Monday, May 7, 2018   
 
Mississippi State graduates 3,200 students
Former Rhode Island Supreme Court Chief Justice Frank J. Williams encouraged Mississippi State's spring 2018 graduates to embrace the qualities that will make an impact on themselves and the world around them. The retired judge and noted historian served as the commencement speaker for the university's three graduation ceremonies held this week on the Starkville campus. "We build resilience into ourselves -- as no one is born with it," Williams said. "We build resilience into the people we love, and we build it together as a community. It is an incredibly powerful force, and it's one that our country and world need a lot more of right now. It is in our relationships with each other that we will find our will to endure, our capacity to love and the power to make lasting changes in the world." This spring, approximately 3,200 graduates join the growing ranks of Mississippi State alumni, a group that now totals more than 142,000 living around the world.
 
Mississippi State breaks ground for Famous Maroon Band's new practice field
Mississippi State University broke ground Monday on the southeast corner of campus for its new synthetic turf field that will enable improved practice conditions for the Famous Maroon Band. The field, adjacent to the current band hall, is slated for completion in early August prior to the start of a new academic and athletic year. "We gratefully acknowledge all gifts that are providing an adequate outdoor practice area, allowing our band to rehearse, even after periods of inclement weather, which previously impacted our field conditions," said Elva Kay Lance, MSU alumna and director of bands. "We are excited about the future of the Famous Maroon Band and anticipate the positive impact of this field as we continue to compete for the top players in the state and region and further our reputation nationally."
 
MSU-Meridian grad to join family steel business
When renovation work began in downtown Meridian on the Marks Rothenberg department store and the Grand Opera House in the fall of 2003, local company Slay Steel did the fabrication work. Fifteen years later at MSU-Meridian's 2018 spring commencement Thursday, Garrett Slay, grandson of Slay Steel founder, Ronnie Slay, walked across the stage of the historic Grand Opera House, now the MSU Riley Center, to earn his business administration degree from Mississippi State University. The Slay family's connection with the university began in the early 1960's when Ronnie Slay attended MSU in Starkville while his wife worked in the horticulture department. After a few years, the couple returned to Meridian where Slay began working at Bates Steel, his father-in-law's business. In 1984, when his father-in-law retired and sold the business, the elder Slay decided to branch out on his own and open Slay Steel on 5th Street, where the company still is located today.
 
Life After Graduation
Hundreds of Mississippi State graduates are getting ready to enter life after college. Many grads already have their next step figured out, while others are still waiting to see where their next step will take them. "Just a lot of job searching and waiting for me," said Nick Erebia. The day of celebration is over, and many graduates are left with the same question. What do I do now? Some college grads are preparing to start new jobs, while others are heading back home to continue their job search. While some look for jobs, others plan on continuing their education.
 
DeSoto Dawgs Alumni Chapter golf tournament for scholarships held
Photo: The DeSoto Dawgs Alumni Chapter of the Mississippi State University Alumni Association held it s annual golf tournament at Cherokee Valley Golf Club in Olive Branch on Thursday and raised funds to present every high school in DeSoto County with a $1,000 scholarship. From left are Frank Davis and Jon Bragg, with First Tennessee, Mike Wiseman with Parman Energy, Michael Parker with First Tennessee and Davy Hunt with Southgroup Insurance.
 
Oktibbeha supervisors participate in scholarship program
The Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors awarded two scholarships to two residents, after participating in the Mississippi Association of Supervisors Scholarship Program last week. The scholarship program awards $500 scholarships to qualifying students in each of Mississippi's 82 counties who meet the eligibility requirements. This year, the Mississippi Association of Supervisors approved 82 scholarships totaling $41,000 for 2018. Out of the 82 counties, 21 did not have applicants. Oktibbeha County will award two $500 scholarships, which is the maximum amount allowed by a county. The two recipients of the scholarship are Cambren Lyons and Madison Keller. Lyons has a 4.0 grade point average and plans to attend Mississippi State University. Keller has a 3.9 grade point average and plans to attend East Mississippi Community College.
 
Old Crow Medicine Show performs at MSU Riley Center
The Jimmie Rodgers festivities are in full swing around the Queen City and part of the entertainment included a big performance Friday night. Old Crow Medicine Show performed at the MSU Riley Center. The Grammy Award winning band has been together for ten years and played to a big crowd in Meridian Friday night.
 
Will McCarty looks back at Mississippi's cotton progression
If you're going to talk Delta cotton over the last few decades, Will McCarty had better be among the handful invited to the party. The veteran Mississippi State University cotton specialist, now retired, brings a gentle drawl, a great sense of humor and a bittersweet reminder of what the region lost when it turned away from the crop. A raconteur of Mississippi agriculture, McCarty is the kind of gentleman you can sit across the dinner table from and just listen to. One of his main messages is not to shrug off the importance of history. "Honestly, you have to know where you're from to know where you're going. Growers did particular things for a reason, they made changes for a reason -- understanding and remembering that can help future decisions."
 
Airbus celebrates new Army contracts for Golden Triangle facility
State and national leaders gathered at Airbus' Lowndes County facility on Friday to celebrate hundreds of millions of dollars in new contracts for the company to build dozens of helicopters for the U.S. Army. U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), one of the main speakers at Friday's event, said the company has received more than $500 million in contracts to build 71 helicopters. On March 8, the Army awarded Airbus a $273 million contract for 35 UH-72A "Lakota" helicopters. Wicker said the Army awarded an additional $116 million contract on March 23 for 16 more Lakotas, and when U.S. President Donald Trump signed the 2018-19 Fiscal Year omnibus spending bill on March 23, it included another $200 million for 20 more Lakotas. "This is good for the industrial base," Wicker said. "This is good for the Golden Triangle. This is good for Mississippi. This is good for American manufacturing because many states will participate in this."
 
Amtrak adds stop in Mississippi Delta at new $1.2M station
Amtrak is making another stop in Mississippi. The national passenger rail service's City of New Orleans train made its first stop Friday in the Mississippi Delta town of Marks. One train travels northbound and one travels southbound each day between New Orleans and Chicago. The train already stops in Greenwood, Yazoo City, Jackson, Hazlehurst, Brookhaven and McComb. Like several other Mississippi locations, Marks will be a flag stop, with the train only stopping if passengers want to board or exit.
 
Mississippi casinos could be first to offer sports betting
The U.S. Supreme Court could rule as early as May 14 to allow sports betting, so will Mississippi have a system in place to let fans can bet on the Saints this football season? "Most definitely," said Allen Godfrey, executive director of the Mississippi Gaming Commission. It was the main topic of conversation at Thursday's Southern Gaming Summit at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino. A lot of things need to happen before the kickoff, and it all depends on a favorable Supreme Court ruling. It could come as early as May 14 or by June 30 at the latest, said Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association, during a speech Thursday.
 
Angry officials squabble over troubled bridges
Mississippi has a problem: deteriorating local bridges. People could work together to seek a solution. All too often, though, it seems they'd rather fight. The anger boiling among some county supervisors has now produced a lawsuit by Smith and Jasper counties against Republican Gov. Phil Bryant, claiming he overstepped his legal power when he declared a state of emergency and ordered counties to close bridges that federally backed inspectors judged unsafe. Bryant's action in April followed a year and a half of escalating pressure from federal officials and mounting resentment from county supervisors and engineers. This whole drama started back in late 2016.
 
Mike Espy, Jason Shelton offer similar campaign pitches
The two candidates say this race offers a unique opportunity. They decry the politics of pitched partisan warfare. They talk about reaching across the aisle and solving problems. This kind of optimistic rhetoric may aspire to reach beyond the fray, but it puts Mike Espy and Jason Shelton on a collision course. Democrats in a deep red state, Espy and Shelton find themselves among a field of five candidates seeking to replace the now-retired Thad Cochran in a free-for-all, non-partisan special election this November. Neither candidate has taken direct aim at the other, even as the campaigns of Republican candidates Chris McDaniel and Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith have generated hostility in GOP circles.
 
Lawmakers push to make civil rights landmarks national monuments
Every year, Deborah Watts and other relatives of Emmett Till make a 30-mile pilgrimage through the heart of Mississippi tracing the path of the 14-year-old who was murdered there more than 60 years ago. One stop is the Tallahatchie County Courthouse, where two men accused of killing Till in 1955 were acquitted. "It's a painful part of our past,'' said Watts, co-founder of the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation. "We do it for the purpose of remembering, never forgetting and educating ourselves and others on what really happened." Educating the nation about Till's death, which became a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement, could soon also become an expanded mission for the National Park Service. Democratic Reps. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi and Terri Sewell of Alabama are pushing for significant but sometimes little-recognized civil rights sites -- including courthouses, homes, jails and even bus stops -- to be included in the national park system.
 
Mississippi still the hungriest state
For the eighth straight year, Mississippi has been identified as the most food insecure state in the country, according to a report released this week by Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks that delivers more than four billion meals annually to people who consistently suffer from hunger. More than 600,000 Mississippians, or approximately 20 percent of the state's residents, had limited or uncertain access to healthy meals in 2016, the last year for which data was available. This is the eighth edition of Feeding America's annual report, titled Map the Meal Gap, and each year Mississippi had the highest rate of food insecurity, hovering around 20 percent. From 2012-16, it was the only state to reach that mark.
 
Hundreds of Southern Baptist women denounce leader's 'objectifying' comments, advice to abused women
Hundreds of Southern Baptist women have signed an open letter to the trustees of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary that says they are "grieved by the dangerous and unwise counsel" that the group's president, Paige Patterson, has given by telling abused women not to divorce, and are shocked by his comments that "objectify a teenage girl." "These comments are damaging, sinful, and necessitate a decisive response," the women wrote in a letter published Sunday afternoon. These women, who include several influential writers and speakers, are not pushing theological boundaries within the Southern Baptist Convention. The letter says they affirm Southern Baptist views that only men are allowed to be pastors and that women are to submit themselves to their husbands. Patterson, whose comments from 2000 went viral last weekend, doubled down on his remarks after the seminary's commencement ceremony Friday, telling The Washington Post that he has nothing to apologize for.
 
Southern Miss honoring civil rights pioneer Clyde Kennard
More than 60 years ago, the University of Southern Mississippi turned Clyde Kennard away as its first black student. Now the institution is honoring the late civil rights pioneer with a doctorate. "This will be an important day for the University of Southern Mississippi as we award Mr. Kennard, albeit posthumously, with a degree representing the education he sought and so rightfully deserved," USM President Rodney D. Bennett said in a statement. "As President of the University, and especially as its first African-American president, I am honored to be part of our institution's progress in moving toward this outcome." Between 1955 to 1959, Kennard made several attempts to enroll at Southern, but he was denied entry by college, local and state officials.
 
Former Lieutenant Governor Salutes 135 Blue Mountain Graduates
Graduates at Baptist-affiliated Blue Mountain College are being saluted by Mississippi's former lieutenant governor. Amy Tuck, now vice president for campus services at Mississippi State University, spoke at two commencement ceremonies Saturday on the college's northeast Mississippi campus. Tuck was the second woman to be elected as the state's lieutenant governor in 1999, and was re-elected in 2003. Before then, Tuck served in the state Senate for five years and later was secretary of the Senate, overseeing daily operations of the legislative body.
 
Meridian Community College to dedicate two buildings this week
Meridian Community College will rename an existing building on campus and dedicate a new one May 10 and 11, respectively, according to MCC Board of Trustees Chairman Alex Weddington. On Thursday, May 10, the college will rename its library "The L.O. Todd-Billy C. Beal Learning Resources Center," and on Friday, May 11, MCC will officially dedicate "Elliott Hall," the college's new dormitory. The learning resources center is being renamed in honor of MCC's longtime head librarian, Billy Beal, who served the college for 38 years and became its first African-American vice president. He passed away in 2015. "This is a most appropriate and well-deserved recognition for a man who did so much for the college and his community," said Scott Elliott, MCC president. Elliott Hall is a two-story, 28,400-square foot, 96-bed facility. The college's board recently voted to name the building in honor of Elliott, who will be retiring June 30 after serving 20 years as MCC's chief executive officer.
 
Decades later, 87-year-old woman receives degree from U. of Alabama
As Pat Cassity contemplated life as a widow, her thoughts turned to a degree from the University of Alabama left unfinished more than half a century ago. The 87-year-old's thoughts had often drifted to the incomplete music degree, a stalled dream overtaken by life. "He knew this was a dream of my heart," she said of her husband, Bernard Cassity Sr., who died last June. Her husband tried to accommodate her dream of returning to UA, Cassity said, but traveling for work and raising children made it difficult. Cassity realized her dream this spring as part of the Back to Bama program, a distance learning program in UA's College of Continuing Studies. "This is somewhat of a tribute to him," Cassity said of her husband. Cassity received an interdisciplinary studies degree in a commencement ceremony Friday afternoon at Coleman Coliseum on the UA campus.
 
What are the ramifications of U. of Tennessee's continuing leadership changes?
Beverly Davenport, the University of Tennessee's first female chancellor, was fired from that top job Wednesday, but that is only one of several leadership changes UT has endured in recent years. UT President Joe DiPietro, who fired Davenport as chancellor but has given her the option of a faculty position in the College of Communication and Information, is planning to retire. He has not yet made public his retirement date. Wayne Davis, dean of the Tickle College of Engineering, was appointed interim chancellor for six months to one year in a Thursday announcement lauded by legislators, the governor and others. Davis, 69, delayed retirement to accept the position, which means his dean's role also will have to be filled. When DiPietro does retire, that means the university's two top jobs will be up for grabs: president and chancellor.
 
U. of Florida apologizes for 'aggressive' graduation usher
University of Florida President Kent Fuchs issued an apology on Twitter Sunday for the actions of an usher who manhandled multiple students, most of them African-American, during a commencement ceremony Saturday in the O'Connell Center. Students complained about the behavior on Twitter after the ceremony, and Fuchs responded by tweeting Sunday morning: "During one of this weekend's commencement ceremonies, we were inappropriately aggressive in rushing students across the stage. I personally apologize and am reaching out to the students involved." UF spokeswoman Margot Winick said Sunday that university officials are looking into the incident, but officials feel the usher's actions weren't in line with the spirit of the commencement ceremony. Winick said the usher was a faculty member but that UF administrators are trying to obtain more information and review the situation before releasing the faculty member's name.
 
U. of Kentucky wraps up school year with record number of graduates
More than 5,300 undergraduate and graduate students were expected to receive degrees this weekend during the University of Kentucky's May commencement ceremonies. It's the largest May graduation ceremony in the school's history. Officials with the state's largest university said 3,735 undergraduates and 1,568 graduate and professional students were expected to receive degrees this weekend during UK's four graduation ceremonies. Two ceremonies were held Friday. Two additional ceremonies were held Sunday at Rupp Arena in downtown Lexington.
 
Arkansas College Funding Rules Shifting to Outcomes
Arkansas college and universities will have an incentive to move students from initial enrollment to graduation in the most efficient, effective and affordable way possible as a new funding formula takes effect in July. How much state money the schools get for the 2018-19 school year will depend on student performance in 2017-18, according to Maria Markham, director of the state Department of Higher Education. Starting in 2019-20, the schools risk losing funds if their students do not succeed. Lost funds could total up to 0.5 percent of state funding in 2019-20, up to 1.5 percent in 2020-21, and 2 percent or more in 2021-22 and beyond, she said. Also, starting in 2018-19, schools could earn up to a 2 percent more in funding every year. But any gain above 2 percent would be a one-time boost.
 
Final exams stress U. of Arkansas space; access center, rooms across campus enlisted as test sites
Rising numbers of students with a range of disabilities are seeking out testing accommodations at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, with specially proctored exams increasing by more than 90 percent over the past four years. "I think there's been a broader, over time, knowledge base of what disabilities are, specifically learning disabilities and how you assess them," said Jamie Axelrod, president of the Association on Higher Education and Disability. "The stigma about having a disability, particularly a learning disability, has decreased over time." But the increasing demand also poses a challenge to schools like UA. Limited space means rooms across campus are pressed into use as testing locations, especially during finals week, despite a dedicated test center for students with disabilities that opened in 2012. End-of-semester exams for UA begin today.
 
Lady A ushers in new UGA grads with sing-a-long
It is perhaps unlikely that any University of Georgia commencement ceremony has ever included an inspired sing-a-long to "Georgia on My Mind," but that's exactly what the throng at Sanford Stadium did Friday evening. David Haywood and Charles Kelley, members of the award-winning country music group Lady Antebellum (and UGA graduates from the Class of 2004), provided the keynote address for UGA's 215th graduating class of about 4,500 and concluded their remarks with an acoustic rendition of the Hoagy Carmichael song that Ray Charles made a Peach State standard nearly 60 years ago. Sing-a-longs aside, Georgia natives Haywood and Kelley did not deviate from the standard commencement homily, although they did it in a way that will make those who graduated Friday night remember it always.
 
Texas A&M's educational program aims to get students excited about STEM with interactive activities
A group of local students tinkered with gadgets and gizmos Thursday afternoon as they explored the Texas A&M department of engineering's new Spark! Mobile Makerspace. With the Pre-K-12 educational program, Spark! will travel around the state in a special trailer, helping children engage in different science projects and activities in an effort to get Texas students excited about science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM. On Thursday, engineering faculty and students tested the mobile projects on a select group of local children just outside the Hildebrand '56 Equine Complex. Just under a dozen Texas A&M students offered their time to work with the children at the activity stations, despite the loom of final exams hanging over them.
 
U. of Missouri looking for firm to guide Translational Precision Medicine Complex
The University of Missouri is in a hurry to find a consulting firm that can guide its top priority construction project, the Translational Precision Medicine Complex, expected to cost $150 million to $200 million. The request for qualifications was sent to 11 firms asking them to respond by Wednesday, with a selection to be made by May 14. It is seeking a firm to act as project manager to evaluate the scope of the project, identify possible partners willing to invest and help hold costs down. "The selected team will demonstrate a proven track record in the development and implementation of research facilities at colleges, universities and major institutions," a news release stated. MU will give preference to a Missouri company but has not ruled out other consultants.
 
Colleges prepare to treat opioid misuse, but see few cases
While the opioid epidemic continues to ravage American communities -- opioid-related fatalities tripled from 2000 to 2015 -- colleges largely have been spared by the crisis so far. The opioid epidemic is often called the "equal opportunity" crisis, because the abuse of prescription opioids historically has hit white people harder than minority groups. (However, opioid-related overdose mortality rates are increasing at a faster rate among black people than white people.) But the epidemic does discriminate in terms of education, as it disproportionately affects poorer, more rural and less educated communities. Individuals with less education are more likely to develop an addiction to opioids, recent research has found. This is for a few reasons: people with low education levels have fewer job opportunities, leaving them more vulnerable to depression and addiction; they usually work in areas with higher risks of workplace injuries, making opioid painkiller use more likely; and they have fewer resources to combat drug addiction, like money for rehabilitation. College students are by no means exempt from the epidemic.
 
U. of Memphis graduation to have only student speakers
Call it a rite of passage, an opportunity for last-minute wisdom or just another way to make lengthy graduation ceremonies even longer. The tradition of hearing from an outside speaker, often a person of great societal stature who earns an honorary degree and imparts a life lesson or two on a semi-captive audience, has long been a cornerstone of any commencement ceremony. The University of Memphis will do away with that part of the pomp and circumstance this year. Saturday, the university will award 2,576 diplomas, the largest number of graduates in its history. And instead of an honorary degree recipient, graduates at each of the three ceremonies will hear from one of their peers. Each will speak for seven minutes at their respective ceremonies, University President David Rudd said. The university, he said, will continue to offer honorary degrees on occasion, and fall events will continue to have an outside speaker. Next up for that role, he said, is Don Graham, the former chief of the Washington Post.
 
Embracing change can help empower students
Angela Farmer, an assistant professor of educational leadership at Mississippi State, writes: "It's the time of year when students are both ending their semester as well as facing a new frontier. Whether it's a pre-kindergarten graduate who will soon face the rigors of kindergarten or a college graduate who will begin a career, change is both exciting and a bit daunting. In the span of one school year, students have learned, matured, adjusted, accomplished and now brace for the next phase. It is a cycle upon which change becomes the new norm. As soon as one set of skills is mastered, it's time to pursue the next. It is both amazing and humbling to recognize how fast students progress through their academic careers. Beginning with the end in mind, is never more paramount than during these developmental times."
 
Time to ridicule legislative leaders?
Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford of Meridian writes: "Good leaders plan ahead. You find versions of this truism in most leadership bestsellers. In particular, Stephen Covey's '7 Habits of Highly Effective People' says 'begin with the end in mind;' Legendary coach John Wooden's 'Wooden on Leadership' says 'You must be interested in finding the best way, not in having your own way;' and Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War' says, 'Now, the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought.' Even the Bible says so. 'Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, "This fellow began to build and was not able to finish."' (Luke 14:28-30). In this context, a comment last month by Mississippi Speaker of the House Philip Gunn is intriguing."
 
Tate Reeves, Philip Gunn agree to disagree on road, bridge funding
The Clarion-Ledger's Geoff Pender writes: "Mississippi's Republican House and Senate leaders agree the state needs to spend more money on road and bridge maintenance and repair. They agree they don't want to raise taxes to do so. They agree they're willing to divert money from elsewhere. They agree they're willing to borrow a bit for it. They agree they're willing to earmark future revenue growth to it. They agree they both personally think creating a state lottery is a stupid idea, but -- meh -- they might, maybe, down the road not block one, as long as the other goes first. But after three years, and while agreeing on so many broad strokes, they can't agree on an infrastructure spending plan, and the potholes and closed bridges keep coming. They continue to agree to disagree."


SPORTS
 
Bulldogs rally to beat Tide in baseball
Mississippi State rallied from a three-run deficit to knock off Alabama 6-4 Sunday in the final game of the Southeastern Conference series at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. MSU won its third conference series of the season, and its first on the road. With the victory, MSU improved to 26-22 overall and 11-13 in league play, while Alabama fell to 24-25 and 6-18. For the Bulldogs, victory came in large part due to another strong relief outing from JP France. "Nothing is easy on the road in this league," MSU head coach Gary Henderson said. "This was a good series win for us. JP France was outstanding. He is the biggest reason why we won this game." MSU will face Troy at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in the final non-conference game of the regular season.
 
JP France dominates as Bulldogs take final game from Tide
JP France has earned a level of trust beyond the conventional wisdom. Mississippi State's right-handed senior was in the dugout, four innings and over 40 pitches of work into his outing when third baseman Justin Foscue asked him if he would be back for the ninth inning. France, having thrown 45 pitches less than 48 hours prior, thought his workload combined with the 6-4 lead was the perfect situation for Blake Smith, the team's leader with three saves. Time continued, and MSU interim baseball coach Gary Henderson never worked his way to France for a chat. At some point in the isolation, France assumed he was expected to take the mound once more. The inning ended; Smith, Riley Self and Zach Neff had all warmed up to some degree in the bullpen in right-center field, yet France climbed the steps for another inning. France pitched it in scoreless fashion, his five innings of one-run ball giving MSU a 6-4 win over Alabama (24-25, 6-18 Southeastern Conference) on Sunday and the series win with it.
 
Bulldog bats rally to take series from Tide
Mississippi State's offense started off sputtering on Sunday and quickly fell behind Alabama 3-0. After being no-hit for the first four innings, the Bulldogs' came alive with five runs over the next two frames and clinched the series over the Crimson Tide with a 6-4 victory. "The first couple of innings we were barreling balls and we kept our confidence that (the ball) would eventually fall for us," said MSU third baseman Justin Foscue. "We put some good at bats together in the fifth and sixth. You have to keep belief in each other and that's what we did." The Bulldogs are back in action against Troy in Hoover, Alabama, on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
 
Mississippi State beats Alabama, takes critical series
Two days after his home run beat Alabama, Mississippi State's Justin Foscue was back at it. Foscue's two-RBI double with two outs in the sixth gave the Bulldogs the lead in a 6-4 win that clinched the series for Mississippi State and kept it in the picture for the SEC tournament, at least. The Bulldogs are now 26-22 overall and 11-13 in the league, which is sixth in the SEC West but ahead of three total teams. MSU plays one of the two teams it's tied with, Kentucky, next week. But on Sunday MSU was focused on winning the series and rallying after dropping Saturday's game to Alabama.
 
Alabama baseball has late loss to Mississippi State
With momentum coming off an extra-inning Saturday night victory, the University of Alabama was able to get off to a good start on Sunday afternoon -- but not good enough. The Crimson Tide took a three-run lead against visiting Mississippi State but left 10 runners on base in the first five innings, leaving the door open for the Bulldogs to rally for a 6-4 win and a two-games-to-one edge in the weekend SEC series at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. "We had multiple opportunities to get a big lead early and didn't," Alabama head coach Brad Bohannon said. "That was the story of the game. It came back to bite us. We had the bases loaded in the second inning and Sam (Praytor) hit the ball hard, but right at them. That's baseball. But we had other chances where we did not take advantage. Then their guy (J.P.) France came out and did a great job out of the bullpen."
 
Notebook: Justin Foscue enjoys return trip home
Justin Foscue's first trip back to his home state as a Mississippi State Bulldog fell somewhere between dream and disappointment. A string of games as MSU's daily starting third baseman as the calendar turned from March to April disappeared as the Huntsville native watched Jordan Westburg start all three games of the Auburn series in the hot corner; Foscue started at designated hitter once and got a hit, but it was not the thrill of the five consecutive starts before it. Foscue started at third base in all three games of this weekend's series against Alabama (24-25, 6-18 Southeastern Conference) and he rewarded MSU with 4-for-14 (.285) hitting, driving in five runs and playing an errorless third base as MSU won the series. The Bulldogs (26-22, 11-13 SEC) clinched the series with Sunday's 6-4 win, where Foscue's two-run double gave MSU its first lead of the game in the sixth inning.
 
Mississippi State football coach shares optimism for 2018 season
Joe Moorhead's move late last year from the mountains of Pennsylvania to become Mississippi State's new head football coach brought him another example of his wife, Jennifer, always being right. Through Moorhead's many moves from job to job in his football coaching career, he and his wife have developed a bit of a battle in each move: Joe finds things to throw away, things that don't need to be packed or unpacked and take up space in the moving trucks; Jennifer likes to keep it all. One of the primary battles in this move was the snow sleds for their three children: Joe eventually got the sleds in the trash and justified it by telling Jennifer snow sledding requires snow and hills and their new home in Mississippi will have neither. Jennifer ultimately relented. In Joe's first day on the road recruiting, "a once every 20 years, once every 25 years," snow hit the state. As he opened his hotel room window to see it accumulating on the ground, his phone rang. It was Jennifer. "Even when they're not right, they're right," Moorhead told Columbus Exchange Club members at Lion Hills Center Thursday.
 
Former Mississippi State football star Paul Lacoste deals with his toughest opponent yet
He sometimes hurts so badly, this 6-foot-2, 255-pound former All-American linebacker at Mississippi State, that he cries. It happened again just two weeks ago. "I laid down on the bed and told (wife) Lizzy, 'I can't even move,' " says Paul Lacoste, a physical fitness trainer in the Jackson metro area. "She just laid beside me and held me. There was nothing else she could do, that anybody could do. There is no medicine to take. Nothing to help it." Says Lizzy: "It's hard to believe that this is because a little ol' mosquito bit him six years ago. And it seems he's been hurting more and more lately." Lacoste, 43, was diagnosed with West Nile in 2012, the virus' peak point in Mississippi so far -- 247 confirmed cases. It is spread by mosquitoes. In severe cases, it affects the central nervous system. "I hope your readers take this advice to heart," Paul says. "Do whatever you have to do to avoid mosquitos as much as possible."
 
Beverly Davenport fired: Tennessee Vols football, Jeremy Pruitt affected?
During a speaking engagement at the Rotary Club of Knoxville on Tuesday afternoon, Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt expressed gratitude for the support his program has received from Chancellor Beverly Davenport and athletic director Phillip Fulmer. Twenty-four hours later, UT President Joe DiPietro fired Davenport as UT's chancellor after she spent 14½ months on the job. Pruitt and Fulmer, both hired to their positions in December, are left to adjust to a new university leader. B. David Ridpath, an associate professor of sports administration at Ohio University and a former athletic department administrator, said a change in university leadership can cause stress for a coach or AD. But he added that it's probably better for Fulmer and Pruitt that this chancellor change is happening now rather than a few years down the road.
 
Missouri will host SEC Tournament, won't play
Everything had fallen perfectly into place. Missouri needed three outs to avoid watching other teams play in the Southeastern Conference Tournament that it will host. Entering the weekend series against Florida, that was possible, but it wasn't expected. After dropping its first two games against Florida, and falling to last place in the SEC standings, it became a real possibility. That was until Mississippi State and Mississippi each lost. If Missouri held on to its one-run lead in the seventh inning, it would play on its home field again. But Florida had other plans. It took four batters and a long at-bat against Kvistad, but Florida rallied in the seventh inning to defeat Missouri 7-4. The loss means Missouri will not play in next week's SEC Tournament, despite being the host school. The last time the host school missed the SEC Tournament was in 2011 when Mississippi missed the eight-team tournament.
 
Ohio State Investigates Sexual-Misconduct Allegations Against Doctor Who Worked With at Least 8 Sports Teams
Ohio State University is investigating reports that a former sports doctor allegedly engaged in sexual misconduct with student athletes, according to a university statement. The university announced an investigation of allegations made against Richard H. Strauss, who worked at the university from the mid-1970s to the 1990s, in April after allegations surfaced about the physician. Strauss died in 2005. Now the investigation has been referred to the Columbus Division of Police and the Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, according to the university's statement. During his time at the university, Strauss worked with male athletes on at least eight varsity sports teams. He also worked at the university's student-health center and medical center.



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Mississippi State University  •  Mississippi State, MS 39762  •  Main Telephone: (662) 325-2323  •   Contact: The Editor  |  The Webmaster  •   Updated: May 7, 2018Facebook Twitter