| Thursday, May 23, 2019 |
| Baby Sharks Do (Do, Do, Do, Do, Do) Eat Songbirds | |
 | Tiger sharks aren't exactly picky eaters. To date, scientists have found such oddities as license plates, tires, fishing gear, a chicken coop and unexploded munitions -- not to mention more commonplace prey, including sea turtles, fish, whale carcasses and sea snakes -- in the stomachs of these carnivorous apex predators. But a new study published in the journal Ecology details perhaps the most surprising menu option yet: As researchers led by Marcus Drymon of Mississippi State University's Coastal Research and Extension Center report, an eight-year analysis of 105 tiger sharks' stomach contents has yielded evidence of 11 land-based bird species' partially digested remains. In total, 41 of the 105 sharks, or 39 percent, dined on house wrens, barn swallows, eastern meadowlarks and similarly unexpected species prior to their capture and release back into the Gulf of Mexico. Roughly half of these bird-eating sharks were juveniles, suggesting that land birds are easier prey than seabirds and other marine creatures targeted by adult tiger sharks. |
| Ward 7 Alderman Henry Vaughn blasts annexation plan as racially motivated | |
 | Henry Vaughn had some grievances to air at the beginning of Tuesday's board of aldermen meeting. Vaughn, who represents Ward 7, opened the aldermen comment period at the start of the meeting by blasting a series of initiatives the city has undertaken, from its annexation plan to efforts to build a new park. Specifically, he leveled criticism that the annexation initiative is a racially motivated ploy targeted to diminish African-American influence in the city. Mayor Lynn Spruill, speaking to The Dispatch after the meeting, said she was "disappointed" that Vaughn said her desire to move forward with annexation is based in any racial bias. Vaughn also criticized the city's efforts to build a new multi-million dollar recreation facility at Cornerstone Park on Highway 25. Ward 4 Alderman Jason Walker contended that the new park, if built, would draw more people to town through hosting more tournaments. In doing so, Walker said, those people would spend money in Starkville, which would drive up the city's sales taxes and lead to more money to address other issues. |
| Gov. Phil Bryant recaps trade mission to Uzbekistan | |
| Governor Phil Bryant recently went on a trade mission to Uzbekistan along with representatives from both the public and private sectors in the hopes of attracting investments and jobs to Mississippi. The trip marked the first time that a sitting Governor from the U.S. has visited Uzbekistan. Bryant added that were able to visit the USAID, which is an independent agency within the United States federal government that helps expand agriculture in foreign countries. Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson, Mississippi Development Authority Executive Director Glenn McCullough Jr., and representatives from Mississippi State University and Alcorn University were also present as they discussed developing partnerships with Mississippi's universities and Uzbekistan's research institutions to share innovative practices in agriculture advancement. |
| Flooding worst Mississippi's seen since Great Flood of 1927 | |
 | Some homes in Mississippi have been flooded since January, and it could be weeks to months before the waters recede, according to emergency officials. An estimated 544,000 acres are submerged, 515 homes damaged and hundreds of businesses impacted, according to Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant. The damage could be in the tens of millions of dollars. Bryant, speaking at a news conference held at Mississippi Emergency Management Agency's headquarters in Pearl Wednesday, called the disaster "historic." "The 1927 (flood) was a line of demarcation for most of us who live in the Delta," Bryant said. "This may replace that. This is indeed the great flood of Mississippi." About 250,000 acres of the 544,000 impacted by flooding are agricultural. Bryant said floodwaters will keep many farmers from planting a crop this year. "(Farmers will experience) a dramatic loss of income," he said. "Not only are their homes flooded, they won't have a crop." The impact goes beyond farmers. |
| USDA designates 11 counties as primary natural disaster areas | |
| United States Department of Agriculture Administrator Richard Fordyce announced Wednesday that 11 Mississippi counties have been designated as primary natural disaster areas. Producers in Clarke, Hinds, Kemper, Leake, Madison, Monroe, Neshoba, Noxubee, Rankin, Scott and Smith counties who suffered losses caused by high winds and tornadoes that occurred on April 13 and April 18, may be eligible for USDA Farm Service Agency emergency loans. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation or the refinance of certain debts. Producers in the contiguous Mississippi counties of Attala, Chickasaw, Claiborne, Clay, Copiah, Covington, Holmes, Itawamba, Jasper, Jones, Lauderdale, Lee, Lowndes, Newton, Oktibbeha, Simpson, Warren, Wayne, Winston and Yazoo are also eligible to apply for emergency loans. |
| Dead dolphins: AG looking into spillway impact on Coast | |
| The Bonnet Carre Spillway in Louisiana is currently open in order to reduce pressure from the already flooded Mississippi River. In fact, for the first time in history, the Bonnet Carre has opened twice in one year. However, officials on Mississippi's Gulf Coast are concerned with the millions of gallons of freshwater flowing into the Mississippi Sound, the effects could be disastrous for the state's natural resources. Large numbers of dead dolphins and sea turtles have been reported, and scientists believe it may be due to a large amount of freshwater being deposited into the Gulf. It has been 10 years since the Deepwater Horizon explosion, which caused a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The ecological and economic impact from the oil spill was felt not only on Mississippi's Gulf Coast but also throughout the state. Attorney General Jim Hood said while the oyster reefs are just beginning to be re-established, the opening of the spillway may cause additional harm. General Hood wrote a letter to the Major General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stating concerns regarding both the river flooding in the Delta and the environmental impact of the decision to re-open the Bonnet Carre. |
| Coast residents weigh in on how to spend restoration money from BP oil spill settlement | |
 | The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, also known as the Restore Council, presented its planning framework draft to a passionate crowd at USM Gulf Park Wednesday night. A few dozen people showed up to share their experience and voice their opinions on how much from the BP oil spill settlement should be used to restore the environment. The Restore Council funds restoration projects and education initiatives with money from the BP oil spill settlement. This was the council's fourth in-person review and comment meeting on the planning framework draft, which serves as a bridge between the council's overall goals and specific projects across the entire Gulf Coast. Residents from across the Coast are weighing in with various ideas on how they believe South Mississippi's environment will be best restored following the disastrous 2010 oil spill. |
| Ret. Major General Augustus Leon Collins promotes trained workforce | |
 | The head of a firm that oversees the nation's Job Corps Centers, including one in Memphis, reminded Southaven business leaders about the trained and ready workforce available that they may have overlooked. Ret. Major General Augustus Leon Collins was the featured speaker at the Southaven Chamber of Commerce Quarterly Luncheon held at the Landers Center. The Booneville native currently is the CEO of MINACT Inc. of Jackson. It is a job development and career training corporation the U.S. Department of Labor has contracted with to operate the Job Corps Centers in seven states, including Mississippi and Tennessee. The Benjamin Hooks facility in Memphis is one of those that MINACT helps operate. Collins reminded his audience in Southaven of three numbers he detests, because it's the numbers most Americans think of when they think of Mississippi. "The three numbers I hate the most are: 48, 49, and 50," Collins said. "Those numbers are associated with Mississippi in so many ways. We've got to see the goodness in Mississippi and if you don't tell your own story, somebody else will tell it for you. We've got to change the conversation from 48, 49, and 50." |
| Analysis: Capital City sees 56 percent spike in gun violence versus last year | |
| On average, someone in the Capital City is shot every 33 hours, according to a 3 On Your Side analysis of Jackson Police Department news releases, revealing a significant increase in instances of gun violence this year when compared with 2018. Wednesday's deadly shooting of an unidentified man on West McDowell Road represents the 103rd person shot or killed this year, whereas individual police reports indicated only 66 people were shot or killed in the Capital City in 2018. That's a 56 percent increase thus far in 2019. For the entirety of last year, individual JPD news releases show 150 people were shot or killed. If the rate of injury by gunfire continues at its current rate, Jackson would reach 2018's number before the end of June. However, it's unclear how this year's number ranks historically, because JPD doesn't track these shootings with injury nor provide regular monthly statistics involving guns to the public. |
| USDA farms out economists whose work challenges Trump policies | |
 | The Agriculture Department is moving nearly all its researchers into the economic effects of climate change, trade policy and food stamps -- subjects of controversial Trump administration initiatives -- outside of Washington, part of what employees claim is a political crackdown on economists whose assessments have raised questions about the president's policies. Since last year, employees in the department's Economic Research Service have awaited news of which members of their agency would be forced to relocate, after Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue stunned them by declaring he was moving most of the agency to a location outside the capital. The announcement sparked claims that Perdue was trying to pressure economists into leaving the agency rather than move their families. On March 5, the department began notifying people who were allowed to stay in Washington, but didn't provide a comprehensive list, only telling employees in person if they made the cut. But current and former employees compiled one anyway, covering all 279 people on staff, 76 of whom are being allowed to stay in Washington. |
| Trump calls Dems 'DO NOTHING PARTY' after Pelosi says he 'took a pass' by storming out | |
 | President Donald Trump, increasingly in re-election mode, on Thursday labeled Democrats the "DO NOTHING PARTY!" a day after their leaders accused him of being unprepared for a meeting on an infrastructure plan and simply "taking a pass" on the issue. But even as the president suggested dealmaking on major legislation is frozen until House Democrats' probes end, a White House official signaled talks on bills that must pass to avert another full or partial government shutdown will continue. Trump pressed Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California during a Wednesday Cabinet Room meeting to drop House Democrats' probes of his 2016 campaign and business activities, saying if the investigations continued there would be no infrastructure deal. He later told reporters -- after storming out of the meeting -- that his White House would cease all negotiations with lawmakers after she assured him she would not order her committee chairs to stand down -- though an aide later walked that back a bit. |
| K Street giants scoop up coveted ex-lawmakers | |
 | K Street's largest law and lobbying shops are scooping up the most recent batch of lawmakers-turned-lobbyists, a sign of how the influence world's powerhouse firms are expanding their clout. Those large and wealthy firms are increasingly taking their pick of the congressional class, particularly this year with a number of long-serving Republican chairmen, and powerful Democrats who were upset in primaries, up for grabs after the 2018 midterm elections. For K Street watchers, the stockpiling of top former lawmakers is just another sign of how the biggest players are only getting more powerful and leaving a tougher playing field for their rivals. The pull of the biggest firms on K Street also comes as other groups have moved away from recruiting former lawmakers. This year, none of the former members have joined trade associations, which used to be a popular landing spot. |
| South And West Continue Rapid Growth, According To New Population Data | |
 | The Southern and Western regions of the United States continued to have the nation's fastest-growing cities between 2017 and 2018, according to new population estimates for cities and towns released Thursday. In the South, in order of population growth, they were Austin, Texas; Jacksonville, Fla.; Frisco, Texas; McKinney, Texas; and Miami. The fastest growing cities in the West were San Diego; Denver; Henderson, Nev.; and Las Vegas. The only Midwestern city on the top 15 list was Columbus, Ohio. The Census Bureau estimates also track the growth in housing units, which remained steady in nearly all states, according to an agency press release. The bureau says four states gained more than 50,000 housing units between 2017 and 2018: Texas, Florida, California and North Carolina. |
| Nearly 9,000 third-graders statewide could be held back after failing to pass reading test on first try | |
| A quarter of Mississippi third-graders are at risk of being held back if they don't pass the "third grade reading gate" this summer. The Mississippi Department of Education released initial results of the Mississippi Academic Assessment Program in English Language Arts on Wednesday. In total, 74.5 percent of students passed the exam on the first try compared to 93.2 percent last year. The dip is likely due to the fact that students had a higher bar to pass this year. The Mississippi Legislature created the Literacy-Based Promotion Act in 2013, and it requires all third-graders to pass a reading test to determine whether they're ready to move up to the fourth grade. "I think we have to hold the bar high -- children's lives depend on this," state Superintendent Carey Wright said in a call with reporters Wednesday. "We have to set a high bar to ensure that children are going to reach it." |
| Medical dream no longer haunts groundbreaking student | |
| On the day Christina Wallace said goodbye to her friends at the Choctaw Health Center, they brought out a cake glazed with stethoscope- and lab coat-frosting. They gave her a real stethoscope and a writing pen, both decorated with Native American hand-beaded designs. "They filled a bowl with notes written on sheets of paper -- 'prescriptions for success,'" Wallace said. Everything that day served as a reminder either of or where she came from or where she was going. Now, four years after her sendoff to medical school, Wallace graduates on Friday, apparently as the first member of Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians to earn a medical degree from the School of Medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. "It took me several years to get here," she said, "and it couldn't be better." |
| After graduation comes graduate school options | |
 | Commencement was last week and graduates from the University of Southern Mississippi are now alumni and are getting ready to take the next step in their lives. That means that some will begin their professional careers and others will continue their education in graduate school. At Southern Miss, the vision for graduate school is, "Operating within the values of a student-focused, doctoral-level, higher research activity university, the Graduate School at The University of Southern Mississippi will be a model for excellence and accomplishment in public graduate education." WDAM talked with administrators inside the School of Library and Information Science, who said that at least 170 students are in their specific graduate program. Professor and Director, Teresa Welsh, said students must complete 40 credit hours for the program. "We now have about 175 students and about half are in the state of Mississippi scattered about the other half are across the U.S.," said Walsh. |
| Natchez Early College Academy gets own rooms at Co-Lin Community College campus | |
 | The Natchez Early College Academy will have its own modular classrooms on the Copiah Lincoln Community College campus after the Natchez-Adams School District approved the addition. During the district's Tuesday afternoon meeting, the board awarded a bid of approximately $600,000 for the project. Deputy Superintendent Zandra McDonald said the project includes adding four classrooms and a multi-purpose facility at the rear of Co-Lin's campus. The modular classrooms are scheduled to be completed in October. Through an agreement with Co-Lin, Superintendent Fred Butcher said, the early college had previously been able to utilize classrooms at no cost. However, as Co-Lin is adding a new emergency medical technician program, Co-Lin needed the space back, Butcher said. In addition, the early college is continuing to expand on the programs they offer, McDonald said, and would need additional classrooms. Butcher said the estimated cost of renting a similar space instead of building new classrooms would cost between $120,000 to $130,000 per year. |
| NPR's 'Science Friday' comes to Huntsville to talk Apollo and SLS | |
 | Did you know that the University of Alabama in Huntsville has "a very large and valuable collection of science fiction books" from the 1940's, '50s and '60s? And do you know a museum curator's best advice for preserving the space history being made today? You learned that and more if you were lucky enough to snag a ticket for Ira Flatow's visit to Huntsville this week to record an episode of his popular and long-running NPR program "Science Friday" at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. If you missed the taping, you can keep an ear open for the episode to air on NPR closer to the July anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the moon. Flatow had Space & Rocket Center Curator Ed Stewart and Reagan Grimsley, head of Special Collections and Archives at UAH, on the stage to talk space history. Then he taped a second interview about the future with NASA Space Launch System engineers Erika Alvarez and John Blevins of Marshall Space Flight Center. |
| U. of Florida alumni association to end 'lifetime' email | |
 | University of Florida alumnus Jim Rodenburg was once promised by the UF Alumni Association he'd have a UF alumni email address for life. Rodenburg has used the email on resumes and handed it out to countless people, buying into the forever mentality UF was pushing. He even documented the promises. "This allows you to have one consistent e-mail address for the rest of your lifetime," a UF Alumni Association frequently-asked-questions Web page said. The page was up from 2007 until August 2018. UF "did everything short of swearing to God that the service would be available until the end of time," Rodenburg wrote in an email. Unfortunately for Rodenburg and other alumni, promises are sometimes broken. The alumni group announced earlier in May that its email-forwarding service offered to members will be discontinued July 1. In an information email sent by UF Alumni Association Executive Director Matt Hodge, he cited a growing number of complaints from alumni who weren't receiving forwarded emails due to increased efforts from internet providers to thwart scamming efforts. |
| City, U. of Florida land $2M traffic safety grant from NSF | |
| After at least 16 pedestrians and bicyclists were killed in traffic accidents in the last two years, city and university leaders are looking to find a solution. The University of Florida and city of Gainesville have been studying ways to improve mobility around the city, while also creating more pedestrian-friendly roads. Tuesday, the city announced it's received some help in that department. The National Science Foundation has awarded the city of Gainesville and University of Florida a $2 million grant to study and identify high-risk intersections so changes can be made before an accident occurs. It's the first time the city has received a grant from the organization, which typically funds scientific research. The funds come at a time when city officials are looking to restrict people from standing on medians and interacting with traffic following the April 25 death of a panhandler. |
| UGA economists: Trade agreement would hurt rural Georgia counties | |
 | University of Georgia economists say the Trump administration's proposed trade agreement with Canada and Mexico could be disastrous for south Georgia fruit and vegetable growers and some rural Georgia counties. In a few counties, losses "will likely reach economic damage rarely seen since the Great Depression," according to the policy brief by Jeffrey Dorfman, Julian Worley and Sharon Kane of the UGA Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics. The proposed U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement would replace the North American Free Trade Agreement between the three countries that took effect in 1994. The proposed new agreement wouldn't so much create new problems as it would perpetuate a problem that's been growing for years under NAFTA -- more imports of fruits and vegetables from Mexico at prices U.S. producers can't compete with, thanks to subsidies Mexico producers enjoy -- said Charles Hall, executive director of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association. |
| Inside the 'vault' where U. of South Carolina keeps its most closely-guarded artifacts | |
 | Behind an unassuming office door at the University of South Carolina's Ernest F. Hollings Library is a "vault" containing the school's most prized artifacts: Author F. Scott's Fitzgerald's ledger. Sumerian cuneiform tablets documenting beer and goat purchases from thousands of years ago. An original Flash comic book. A bold letter author Ernest Hemingway wrote to Martha Gellhorn's mother in 1945 to give his side of the story in their breakup, and the library's oldest book: a Latin bible from the year 1240. Artifacts in the vault --- secured by a numeric code and a handprint scanner -- are the most closely-guarded of USC's extensive collection of original source material it stores for research, public viewing and preserving the historical record. "We're just the caretakers of stuff we want to be here for hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years, something that will outlive us," said Nicole Carrico, spokeswoman for USC's libraries. The "vault" is about half the size of a K-12 classroom and is kept at a constant temperature of 60 degrees and humidity of 40 percent. |
| Texas A&M, Blinn College officials break ground on RELLIS Campus' Ag and Workforce Ed Complex | |
 | Officials gathered Wednesday at the RELLIS Campus to break ground on the $15 million Agriculture and Workforce Education Complex, scheduled to be finished next summer. The facility will encompass 38,000 square feet and will host both Blinn College and Texas A&M University programs. Blinn students will receive workforce training in trade fields such as HVAC and carpentry, while Texas A&M students wanting to become agricultural educators will have more classroom and laboratory space. The official ground breaking of the site, located on the south end of the RELLIS campus, was performed by James K. Nelson, director of RELLIS' special academic initiatives. Nelson pushed a large heap of dirt against the wind while operating a large bulldozer, as a crowd of several dozen supporters cheered. Patrick J. Stover, dean and vice chancellor for the Agriculture and Life Sciences program at Texas A&M AgriLife, spoke about the need for newer training and tools for the next generation of college students who show interest in agriculture. |
| Community college, U. of Missouri partner for vet tech program | |
 | Preliminary steps are underway to establish a veterinary technology program at Moberly Area Community College. The MACC Board of Trustees approved the new program at its Monday meeting. Veterinary tech students will use facilities at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine under an agreement approved by both schools. The vet tech program could possibly see the addition of 24 new courses for a two-year degree in veterinary technology. Students who complete the associate's program could work under a veterinarian to provide routine and emergency care to animals. MU hopes students who earn their associate's degree through MACC will continue on to receive their bachelor's degree from the university, said Rusty Crawford, executive administrative dean of the Veterinary Medicine. Many of the courses for the bachelor's program will also be offered online, which could attract even more students, Crawford said. |
| Feds release broader data on socioeconomic status and college enrollment and completion | |
 | The federal government on Wednesday released a wide range of updated and new data on postsecondary education, including broader measures of college completion and several indicators that show how much family wealth contributes to college students' odds of enrolling and graduating. For example, among people who were ninth graders a decade ago, those from the highest quintile of socioeconomic status (parental education and occupations and family income) were 50 percentage points more likely to be enrolled in college in 2016 than were their peers from the lowest quintile -- 78 percent compared to 28 percent. Money also played a big role in which college and level of degree program students enrolled in, according to the new report from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics. |
| Low-Income and Minority Students Are Growing Share of Enrollments | |
 | A growing number of undergraduates come from low-income families, especially at less-selective colleges, according to a new analysis by the Pew Research Center. Using data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study --- which was last updated in 2016 -- the Pew researchers found that community colleges and the least-selective four-year colleges have seen the greatest rise in poor and minority students. The most selective, private four-year institutions have not seen as much of an increase, according to a report by the researchers. The report, released on Wednesday, places the fast-changing demographics of higher education in sharp relief. As the total nonwhite population increases in the United States, the percentage of racial and ethnic minorities is expanding at public and private nonprofit colleges as well as for-profit colleges. Over all the share of nonwhite students at all institutions has grown from 29 percent in 1996 to 47 percent in 2016. The most drastic increases have been at less-selective institutions. |
| When the Names on Campus Buildings Evoke a Racist Past | |
 | College campuses have long been centers of social foment and student activism. In the 1960s, they were magnets for protests over the Vietnam War, and more recently, the Black Lives Matter movement forced schools to confront issues of racial justice and inclusion. The debate continues at many universities over whether the names of prominent racists and others who espoused controversial theories should be allowed to remain on campus buildings and structures. In response, institutions have begun to set up task forces to examine their histories and set standards for the future. Each university takes a different approach. The name of an Oscar-nominated actress was recently removed from a theater because of her role in a movie that romanticized the Ku Klux Klan. Elsewhere, faculty members confronted university regents over charged accusations of academic dishonesty. Here is how four universities handled a push to rename campus buildings. |
| U. of Oklahoma stripped of 'U.S. News' ranking for supplying false information | |
| U.S. News & World Report has stripped the University of Oklahoma of its ranking, citing incorrect information provided about alumni giving. The university told U.S. News that it has been supplying incorrect data since 1999. According to the magazine, the most recent report from Oklahoma claimed that its two-year rate of alumni giving was 14 percent, when it is actually 9.7 percent. Alumni giving counts for 5 percent of the methodology in the "Best Colleges" ranking by U.S. News. As a result, the magazine removed Oklahoma from that ranking and several others, including "best value" colleges, top public universities and best colleges for veterans. Colleges periodically lose their rankings because of false data, sometimes submitted incorrectly but without the intent to deceive. |
| Say it ain't so. Time to talk about the 2020 senate race already? | |
 | Alan Lange writes for Y'all Politics: While warchests are still filling in anticipation of emptying for the statewide primaries in August and general election in November, there's another political time bomb ticking with a shorter fuse than you might want to imagine. The start of the 2020 US Senate race will likely coincide with the tail end of the 2019 elections this year -- that is if there's going to be any drama. As unfriendly as the calendar in 2018 was to an incumbent US Senate seat held by Cindy Hyde-Smith, in 2020, the calendar should be much more advantageous. Whereas the 2018 election was in fact a special election with essentially one open primary in November, this will be a federal election with primaries in a presidential year. That will bring some normality back into the process. Since 2020 is a presidential election year, that means two things. First, it means that Donald Trump will likely be on the ballot. Trump is still uber-popular here and absent something unforeseen, he will likely cast a long shadow on the political landscape in Mississippi. More importantly, that means the party primary will be on Super Tuesday which is scheduled for Tuesday, March 10, 2020. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State Outlasts LSU 6-5 in 17 Innings at 3 A.M. | |
 | Gunner Halter hit a run-scoring single in the bottom of the 17th inning and Mississippi State beat LSU 6-5 in the longest game by time in Southeastern Conference Tournament history. Halter's two-out grounder up the middle scored Justin Foscue just after 3 a.m. CDT on Thursday morning to end the marathon after 6 hours, 43 minutes. The game featured an impressive duel between bullpens. Matthew Beck and Zack Hess both threw four scoreless innings for LSU. Cole Gordon countered with five shutout innings for Mississippi State. Mississippi State will play Vanderbilt on Thursday. LSU (35-23) will face Auburn in an elimination game. |
| Bulldogs outlast LSU in 17-innings | |
 | At six hours, 43-minutes, it marked the longest game in SEC Tournament history and at 3:03 a.m. on Thursday morning a winner was finally declared. In the bottom of the 17th inning, Gunner Halter -- Mississippi State's fifth different right fielder for the game -- slapped a single up the middle that allowed Justin Foscue to score from second base as the third-ranked Bulldogs walked off with a 6-5 win over No. 6 LSU. "If I'm going to do it, this is the time," Halter said he told himself when he stepped in the box with two outs in the bottom of the 17th. The junior stated it was the first game-winning hit he has ever had. The Diamond Dogs had to rally back in the bottom of the 16th to even stay alive after the Tigers hit a sacrifice fly in the top half of the inning. Jake Mangum's two-out chopper to second base was booted by Brandt Broussard which allowed Rowdey Jordan to score from third base and send the game into a school-record tying 17th inning. Mangum "just runs down the line so fast that he puts a lot of pressure on the defense," said MSU coach Chris Lemonis. |
| Mississippi State walks off with win over LSU in longest SEC Tournament game ever | |
 | Wednesday night turned into Thursday morning. Three SEC Tournament games had already been completed at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. Nobody knew how long it would be before the fourth and final one finished. Not even Gunner Halter, Mississippi State's hero of the night -- or, technically, Mississippi State's hero of the early morning. The junior utility man stepped to the plate in the bottom of the 17th inning with his Bulldogs tied with the LSU Tigers at five runs apiece. Sophomore second baseman Justin Foscue stood at second. All Halter had to do was drive him home with a two-out base hit. State now plays top-seeded Vanderbilt (46-10) at around 8 p.m. Thursday. Red-shirt junior Ethan Small (8-1, 1.84 ERA), who left Wednesday's game in the eighth inning to go to the hotel and rest, gets the start. |
| How Cole Gordon's gutsy outing led Mississippi State baseball to SEC tourney win over LSU | |
| Mississippi State head coach Chris Lemonis walked to the pitcher's mound. Everyone wearing maroon and white at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium clapped and cheered. They thought it was the end. It wasn't. Part of Lemonis wanted to take the baseball from senior pitcher Cole Gordon's hand and send him to the dugout. The other part told himself to give Gordon a chance. That's the side he listened to. "I was actually going out there to ask him if he had any left in the tank," Lemonis said. "But halfway there, he started barking at me that he wanted this last guy. So, I pretty much turned around and walked back to the dugout." "I told him those were my runs out there," Gordon said. "I owed it to the team to get that guy out." That's exactly what he did. |
| 6 hours, 17 innings: How LSU lost to Mississippi State in longest game in SEC tourney history | |
 | It ended at 3:03 a.m. on Thursday, this marathon of a baseball game that began almost seven hours earlier, back when fans packed the stands at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium to support LSU and Mississippi State in the Southeastern Conference tournament. How did it end? Ma'Khail Hilliard gave up a single with two outs in the 17th inning. The winning run struck out but reached base on a wild pitch. The Tigers lost the longest game in the history of the SEC tournament 6-5, forcing them to play an elimination game against Auburn on Thursday afternoon, less than 12 hours later. "Neither team quit," freshman Giovanni DiGiacomo said. "We legged it out and kept pushing and it's -- Wow. It's really late. Goodness." When it ended, six hours and 43 minutes has passed since the 8:20 p.m. first pitch on Wednesday. |
| LSU can't outlast Mississippi State in historic 17-inning thriller | |
 | When it was finally over, player after player went up to Ma'Khail Hilliard. One by one, they stopped and shared a moment with the LSU pitcher who threw the pitch that ended the game that seemed it could never end. Seventeen innings. Six hours, 43 minutes. It was a game that started at 8:20 p.m. Wednesday and finished at 3:03 a.m. Thursday. So when it ends like that, with the error to give up the lead, or the past ball strikeout to put on the winning run, the moments after are more difficult to grasp. As Hilliard walked off the mound early Thursday morning with a heartbreaking SEC Tournament defeat to Mississippi State, player after player stopped Hilliard to give him a full embrace. Todd Peterson wrapped his arm around him to talk for a few minutes. Josh Smith said a few words, as well. Hilliard gutted out 4 2/3 innings of relief on 72 pitches, and LSU didn't have a win to show for it. |
| Plenty of success for Mississippi State this year | |
| The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Logan Lowery writes: When the dust settles on the 2018-19 sports year at Mississippi State, it's quite possible it could go down as one of the best all-around years in school history. The Bulldogs' football team played in a New Year's Day bowl, the men's and women's basketball teams both made the NCAA Tournament and the baseball team is on the cusp of claiming a national seed in next week's NCAA Tournament. Reflecting that success, MSU became the first school to sweep the state's top individual awards with Jeffery Simmons (Conerly), Quinndary Weatherspoon (Howell), Teaira McCowan (Gillom) and Jake Mangum (Ferriss) winning in their respective sports. On top of that, Elgton Jenkins won the Hull Trophy for being Mississippi's top offensive lineman. With those five trophies, the Bulldogs have had 33 winners -- more than any other school combined (Ole Miss 17, Southern Miss 8, Delta State 4, Belhaven 1, Millsaps 1, Jackson State 1). There are several other sports beyond the big four that have enjoyed strong seasons as well. |
| Arkansas rallies, tops Ole Miss in SEC Tournament opener | |
| For the second consecutive season, Arkansas has moved into the winner's bracket during double-elimination play at the SEC Tournament. The No. 5 Razorbacks defeated No. 23 Ole Miss 5-3 on Wednesday at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. Arkansas will face No. 6 Georgia on Thursday in a non-elimination game beginning at approximately 4:30 p.m. Jack Kenley hit a two-run single with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning to give Arkansas (41-15) the lead after the Razorbacks fell behind in the top of the sixth against the Rebels. Georgia defeated Texas A&M 2-0 in the tournament's early game Wednesday when Cam Shepherd hit a two-run home run with two outs in the ninth inning. The Rebels lost for the seventh time in nine games. They will play Texas A&M in an elimination game Thursday at 9:30 a.m. |
| Chris Weber's gem goes for naught as Georgia beats Texas A&M 2-0 at SEC baseball tournament | |
| A no-hit bid by Texas A&M starter Chris Weber had all the makings of a Rob Childress special, but it ended minus the victory. Weber took a no-hitter into the eighth inning against Georgia before giving up a one-out single to nine-hole hitter Randon Jernigan on Wednesday to open the double-elimination portion of the Southeastern Conference tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. Weber handed the ball to reliever Joseph Menefee, who got the Aggies to the brink of extra innings before Bulldog shortstop Cam Shepherd hit a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth for a 2-0 victory. The morning routine continues Thursday for sixth-seeded A&M as it will face seventh-seeded Ole Miss (34-25) at 9:30 a.m. The Rebels are the only team to sweep the Aggies this season, taking all three late-April contests in Oxford, Mississippi. Aggie ace John Doxakis (7-3, 2.01 ERA) will start. |
| Top-seeded Vanderbilt powers over Auburn 11-1 | |
 | Powerhouse Vanderbilt blasted down the door, rocking Hoover on its arrival to the SEC Tournament. Auburn was the opposing team caught in its way. The top-seeded Commodores, the No. 2 team in the nation, rolled over the Tigers 11-1 on Wednesday, powering onto the scene riding a bye into the second round, and dropping Auburn down to the losers' bracket. Auburn will play again early Thursday afternoon, facing elimination. The Tigers will play the loser of Wednesday night's game between fifth-seeded LSU and fourth-seeded Mississippi State. That eliminator will be played 30 minutes after Thursday's 10:30 a.m. game between Ole Miss and Texas A&M. Auburn played without usual starting catcher Matt Scheffler, who missed the game with what head coach Butch Thompson described as a minor thumb injury. Cody Hall stepped into his place behind the plate. "Hard to put a positive on today's game," Thompson shook his head. |
| What, if anything, can Gamecocks take from historically poor 2019 baseball season? | |
| When South Carolina baseball saw its 2018 season end in Fayetteville, Arkansas, one win short of a College World Series berth, the emotion on the field was raw as a large group of upperclassmen celebrated the team's second-half resurgence, reminisced about their time in the program and reflected on the frustrations of making it so far and yet still falling short of the ultimate goal. When South Carolina baseball finished its 2019 season in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, the atmosphere was slightly more muted -- the Gamecocks' overall record of 28-28 was its worst in nearly a quarter of a century, and injuries and inexperience meant coach Mark Kingston's club limped past the finish line. And while Kingston pushed back against the idea that he felt any relief with the end of what had become a disappointing slog of a season, there wasn't much in the way of positive spin on the year's outcome, at least in the short term. |
| How Southern Miss baseball went from dead in the water to an improbable win | |
 | Everyone in the ballpark was surprised when Matt Wallner didn't jump on a 2-0 fastball with one down and one on in the bottom of the 10th, including the man at the plate. "I'm not going to lie. I was mad about that one," the Southern Miss slugger said. "I didn't think I was going to be able to get another one." Much to his surprise, Rice reliever Kel Bordwine followed up with another fastball that was even higher in the strike zone. This one, the Southern Miss junior slugger didn't miss. Wallner sent a 2-run home run over the right field wall to finish off a dramatic rally, clinching a 6-4 win over Rice to stay in the winner's bracket of the Conference USA tournament at MGM Park. USM (35-19) will play Marshall at 4 p.m. on Thursday in a winner's bracket game at MGM Park. The winner of that game will rest on Friday before taking part in the semifinals at 9 a.m. on Saturday. The loser will play at 3 p.m. on Friday in an elimination contest. |
| Coast gets economic boost from college baseball tournament | |
| In the third year for the Conference USA tournament in Biloxi, the Coast is ready for the economic boost that this event is sure to bring. Jeri Bowen is a Southern Miss fan because her son plays for the Golden Eagles, but baseball is only one reason she enjoys coming to the coast this weekend. "I come for the shopping, the food, the fun," Bowen said. "The casinos are nice. I definitely usually step in and eat or play a little bit, but I love all of the little communities, the shopping. I think it's a great place." Along with the fun that the Gulf Coast has to offer, this weekend's guests have filled hotels all around the Gulf Coast. Doubletree General Manager Aaron Duncan said this event is a great boost for all businesses on the Coast. "It builds up the occupancy along the Gulf Coast. The fans are spectacular. So, as we build downtown, as we build the Gulf Coast, we look to have them come back," Duncan said. "Not just during the Conference USA Tournament. we want them to come back during the off-season, during the summer and during the slow season." |
| Former Memphis AD denies allegations of impropriety led to resignation | |
| Former University of Memphis athletics director Tom Bowen denied Wednesday night that his resignation was due to a letter sent to university President M. David Rudd last month alleging behavior between Bowen and an unnamed individual that was "a bit flirty" during a women's basketball road trip. In an April 16 letter with significant redactions, the writer points to several moments during the road trip that she deemed suspicious. Bowen resigned from his position as athletics director four days later, on April 20, according to a letter he sent to Rudd. The contents of both letters were first reported by The Daily Memphian. But Bowen strongly pushed back on any suggestions of impropriety in a statement released Wednesday night. A university spokesman said the school does not comment on personnel matters. Before his resignation, Bowen had recently agreed to a six-month contract extension through the end of 2019. Bowen is a candidate to become the next Southern Conference commissioner, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. |
| Kansas strength and conditioning program will report directly to medical professionals | |
| University of Kansas athletic strength and conditioning personnel will now report directly to medical professionals in a move the school says is the first of its kind in the country. The change announced Wednesday was made, in part, because of what the school said was "increased attention across college sports in recent years" regarding offseason player injuries and even death. Offseason deaths due to exertional issues have reached a peak in college football this century. In the last two years, strength coaches were blamed after players died at Maryland and Kent State along with others who were injured at Oregon. In all, 40 Kansas trainers, doctors and nutritionists -- as well as the strength staff that previously reported to KU athletic director Jeff Long -- will now report to medical staff at The University of Kansas Health System and Lawrence Memorial Hospital Health. The new combined entity will be called Kansas Team Health. That reporting line "minimizes potential conflict of interest between coaches and sports medicine staff," KU said. |
| Athletics officials question role of top college leaders in disciplining coaches | |
| National Collegiate Athletic Association representatives on Wednesday touted reforms that followed the men's basketball scandal of 2017. But other officials involved in college sports questioned why top administrators hadn't stepped in to punish bad actors -- namely coaches. NCAA leaders presented at a meeting of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, describing a "significant" slate of changes, including much stiffer penalties for breaches of association rules and a new entity that would investigate the most complex violations. These changes and others -- which passed the association membership with relative speed, given the usual lag in approving NCAA policy -- were in response to a pay-for-play scheme federal law enforcement officials revealed in September 2017. A committee appointed by the NCAA, led by Condoleezza Rice, who was formerly U.S. secretary of state and Stanford University's provost, made recommendations last year that were largely adopted by the association and were shared with the Knight Commission on Wednesday. |
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