullpen. The pen can play a pivotal role — as the state’s Big 3 Division I schools witnessed over the weekend. Mississippi State’s pen collapsed on Sunday as the Bulldogs lost the rubber game of an SEC series with second-ranked South Carolina. Ole Miss’ pen suffered the defeat in both of the games the Rebels lost to Auburn in their three-game set. And Southern Miss, in a high-scoring series against Marshall, got saves from its pen in all three victories, moving into first place in C-USA as a result. State’s starting pitching faltered in the South Carolina series. The relief corps was no factor in the opening-game loss but stepped up with 5 2/3 scoreless innings in a 5-3 win in Game 2. Luis Pollorena got the win and Caleb Reed his seventh save. But in Sunday’s Game 3, when starter Daryl Norris was yanked after one shaky inning, the Dogs’ pen allowed 15 hits and 11 runs in a 13-4 loss. State actually led 3-2 early on. In Ole Miss’ one win against Auburn, a 10-7 victory in Game 2, Bobby Wahl recorded the last five outs for his third save. (The Rebels clearly miss ace closer Jake Morgan, who, because of an injury, has appeared in just eight games, only two SEC games.) USM’s ace closer, Collin Cargill, notched saves Nos. six and seven against Marshall, and freshman Boomer Scarborough got his first save, tossing two hitless innings in Saturday’s series finale.
P.S. On the subject of closers, former State star Jonathan Papelbon, who’s under the gun this season with the Boston Red Sox after a shaky 2010, picked up saves on three straight nights last week for the resurgent BoSox.

two thumbs up

William Carey salvaged the second game of a doubleheader against Belhaven on Saturday and in so doing kept its season alive. Carey's 5-3 win — forged by Taylor Martin's three-hit, seven-strikeout complete game — clinched a berth in the Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament this week in Columbus, Ga. Carey is 26-23 and finished 7-11 in the SSAC West, good for fourth place. Belhaven, which took two of three in the series at Smith-Wills Stadium, is also going to Columbus, having finished third in the division at 11-7. The Blazers, who reached the NAIA World Series last year out of the old Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, are 39-15 overall. ... Delta State lost the series finale at Harding on Saturday but came out of the weekend tied for first place in the Gulf South Conference West with the Bisons and Arkansas Tech at 13-5. DSU has wrapped up a spot in the GSC Tournament with one conference weekend remaining. The Statesmen swept Friday's doubleheader as starters Josh Branstetter (7-1) and Aaron Newcomb (6-6) held Harding to two runs total.

commanding attention

Jordan Kreke was one of the lesser known names appearing on the Mississippi Braves' opening day roster. He's in the process of changing that. Kreke smacked a tie-breaking two-run double in the sixth inning of Saturday night's game and the M-Braves held on — for a change — to beat Montgomery 7-4, snapping a five-game skid. Kreke (pronounced CRAY-key), who turns 24 next month, is hitting .309 and has seven RBIs in his 15 games, including 14 starts at second base. Drafted in the 13th round out of Eastern Illinois in 2009, Kreke hit just .248 at low Class A Rome and .226 at high-A Myrtle Beach in 2010. But Atlanta's system is a little thin on position players, and the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Kreke was given a shot at Double-A in just his second full year. So far, he looks like he belongs, at the plate and in the field.
P.S. Relief pitcher Cory Gearrin, recently promoted to Atlanta from Triple-A Gwinnett, will become the 51st M-Braves alumnus to advance to the big leagues when he makes his debut.

more bad news

The Mississippi Braves stumble home from a 2-8 road trip and who do they find waiting for them at Trustmark Park? Montgomery. Not good. Rosters have turned over many time since these teams first began playing each other in 2005, but the Biscuits have maintained some kind of hex over the M-Braves. Mississippi's record vs. Montgomery is 46-71. At the TeePee, it's 24-33. Remember the M-Braves' very first game back in 2005? They lost at Montgomery. Home debut that same year? They lost to Montgomery. (And the Biscuits' Shairon Isenia hit the first home run in the TeePee.) First playoff appearance in 2007? They lost in the first round to Montgomery. Must be something about that wacky biscuit logo that upsets the M-Braves' systems. And the M-Braves (4-11 overall) have enough problems right now. They're hitting just .240 as a team and are next-to-last in the Southern League in scoring. And while the starting pitching has been solid, the bullpen, outside of Jaye Chapman (0.00 ERA), has had issues. Rowdy Hardy has a 3.86 ERA but is 0-2. The other relievers' ERAs are plain ugly: Luis Avilan 4.82, Richard Sullivan 5.59, Benido Pruneda 7.71 and Billy Bullock 12.71. Bullock has the only save. The Biscuits are just 5-10, plagued by a pitching staff that has been rudely battered about (6.21 ERA). The Tampa Bay affiliate always seems to be loaded with prospects, and this club has a few. Starter Matthew Moore is rated the Rays' No. 2 prospect by Baseball America, and former No. 1 overall draft pick Tim Beckham, a shortstop, is also in the system's top 20. Montgomery's best hitter is Daniel Mayora (.314, three homers, 12 RBIs). Game 1 of the five-game series is tonight at 6:05.

getting pierced

Jones County Junior College, seemingly loaded with strong arms, swept East Central in Ellisville on Friday and climbed to 15-5 (first) in the MACJC South Division. Andrew Pierce, the sophomore right-hander from Stringer, came on for Vito Perna to notch a save in a 5-3 win in the opener. This came three days after the Southern Miss signee beat Southwest 3-0 with a one-hit, 14-strikeout performance. Pierce is 7-1 and has three saves for the 29-13 Bobcats. Perna is 7-0. And Logan Riddell, who tossed a four-hitter in Game 2 on Friday as JCJC took a 2-1 victory, is 6-4. As of this morning, the Bobcats are trailed in the standings by Gulf Coast at 11-7, Pearl River at 11-9 and ECCC at 11-11. Nothing's really settled yet in the seven-team race for the division's four postseason berths. Holmes, which swept Itawamba at Fulton in a big twinbill on Friday, has clinched at least a share of the North title at 17-5. Northwest is 13-5, ICC and East Mississippi 12-8 and Northeast 11-9.

emotional times

One week after pitcher Chase Wroten's tragic death from a stroke, Hinds Community College returned to the playing field on Friday. In what had to be a very emotional day for the Eagles at Moss Field in Raymond, they swept an MACJC South Division doubleheader against Copiah-Lincoln 4-3 and 8-4. Freshman Tyler Akins carried the day for Hinds, getting the win on the mound in the opener and homering in both games. Hinds, which began the season ranked in the top 10, is 21-15 and 7-11 in the South, still in the chase for a berth in the postseason.
P.S. Mississippi College honored its seniors on Friday at Frierson Field in Clinton, and three of them came up large in the rubber game of its series against LeTourneau. After dropping the opener of the doubleheader, the Choctaws fell behind 5-0 in Game 2 but rallied for an 11-8 win. Seniors Andy Smith and Stuart Magee blasted home runs for MC, and senior Terrell Prescott notched his first career save with three scoreless innings. Magee, a Hinds CC product, leads the Choctaws with nine homers and 42 RBIs. He drove in three runs in the series opener on Thursday. MC (22-16), which has a regular season game left against Tougaloo on Tuesday, will play at Concordia-Texas next weekend in a best-of-3 series to start American Southwest Conference postseason play. The winners of the four opening round series advance to the ASC Tournament. ... Millsaps' season likely ended with its 2-and-out performance in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament. The Majors (24-18) are a longshot for an NCAA Division III Tournament at-large bid. It'll be the second straight year the Majors have missed the postseason.

finding fred

Fred Lewis, who signed with Cincinnati as a free agent this off-season, is playing rehab games with Carolina in the Double-A Southern League. The former Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College star suffered an oblique injury in spring training and began the season on the Reds' disabled list. Through games of Thursday with the Mudcats, the 30-year-old Lewis was 5-for-18 with three doubles, an RBI and a steal. A lefty-hitting outfielder who had a good year with Toronto in 2010, Lewis may be ready to return to the big leagues soon. But one wonders just how much he'll play for a well-stocked Reds club.
P.S. Debut alert: Louis Coleman, a Schlater native and former Pillow Academy standout, made his first major league appearance Thursday night for Kansas City, tossing two scoreless innings in a loss to Cleveland. Coleman, a 6-foot-4 right-hander, was drafted by the Royals in the fifth round out of LSU in 2009 after helping the Tigers win the College World Series. He was rated KC's No. 19 prospect entering this season.

like art

This is a weekend for letting baseball just flow over you. So much to soak in. Millsaps faces elimination — and the end of its season — today in the SCAC Tournament. Rivals William Carey and Belhaven hook up tonight and Saturday in a big SSAC series at Smith-Wills Stadium. Delta State, ranked seventh in the first Division II South Region poll, visits GSC West leader Harding, No. 8 in the region, in a division series of considerable import. Resurgent Mississippi College, having clinched an ASC postseason berth, tries to keep its momentum going against LeTourneau in Clinton today. Ole Miss, down 0-1, continues a key SEC West series at Auburn tonight and Saturday. Mississippi State welcomes defending national champion and second-ranked South Carolina to Dudy Noble Field this weekend. Southern Miss, with B.A. Vollmuth back in the lineup, hosts last-place Marshall in C-USA play at Taylor Park. The state's three SWAC schools, battling for first place in the East, all play home series this weekend. Many of the junior colleges will engage in pivotal doubleheaders today or Saturday as they race toward the finish of the regular season. High school playoffs, for both public and private schools, are in full swing today. And the scuffling Mississippi Braves (4-10 and last in the Southern League South) return to Trustmark Park on Saturday to launch a 10-game homestand.

what's in a name

Logan. The name at the top of the Jackson State batting stats has a familiar ring. That's Kendall Logan, a junior outfielder who is ripping up SWAC pitching to the tune of a .386 average with six triples, eight homers, 35 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. Kendall Logan is the younger brother of Cameron Logan, who, like Kendall, was a star at Natchez High and Copiah-Lincoln Community College before moving on to the SWAC; Cameron is a senior at Texas Southern. Kendall and Cameron are cousins of another former Natchez/Co-Lin standout, Nook Logan, who played several years in the big leagues. Kendall Logan was drafted by Atlanta last June but elected to attend JSU. His 2011 season began with some turbulence; he was one of two JSU players suspended for three games in the wake of a dustup with Prairie View back in February. This seemed a little out of character for Logan, who was an honor student at Co-Lin and is majoring in civil engineering at JSU. At any rate, he seems to have put the incident behind him and has helped the Tigers stay in the fierce battle for first place in the SWAC East.
P.S. Big news: Jairo Asencio has thrown five scoreless innings for Atlanta in its current series with Los Angeles. If Asencio looks familiar, it's because he pitched under the assumed name of Luis Valdez when he was with the Mississippi Braves in 2008. He was the closer on the Southern League pennant winner. ... Gulf Coast CC product Tony Sipp allowed his first runs of the year for Cleveland on Wednesday night; ex-M-Braves star Jeff Francoeur accounted for two of the three with a home run for Kansas City. The Indians won anyway. ... Injuries have given Matt Tolbert more playing time with the Minnesota Twins, but the former Ole Miss star from McComb hasn't produced much. He's hitting .188. ... Nettleton native Bill Hall suffered a sprained ankle making a great catch for Houston on Wednesday and left the game. Hall was signed for his offensive prowess, but, ironically, it's been his defense that has stood out thus far. He's hitting just .197 with one homer and a bunch of strikeouts.

follow the leader

They’d like to get quality outings from their starters. And it would help if the bullpen stepped up. Solid, if not perfect, defense would be a plus. And, of course, some guys have got to get on base. But if there is one thing the Millsaps Majors can’t win without, it’s big hits from Will Hawkins. Hammerin’ Hawk, a senior outfielder from Nettleton, is hitting .384 with eight homers and 49 RBIs. The team average is .297, and they have 20 homers total. “As Will goes, we go” said Majors coach Jim Page. “I’ve told him that. He’s put us on his back this year.” Millsaps (24-16) heads into the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament on Thursday needing to win it all to ensure a berth in the NCAA Division III regionals. The Majors’ at-large bid hopes are very slim. It’s a situation similar to 2005, Page points out, when the Majors made a late surge and won the league tournament to qualify for the regionals. Millsaps has made six regional appearances and won eight league titles in Page’s 22-year tenure. He sees no reason why this club can’t pull it off. “This group has shown character and heart all year,” he said. “They’ve come from behind to win numerous times. We’ve learned with this team to be patient; they’ll figure out a way to get it done.” The Majors, who rallied to win two key games against Southwestern last weekend to earn the No. 2 seed from the West Division, open with DePauw on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. in Millington, Tenn. The six-team, double-elimination event runs through Sunday. Page said earlier this week that he was undecided on an opening game starter. It could be Aaron Williams (6-2, 3.84 ERA), Jake Mills (2-2, 3.26), Jason Riggins (5-0, 3.33) or even someone else. “We’re just looking at matchups,” Page said. The Majors are also looking to Hawkins, a standout on the football field and in the classroom during his four years at Millsaps, for a final hurrah on the diamond. “I don’t know what it is about him,” Page said. “He’s just phenomenal in every way.”

three cheers

A cheer for Mississippi State, which ended a five-game losing streak to Ole Miss with a 6-1 win in Tuesday night's Governor's Cup game at Trustmark Park in Pearl. State's Jarrod Parks was named MVP, going 2-for-3 to lift his average to .402. The Bulldogs, at 23-14, appear headed for their first winning season since 2007, when they made a remarkable run to the College World Series. ... A cheer for Belhaven, which rallied to beat Mississippi College 8-7 at Smith-Wills Stadium and, apparently, claimed the Maloney Trophy for 2011. The Blazers scored twice in the bottom of the ninth against MC's ninth pitcher — Shane Bennett — getting a leadoff triple from Matt Discon, a sac fly from Paul Moreno and ultimately a game-winning single from Lake Eiland. BU went 3-1 in its Maloney games (2-0 vs. MC and 1-1 vs. Millsaps). Millsaps went 3-2 and MC 1-4 in the round robin (there seems to be some confusion as to which of the three Millsaps-MC games counted as Maloney games). ... And a cheer for former Mississippi Braves standout Brandon Beachy, who earned his first big league win, throwing six shutout innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers as Atlanta won 10-1. M-Braves alums Martin Prado and Freddie Freeman homered in Tuesday's game.
P.S. A boo for Ole Miss, which committed three costly errors in the loss to State and played like a team preoccupied with its looming SEC series at Auburn, which begins Thursday. The Rebels bused back to Oxford late Tuesday and were to bus to Auburn at midday today. A tough turnaround but still not an excuse for a lackluster effort.

just a sipp

One of the many contributors to the Cleveland Indians' amazing 12-4 start is Tony Sipp, who performs the somewhat anonymous duty of left-handed setup reliever. Sipp, who played at Moss Point High and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, has not allowed a run in eight appearances covering 8 2/3 innings. He has six holds. Sipp was a 45th-round draft pick by the Indians out of Clemson in 2004 and arrived in the majors in 2009. After posting a 2.93 ERA as a rookie, he slipped a bit last season, rising to 4.14. But he appears to back with a vengeance this spring. His current career ERA is 3.39, but this is his best stat: In 111 2/3 innings, he's rung up 123 strikeouts. That's what they call "swing and miss stuff."
P.S. Decisions, decisions. Fight the crowd at Trustmark Park for the Ole Miss-Mississippi State Governor's Cup game, or check out the Mississippi College-Belhaven Maloney Trophy Series game at Smith-Wills Stadium?

chin up

Willie Cabrera would have every reason to feel discouraged, but he's not letting it show so far. Sent back to Double-A Mississippi last week, the 24-year-old outfielder went 1-for-4 with a pair of runs in his first game with the M-Braves on Saturday and then banged out four more hits in Sunday's game. The scuffling M-Braves (4-6) won both against Mobile, their first two-game win streak of the young season. The California-born Cabrera, in his sixth season in the Atlanta Braves' system, began this season at Triple-A Gwinnett, where he finished last year. He first arrived in Mississippi late in 2008 and put up very good numbers with the M-Braves in 2009 (.275, eight homers, 53 RBIs) and '10 (.306, five homers, 37 doubles, 56 RBIs); he seemed ready and deserving of the move up. However, he wasn't hitting much at Gwinnett, and when the Braves acquired Stefan Gartrell in a minor league trade with the Chicago White Sox last week, Cabrera was squeezed off the G-Braves' roster. He's a good addition to the M-Braves' lineup, obviously, but he doesn't really belong back here.
P.S. Tough call in picking the most impressive hitting performance by a college player on Sunday. Will Hawkins hit a pair of home runs to help Millsaps complete a two-game sweep of Southwestern and wrap up the No. 2 seed in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference West Division heading into the tournament later this week. And Kellen Bozeman hit for the cycle and drove in seven runs as Delta State won the rubber game of a big Gulf South Conference series against Arkansas Tech. The Statesmen (11-4) are now tied with Tech for second in GSC West, a game back of Harding with two GSC series remaining. ... Biggest flop on Sunday? Mississippi Valley State couldn't hold a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth and fell to last-place Alabama A&M in the rubber game of their SWAC series. The Delta Devils dropped three games behind first-place Alcorn State in the East Division. The Braves swept Jackson State in a three-game series that concluded Saturday.

making a move

William Carey found a spark over the weekend, perhaps just in the nick of time. The Crusaders swept a three-game series with Spring Hill to move to 23-21 overall and 6-9 in the highly competitive Southern States Athletic Conference. (The SSAC has six teams ranked in the NAIA Top 25, including No. 1 Lee.) Carey, battling to make the postseason tournament in its first SSAC season, is currently fourth in the West Division, trailing Auburn-Montgomery (16-2), Faulkner (10-4) and Belhaven (9-6). The Crusaders play a three-game set against rival Belhaven, which is ranked 24th, next weekend at Jackson's Smith-Wills Stadium. Carey's Scotty Reese, a Terry native, threw a seven-hit shutout at Spring Hill on Friday, and the Crusaders erupted for 26 hits and 21 runs in Saturday's doubleheader sweep. Quin Stokes, from Walnut Grove, drove in three runs in the opener and belted a grand slam in Game 2, one of three Carey bombs in that contest.

SWAC-ky

Dust is still swirling in the Southwestern Athletic Conference East Division. Two home runs in the 10th inning enabled Alcorn State to beat Jackson State 4-1 at Braddy Field on Friday and remain in first place. You want clutch? Kenny Rowan, a former Hinds Community College standout, hit a two-run homer and Eduardo Gonzalez a solo shot off JSU's Cortney Nelson to put the Braves ahead. It was the first homer of the year for both. Steve Easter (5-2) then pitched the bottom of the 10th to wrap up a complete game win. He outdueled JSU ace Quintavious Drains, who left with one down in the top of the 10th. Alcorn (11-4 SWAC) and JSU (10-6) play a doubleheader today. Mississippi Valley State (9-5) plays a pair at last-place Alabama A&M today and a single game Sunday. This is going to be a fight to the finish.
P.S. Weir's Roy Oswalt, the ex-Holmes CC and current Philadelphia Phillies star, left his Friday start in the seventh inning with a back problem; he said he's "hoping to be OK in two days" and not miss a start. He left with a lead, which the Phillies squandered to Florida. ... Hattiesburg native and onetime big leaguer Joey Gathright has signed with the independent Shreveport-Bossier Captains. ... Former JADAPs (Jackson area Double-A players) are making news all over The Show. Yunel Escobar (.417) leads the American League in hitting, and Bobby Abreu (.357) is sixth. Lance Berkman has hit six homers this week. Jeff Francoeur is on a 10-for-17 tear. Charlie Morton came within one out of a shutout on Friday in earning his second win of the year. And Matt Harrison (3-0) went eight innings to beat the Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

so sad

Games go on today, but there is a somber mood in the air. Chase Wroten, a sophomore pitcher at Hinds Community College, died Friday from a stroke he suffered during a game on Wednesday. He was a very good player and, from every indication, a very good person. His sudden passing is a sobering reminder of how unpredictable and fragile life can be and of how relatively insignificant are the games we attach so much meaning to. It's a sad day, but there is inspiration in these words from Hinds CC coach Sam Temple: "When you think of Chase Wroten you cannot help but smile," he told The Clarion-Ledger. "That's the way he made you feel. That's what we are going to miss."

all eyes on cleveland

You never want to make too much of one regular season series in April in college baseball, but it’s hard to resist hyping the Arkansas Tech-Delta State matchup coming this weekend in Cleveland. First of all, Tech is in first place in the Gulf South Conference West Division with a 10-2 record. DSU is 9-3, tied with Harding. This series — doubleheader Saturday, single game Sunday at Ferriss Field — won’t make or break the season for either club. And yet, in the chase for NCAA Division II regional berths, every game really does count. DSU, a perennial postseason team, has missed out the last two years. Also on the minds of the Statesmen is the fact that Tech swept them in Cleveland last season, marking the first time in coach Mike Kinnison’s now 15-year tenure that his team was swept at home in a GSC series. And this Tech club appears every bit as strong as that one, at least on the offensive side. The Wonderboys lead the GSC with 50 home runs and 348 runs and are second in hitting at .347. Matt Johnson is batting .440 with eight homers, 58 runs and 40 RBIs, Nick Makris .383 with nine bombs and 45 RBIs. DSU counters with some good arms: Josh Branstetter is 5-1 with a 2.16 ERA; Brandon Hardin is 5-2, 4.42; and Aaron Newcomb has five wins despite a 5.02 ERA. Tech’s pitching isn’t so hot. The Wonderboys are 10th in the 14-member conference with a 5.73 ERA. DSU hitters Kellen Bozeman (.361), Michael Niemann (.341, five homers, 39 RBIs), Patrick Taylor (.386) and Cameron Robulak (seven homers) may be licking their chops. The Statesmen are fourth in the league in scoring. This series could turn into a knock-down, drag-out slugfest. At any rate, it’s worthy of some hype — and of our attention.

mo' big stuff

Whether Chris Coghlan was ready to handle center field for the Florida Marlins was called into question by Sports Illustrated in its baseball preview issue. Citing the former Ole Miss standout's limited time there in spring training because of a shoulder injury, the magazine suggested he be moved back to second base, where he played in the minors. Well, never mind. Coghlan, who played left field for the Marlins the last two years, has looked just fine in center. He made a diving catch on Thursday night in Atlanta that might have saved three runs and the game in Florida's 6-5 victory. After a slow start at the plate, Coghlan found his stroke at Turner Field, as well, going 7-for-12 in the series to boost his average to .288. He is 19-for-47 lifetime at the Ted. ... One word for Cliff Lee's performance on Thursday: wow. The Meridian Community College alumnus threw a three-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts as Philadelphia beat Washington. ... Seth Smith, the Hillcrest Christian and Ole Miss product, is hitting .308 for red-hot Colorado, which has the majors' best record at 10-2. If Smith can figure out how to hit lefties, he might be a regular All-Star. ... Another ex-Rebels star, Matt Tolbert, is hitting .384 in limited time with Minnesota. ... Former Mississippi State star Paul Maholm has a 2.33 ERA but an 0-2 record in three starts for sad-sack Pittsburgh. ... Former Mississippi Braves standout Jeff Francoeur is hitting .292 for surprising Kansas City, off to a 7-5 start under ex-Jackson Mets catcher Ned Yost. ... Buck Showalter's Baltimore Orioles have cooled off, dropping four straight and tumbling out of first place in the American League East for the first time since opening day.

a little separation

Holmes Community College flexed its muscle on Wednesday to sweep a doubleheader from Northwest and move into first place in the MACJC North Division. The Bulldogs (21-12, 12-4 North) hit five home runs on the day, winning 7-1 and 4-3 at Senatobia. Reggie O'Briant went deep in both games. Holmes also got strong pitching efforts from Chris Hutchinson and Taylor Burrell. Northwest slipped into second place at 11-5, just ahead of Itawamba and East Mississippi, both 10-6. In the South, Jones County JC swept rival Pearl River 11-2 and 6-3 to maintain its grip on the top spot with a 12-4 mark. The Bobcats (25-11 overall) used four RBIs from former Taylorsville High star Darion Hamilton and a complete game performance from ace Andrew Pierce (6-1) to take the opener. Ladd Rhodes scored a run and drove in one in the Game 2 win. Gulf Coast is running second in the South at 9-5. The juco regular season runs through the end of the month, with the best-of-3 playoffs beginning the first weekend in May. The top four teams in each division make the postseason.
P.S. Belhaven got some revenge on Michael Langston, the soft-tossing little lefty from Tougaloo who beat them 2-1 with a two-hitter on March 3. On Wednesday, the Blazers got to Langston for four hits, three walks and five runs in 5 1/3 innings of a 6-3 win. BU had two hits and two runs in the first inning, and Jordan Brewer blasted a key, two-run homer off Langston in the sixth.

name dropping

Kenny Roberts, a sophomore second baseman at Meridian Community College, is having as good a season as any college player at any level in the state. The Alabama signee, a Meridian High product, is hitting .438 with 16 doubles, three triples, 11 home runs, 45 RBIs and 10 steals for the Eagles. He also has a 22-game hit streak to his credit. The Eagles, traditionally a powerhouse in NJCAA Division I, are off to a rather slow start at 2-4 in the Miss-Lou Conference. MCC is 25-17 overall in its first year under coach Chris Curry, who has taken the reins at the school where Corky Palmer, Scott Berry and Mike Federico previously called the shots. Don't be surprised if this team surges toward the finish.

big stuff

Minnesota reliever Dusty Hughes, the former Delta State standout from Tupelo, was credited with the defensive play of the day by MLB Network for a catch he made off the mound on Tuesday night. Hughes also got the win, his first of 2011, as the Twins beat Kansas City, his former team. Other homeboy heroics from the big leagues on Tuesday included: Mitch Moreland (Mississippi State) boosting his average to .333 with a pair of hits for Texas; Marcus Thames (East Central Community College) belting his first home run of the year for the Los Angeles Dodgers; slow-starting Chris Coghlan (Ole Miss) notching a pair of infield hits for Florida; and Bill Hall (Nettleton) making a nice catch at second base and a nifty baserunning move (plus a hit and an RBI) in Houston's win over the Chicago Cubs. Former Mississippi Braves Brian McCann and Jason Heyward homered to back ex-M-Braves hurler Tommy Hanson's seven shutout innings in Atlanta's win over the Marlins; and ex-Jackson General Lance Berkman hit his third homer in two days for St. Louis.

every which way

It surely was a hot time in the city — or, rather, in the Jackson metro — on Tuesday night. At Millsaps' Twenty Field, the Majors and Belhaven split a Maloney Trophy Series doubleheader. At Clinton, Mississippi College topped Tougaloo 5-3. And in Pearl, Southern Miss outlasted Ole Miss 8-6 in a wacky 12-inning affair. Some observations: Forget the eight errors and the zero home runs at Trustmark Park. The show-stealing performance was put on by USM's Adam Doleac, who went 4-for-6 with three RBIs, including the game-winning runs in the top of the 12th. Let it be said that the Golden Eagles (24-8 and nationally ranked) have no shortage of hitters — or Ferriss Trophy candidates. ... MC is heating up. The Choctaws (19-12) have won 10 of their last 11, mostly with stout pitching. Stephen Byrd and Terrell Prescott combined to allow just two earned runs with 10 strikeouts against Tougaloo. The Bulldogs are 2-33, but they've never been more competitive. With no Gulf Coast Athletic Conference baseball this season, Tougaloo has had scheduling difficulties that have hurt its record. ... Belhaven (33-13) rode the pitching of Alan McHenry (5-1 with a complete game) to a 9-1 win over Millsaps in their opener, then watched as Will Hawkins drove in seven runs for the Majors (22-16) in the nightcap. Hammerin' Hawk is hitting .376 with six homers and 43 RBIs. The Majors lead the Maloney Series with a 3-1 mark. Belhaven is 2-1 and MC 0-3 with a game to play.

after five

Five games into the Southern League season, the Mississippi Braves' pitching has certainly lived up to its billing as a strength of the club. The M-Braves lead the league with a staff ERA of 2.87. Four of the five starters allowed a run or less in their first outing; only major league castoff Kenshin Kawakami had a tough time, allowing two home runs in the sixth inning after five scoreless. The M-Braves are hitting .272 as a team, led by Tyler Pastornicky at .526 and Jordan Kreke at .368. The defense has been solid, with only two errors. And yet the club is just 2-3 as it heads into a 10-game road trip that begins Wednesday night at Mobile. The problem? Not enough runs. They've scored only 18, nine of those in the opener. In the last two games of the homestand, the M-Braves put up just one run over 19 innings. It could be a challenge to play .500 ball on the road trip, especially if the clutch hitting doesn't improve. But there is blue sky ahead. The team returns to Trustmark Park on April 23 and will play 20 of its next 25 games at home, where pitching rules. That could be a telling stretch as to how the 2011 M-Braves will fare in the first half.

anniversary time

There are three anniversaries worthy of recognition here as the Mississippi Braves, the Jackson area’s latest in a long line of minor league clubs, launch their 2011 season. It’s been 10 years since the lost summer of 2001, when there was no professional baseball in the metro area for the first time since 1974. The ill-fated Jackson Diamond Kats were done after their one season, 2000, and Smith-Wills Stadium was left to hosting collegiate level Cotton State League games and the state semi-pro tournament. The Jackson Senators arrived in 2002. This is also the 20th anniversary of the first season of the Jackson Generals, the Houston Astros’ Double-A club that moved into Smith-Wills the year after the Mets left. The old Generals (not to be confused with the club that the M-Braves are currently playing) left after the 1999 season. Most deserving of celebration is the 30th anniversary of the 1981 Jackson Mets season. They won the Texas League championship, the city’s first pro pennant since the days of the original Senators in the 1940s. (The old Senators actually were affiliated with the Milwaukee Braves for many years, but that’s getting off on a tangent.) The ’81 OJMs (“Our Jackson Mets”) highlighted a magical era during which the club won three titles in five years and made the playoffs eight straight years. The ’81 team wasn’t prospect-loaded but featured future big leaguers Marvell Wynne, Mike Fitzgerald and Al Pedrique. It was managed by Davey Johnson, who would win a World Series with the 1986 New York Mets. He actually predicted his Jackson team would win the league title in 1981. Then they started 8-0 and never spent a day out of first place en route to a first-half crown in the TL East. They beat Tulsa and San Antonio for the championship. “Davey pushed all the right buttons that year,” former JaxMets GM Mike Feder said in a 1984 interview. “He had the club playing the way he wanted them to, and it seemed like he outmanaged the other clubs a lot.” Thirty years later, it’s worth remembering.
P.S. He had 779 of them in the minor leagues, and now Matt Young finally has a big league hit on his ledger. The former Mississippi Braves standout got his first knock Thursday night in Atlanta's loss to Milwaukee.

just browsing

When browsing the high school linescores in the newspaper, every number — spiced with a little imagination — tells a story from an eventful Tuesday. Brandon scored 13 runs in the first inning in a 14-3 win over Meridian. Madison Central, ranked No. 2 this week by The Clarion-Ledger, moved to 16-1 with a 17-0 win over Murrah; Josh Laxer moved to 7-0 with a four-inning no-hitter. Terry beat Wingfield 10-0 behind Jared Bailey’s five-inning no-no. Ridgeland scored two runs in the seventh to 6-5 win at Yazoo City in a game with seven errors. Jackson Academy’s Matt Denny homered and moved to 6-0 on the mound in an 11-0 win over Pillow. Magee improved to 19-1 by whipping Newton County 9-3. Top-ranked Tupelo is 17-1 after a 14-0 win over Columbus. Hillcrest Christian got a run in the bottom of the seventh to beat Simpson Academy 8-7. Tyler Odom homered and got the W as Oak Grove beat Hattiesburg 8-3. Cleveland had a 10-run inning in a 13-0 win over Greenwood, which committed five errors. Jackson Prep, No. 1in the private school poll, scored four in the bottom of the seventh to top Parklane 8-5. Two homers from Jamie Ball powered Morton to a 13-2 victory over Carthage. All that, just from the numbers.
P.S. The marquee college game Tuesday was Mississippi State's win over Southern Miss at Trustmark Park. But there was pretty good game on the undercard up in Cleveland, where Delta State beat William Carey 7-6. The resurgent Statesmen (now 23-11) got five scoreless innings of relief work from freshman Rickey Winters and won it on Patrick Strack's RBI double in the bottom of the ninth.

all so familiar

Jim Pankovits is managing the Jackson Generals. Again. Sort of. Pankovits is running the Seattle Mariners' Southern League club, the one in Jackson, Tenn., that used to be called the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx. They're coming to Trustmark Park on Thursday to play the Mississippi Braves in a five-game series to launch the season. The TeePee isn't too far from Smith-Wills Stadium, where, in 1998 and '99, Pankovits managed the Jackson Generals. That is, the old Jackson Generals, the Houston Astros' Texas League club which bolted Mississippi after the '99 season. Pankovits stayed with the Astros through last season. It looks like he'll have some talent to roll out in his first stint with Seattle. To wit: outfielder Johermyn Chavez (32 homers in A-ball in 2010), infielder Kyle Seager (Cal League batting champ with a .345 average), first baseman Rich Poythress (Seattle's minor league player of the year after a .315, 31 homer, 130 RBI season in A-ball), infielder Johan Limonta (.302 for West Tenn) and pitcher Steven Hensley (an SL All-Star who went 7-11, 4.62 for the D-Jaxx).

goin' jukin'

They're fit to be tied in the MACJC races. In the North Division, Holmes Community College and Northwest are knotted at the top with 8-2 records, trailed by Itawamba — which plays both of the leaders this week — at 7-3. In the South, Jones County and Mississippi Gulf Coast share first at 7-3, a game up on Pearl River (6-4). Northwest maintained a share of first by sweeping Northeast on Saturday behind the pitching of Tarus Hervey and Chris Casto. It was the third straight division sweep for the Rangers. Holmes, which owns two wins over Northwest, swept Mississippi Delta on Saturday; Rafiel Johnson had a pair of hits to back Chris Hutchinson's pitching in a 12-2 romp in the opener, and Johnson came back in Game 2 to throw a complete game in a 3-2 win. Northwest is at ICC today, and Holmes hosts the Indians on Thursday. In the South, Jones and Gulf Coast split a doubleheader on Saturday to remain tied. JCJC's Vito Perna (now 5-0) threw a five-hitter and hit a three-run homer in a 10-1 win. Gulf Coast bounced back to take Game 2 3-2 as Zach DeSoto knocked in the go-ahead run in the fifth inning. Jones hosts Hinds today, and Gulf Coast welcomes Southwest.
P.S. Former Northeast CC star Phillip Chapman, a Clinton native, went 4-for-5 and finished a single shy of the cycle in Memphis' 13-5 win over Alcorn State on Sunday. Chapman, a senior catcher at Memphis, hit two homers and drove in four runs.

oh yeah, there's more

Yes, the Mississippi Braves appear to have a wealth of pitching (see previous post), but this isn’t to imply that they’re bankrupt in the game’s other phases. There are position players of note, as well, and here’s the skinny on five of the most intriguing:
*Shortstop Tyler Pastornicky. There are some players who reach this level and just look like they belong in this game. Pastornicky, the son of a former big leaguer, is one of those. Acquired from Toronto in the Yunel Escobar trade last summer, Pastornicky jumped from A-ball to Double-A and hit .254 with two homers and 15 RBIs in 38 games. His glovework was solid, too. Then he went to the Arizona Fall League and impressed in that highly competitive loop. He’s rated the No. 14 prospect in Atlanta’s system and, at 21, is penciled in as the shortstop of the future. He might not be with the M-Braves very long.
*Outfielder Cory Harrilchak. Harrilchak, drafted in 2009 out of Elon, is rising fast. He played at two levels of A-ball in 2010, hitting .306 at low-A Rome and .269 at high-A Myrtle Beach; he then hit .333 in the AFL. Harrilchak has good speed and is regarded as an outstanding defensive player.
*Third baseman Donell Linares. The Cuba native, 27, is entering just his third full pro season in the U.S. He had what Atlanta farm director Kurt Kemp termed an “OK year” in 2010 with the M-Braves, hitting .240 with 11 homers and 47 RBIs before a broken wrist in late August ended his campaign. He makes contact (only 41 strikeouts in 417 at-bats). But at 210 pounds, he lacked speed on the bases and agility around third base. “He worked hard on his body, on getting in better shape, in the fall,” Kemp said at the start of spring training. “If he continued that work in the off-season, it’ll benefit him this year.” In sum, it’s a pivotal year for Linares.
*Outfielder Antoan Richardson. The Bahamas native and former Vanderbilt star energized the M-Braves when he joined the team (as a free agent) in midseason of 2010. Richardson is — in a word — fast, which translates into bunt hits, stolen bases and big catches in center field, the kind of plays that wow the crowds. In 74 games for the M-Braves last year, he hit .279 with 24 steals and 60 runs. He earned a late promotion to Triple-A and might not be here long this summer. He’s not a highly rated prospect but shouldn’t be overlooked.
*Outfielder/infielder Marcus Lemon. Where and even how much he’ll play remains to be seen, but Lemon, recently acquired from Texas, bears watching. First of all, he has a great baseball lineage; he is the son of Chet “The Jet” Lemon, a Jackson native and former big leaguer who was considered one of the best defensive center fielders of his day. Marcus Lemon hit .271 in his second Double-A tour in 2010. He has played shortstop, second base and every outfield post during his pro career. That kind of versatility never hurts.

noise, noise, noise

You might have heard something that sounded like fireworks coming from Orlando, Fla., way on Sunday. That would have been Southern Miss (now 22-5 and sure to climb in the polls) celebrating a Conference USA sweep of Central Florida. Many things went right for the Golden Eagles, but the performance of DH Marc Bourgeois stood out: 10-for-13, two home runs, nine RBIs. Meanwhile, the thud that emanated from Athens, Ga., was Mississippi State crashing back to earth after being swept in a Southeastern Conference series at Georgia. State (19-9, 4-5 SEC) was all pumped up after sweeping Auburn in Starkville last weekend. Best to remember that the baseball season is a marathon, not a dash. The Bulldogs' offensive ills weren't suddenly cured; they scored just five runs in the three games against Georgia. USM and State play Tuesday night at Trustmark Park. Expect more noise.
P.S. Jackson State's Desmond Russell was at it again on Sunday. As the Tigers swept host Mississippi Valley in a SWAC doubleheader, Russell, a freshman from the Bahamas, notched a complete game win in the opener and then drove in four runs with a pair of homers as the cleanup batter in Game 2. ... Congratulations to Matt Young, who made his big league debut (and scored a run) on Sunday and became the 50th Mississippi Braves alumnus to advance to The Show. And ex-M-Braves lefty Tim Collins (No. 49 on the list) got his first win with Kansas City.

not just good

The Mississippi Braves’ pitching for 2011 “looks good,” according to manager Rocket Wheeler. He might be understating things just a tad. The M-Braves’ opening day roster includes three starting pitchers listed among Atlanta’s top 10 prospects (as rated by Baseball America), another who is in the top 30 and — for the time being — a onetime major leaguer. Randall Delgado, a Panama native who just turned 21, is Atlanta’s No. 3 prospect. In eight games with the M-Braves last summer, the slender right-hander went 3-5 with a 4.74 ERA. His numbers will improve — bank on it. With a fastball that hits the mid-90s, Delgado has fanned 434 in 399 innings as a professional. Brett Oberholtzer, a left-hander, is Atlanta’s No. 9 prospect and will be making his Double-A debut. He was 6-6 with a 4.15 ERA in A-ball last season and has a 3.15 ERA over three pro years. J.J. Hoover, the No. 10 prospect, is a big righty who won 11 games in A-ball and then went 3-1 with a 3.48 ERA in four late-season starts for the M-Braves. Paul Clemens, a right-hander rated the Braves’ No. 26 prospect, may throw as hard as anyone in the organization (reportedly reaching 97 mph). He posted a 3.69 ERA working as a starter and reliever in A-ball last season. And then there’s Kenshin Kawakami, the fallen big leaguer whom the Braves signed out of Japan in 2009 and still owe $6.67 million for this year. Kawakami went 7-12 with a sub-4.00 ERA in ’09 before crashing to 1-10, 5.15 ERA last season. There are reports that other clubs, including some in Japan, are interested in acquiring Kawakami and taking on some of his salary. Stay tuned. If he does pitch for the M-Braves, it figures that he can get Double-A hitters out. As for the M-Braves’ bullpen, it should be solid, as well, with several returnees (Michael Broadway, Benido Pruneda, Jaye Chapman, Richard Sullivan) joined by promising young lefties Luis Avilan and Rowdy Hardy and big Billy Bullock, who had 13 saves in Double-A for Minnesota in 2010.

dispatches

So much pitching on display Saturday by state colleges. Little smiley faces go out to Southern Miss' Geoffrey Thomas (now 6-1); Ole Miss' David Goforth (beats LSU for his first win); Mississippi Valley's bullpen (4 2/3 shutout innings to beat Jackson State); Belhaven's Allen Johnson (complete game) and Josh Clarke (sixth save); Millsaps' Aaron Williams (5-1 with a complete game); and Delta State's Josh Branstetter (5-1 after a second straight complete game) and Brandon Hardin (two-hit shutout). And special kudos to Mississippi College's revamped rotation. Led by Ryan Glover, making his second start, and Bo Craig, his third, the Choctaws completed a crucial sweep at East Texas Baptist. Bubba Davis rates mention for tossing 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief in Saturday's first game. On Friday, Ian Underwood went eight innings for the W in his first start.
P.S. Today's hot spots: At Baton Rouge, Ole Miss meets LSU in the rubber game of their series; at Itta Bena, Valley (8-1 in the SWAC East) tries to further distance itself from the pack in a doubleheader against Jackson State; and in Cleveland, resurgent DSU (7-1 in the Gulf South Conference West) goes for a sweep against Christian Brothers.

m-braves roster

Mississippi Braves manager Rocket Wheeler has his first roster for 2011, and there are many names of note on it. Onetime Atlanta Braves starter Kenshin Kawakami will open the year in the Double-A club's rotation. And then there's newly acquired (from Texas) second baseman/outfielder Marcus Lemon, the son of Jackson native and ex-big leaguer Chet Lemon. Also making the club are top-rated Braves pitching prospects Randall Delgado, Brett Oberholtzer and J.J. Hoover along with shortstop Tyler Pastornicky and outfielder Cory Harrilchak. Reliever Billy Bullock, acquired in a recent trade with Minnesota, was a rising prospect in the Twins' system. Rounding out the pitching staff are Paul Clemens, a starter, and bullpen arms Luis Avilan, Michael Broadway, Jaye Chapman, Rowdy Hardy, Benido Pruneda and Richard Sullivan. Jesus Sucre returns as one of the catchers, along with Matt Kennelly. Donell Linares is back at third base, and Ernesto Mejia, who appeared here briefly in 2009, returns to play first. Mejia, re-signed after a year in the Kansas City system, hit 21 homers in A-ball in 2008. Ex-Chicago White Sox farmhand C.J. Retherford, Jordan Kreke and Gerardo Rodriguez are the other infielders. Speedy Antoan Richardson, one of the best players on the 2010 M-Braves club, is back in center field, and the fourth outfielder on the roster is Gavin Dickey, who hit 17 homers in independent ball last summer. "Ninety percent of these guys, I've had before," said Wheeler, who spent the previous five years at Class A Myrtle Beach. "It's going to be a fun summer. We've got a little power and we've got a little speed. And the pitching looks good. Now we've just got to put it all together." The season starts April 7 at Trustmark Park.

pitch or cut bait

There are several series of significance for state college teams this weekend. Ole Miss at LSU. Mississippi State at Georgia. Jackson State at Mississippi Valley. Delta State hosting Christian Brothers. Etc. But pay particularly close attention to Mississippi College's trip to East Texas Baptist; they play one game tonight and a doubleheader on Saturday. MC, nationally ranked in preseason, is 12-11 and 2-4 in the Division III American Southwest Conference. The Choctaws need to win this series, maybe even sweep. It can be done. ETBU is an unimpressive 9-17 and 3-6. It's odd what has happened to MC, which lost several key bats and arms from last year's record-setting club that almost made the D-III World Series. The Choctaws have found new hitting heroes: Spencer Brunson is raking at a .473 clip; Stuart Magee is at .404 with six homers and 31 RBIs. It's pitching that has let MC down in what has been a year of the pitcher everywhere else. The staff ERA has soared to 5.04, among the worst in the ASC. Top starters Stephen Byrd (2-1, 5.01) and Scott Truesdale (2-2, 5.64) have been knocked around. Bubba Davis, who has the team's only two saves, has a 7.71 ERA. Daniel Cowart, who figured to have a prominent role as either a starter or closer, is 0-4 with an 8.44. Only Craig Mackay (2-0, 3.38 in four starts) has been consistently effective. Coach Brian Owens said before the season that he had confidence in his pitching staff. It's time they justified it.

opening salvos

Just for the record: Tim Collins worked in relief for Kansas City on Thursday, becoming officially the 49th Mississippi Braves alumnus (not including injury rehabbers) to appear in a big league game since the Double-A club arrived in Pearl in 2005. It's a remarkable number. Former M-Brave Jason Heyward homered on opening day for the second straight year, a neat feat but one topped by at least two other performances by players with Mississippi ties. On opening day in 1937, Gee Walker, a Gulfport native and ex-Ole Miss star, hit for the cycle for the Detroit Tigers; no one has done that before or since. And on opening day in 2005, Vicksburg native Dmitri Young hit three homers for the Tigers, becoming only the third player in big league history to do that.
P.S. Former Mississippi junior college standouts Roy Oswalt (Holmes CC) and Cliff Lee (Meridian CC) grace the cover of Sports Illustrated this week. In case anyone was wondering, the current Philadelphia Phillies hurlers never faced each other in juco ball. Their careers did not intersect. ... Former University Christian and Itawamba CC standout Jonathan Van Every has been released by the Washington Nationals. The onetime big leaguer was a non-roster invitee to the Nats' big league camp this spring.