| Tuesday, May 4, 2021 |
| President Mark Keenum commends MSU-Meridian grads' abilities to adapt, overcome challenges | |
 | Mississippi State President Mark E. Keenum is commending 116 MSU-Meridian graduates for their abilities to overcome challenges and adapt as the university marks the end of one of the most challenging and unusual academic years in history. "We've made it through this most challenging of years together," Keenum said at MSU-Meridian's commencement ceremony at the MSU Riley Center Monday [May 3]. "You have worked long and hard to get here, and all of us at this great university are very proud of you." Keenum said a college degree is more important than ever and will help graduates succeed in a world undergoing unprecedented change. "The timeless values we hold dear as members of the Mississippi State University family also will serve you well -- you will need integrity; you will need to work hard; you will need to show respect for others," Keenum said. Associate Vice President and Head of Campus Terry Dale Cruse applauded graduates and said the Class of 2021, which includes the first MSU-Meridian graduate of the new Bachelor of Applied Science degree, represents a distinguished group of new alumni who will make a significant impact on the region. |
| 100+ receive degrees from MSU-Meridian | |
 | MSU-Meridian students and their family members gathered at the Riley Center for fall commencement Monday morning. One hundred sixteen students from both Mississippi and Alabama received their degrees. Newscenter 11 caught up with a few graduates for their reactions to this big moment. "I'm super excited," said Brittney Harrison. "I've worked for two years after MCC to get this degree. It has been a lot of hard work and a lot of thought into lesson plans. And I'm super excited to finally be done and get in the classroom. Hail State!" "Kind of a long journey since I decided to come back to school," said Jason Holland. "It has been about 3 years and I'm just glad to see it all come together." |
| 'Aggressive' coyote poses danger to hikers at Mississippi national park, officials say | |
 | Visitors of a national park in Mississippi are on high alert after reports of an "aggressive" coyote in the area. The Vicksburg National Military Park is urging all hikers, bikers and runners to avoid the park's south loop until officials take "immediate action to resolve this issue," according to a Facebook post. The park did not say if the animal has tried to attack anyone. Coyotes are native to North America and are among the "nuisance animals" that can pose a danger to Mississippi residents and their pets, according to the state Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. Experts say coyote attacks on humans are rare, and that reported attacks are usually "defense-related." "A coyote may attack if it feels threatened or is protecting a den with pups," said Dr. Marina D'Abreau Denny, an assistant professor in the School of Human Sciences at Mississippi State University. "Additionally, more coyote attacks are reported from January through April, which is coyote breeding season." When out with pets, walkers are urged to keep small animals on a leash at all times, Denny said. |
| Oktibbeha supervisors to hold public hearing on potential juvenile curfew | |
 | The Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing to discuss the possibility of enacting a juvenile curfew within the county. Oktibbeha County Sheriff's Department Capt. Brett Watson presented a potential curfew plan to the board Monday. He gained inspiration for the ordinance after examining multiple juvenile curfews across the state and said he believes the plan will help diminish some of the juvenile misconduct in the area. "We at the sheriff's department are looking at this as a way to encounter these folks that are out walking late at night when they shouldn't be," Watson said. "It'll give us an opportunity to encounter them in a legal way." The public hearing will be 6 p.m. June 7 in the Oktibbeha County Courthouse. Anyone is welcome to attend and give their input. The curfew plan Watson created states that all individuals under the age of 18 will be required to be inside from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and midnight-6 a.m. Friday and Saturday. College-aged students that are 17 are exempt from this ordinance, and District 1 Supervisor John Montgomery suggested requiring 18-year-olds that are still in high school to follow the curfew. The city of Starkville will also discuss enacting a juvenile curfew at its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday. |
| Oktibbeha supervisors end mask mandate by narrow majority | |
| Supervisors voted 3-2 to rescind the countywide mask mandate effective immediately at its meeting Monday. District 5 Supervisor and Board President Joe Williams and District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer were the two opposing votes, while District 1 Supervisor John Montgomery, District 3 Supervisor Marvell Howard and District 4 Supervisor Bricklee Miller voted to end the mandate. While the county will not regulate masks, department heads, businesses and business owners still reserve the right to enforce mask-wearing. The city of Starkville lifted its citywide mask mandate midnight Friday. Montgomery, who said he will not get vaccinated himself, proposed the ordinance be rescinded due to decreasing case numbers and more people getting vaccines. According to Mississippi State Department of Health's website, 14,615 Oktibbeha residents, or about 29 percent of the county's population, have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. "I think we've let this mask divide us as a country....," Montgomery said. "If everybody is going to do it, then I think it works, but (they do not). I think it's time to take these masks off." |
| Businesses ready to get back to work; workers, not so much | |
| Restaurateur John Bean is a few workers short. Check that. He's about a few hundred workers short. "We're short-staffed and actively looking," said Bean, whose Eat With Us group operates 14 restaurants in the state, including seven in the Golden Triangle. "We're doing things we've never done before. We're doing advertising for workers on TV and trying to get in touch with employees who worked with us before. We just can't find them." Bean is not alone. "I've never seen anything like it, nothing really close to it," said Mark Smith of Columbus, president of The CPI Group, a regional employment agency that has been recruiting workers for area companies since 1994. "We're all scratching our heads." Put simply: Businesses are ready to get back to work. Workers, not so much. Corey Miller, an economist for the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, said there are other factors that may be keeping people out of the job market. The good news, Miller said, is he believes the job market will right itself over time. "I think what we are seeing right now in so much of the economy is that we're an economy in transition," he said. "I don't see any forecasts that show this being a long-term situation." |
| Severe Weather Expected in South for Third Straight Day | |
 | Forecasters expect severe weather, including flash flooding and the possibility of tornadoes, to continue threatening much of the southern United States on Tuesday, after two days of storms caused widespread damage and killed at least two people. The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center said there was an "enhanced risk" of severe thunderstorms for large stretches of the South, including southern Mississippi and west-central Alabama. There, damaging winds of up to 70 miles per hour and hail up to the size of golf balls were likely from late Tuesday morning into the early evening, with tornadoes possible, according to the forecast office in Jackson, Miss. The area was placed under a flash flood watch, with as much as two to four inches of rain within three hours having the potential to flood roads and threaten structures. The threat of more severe weather comes after two days of the region being battered by storms, which included tornadoes touching down in Mississippi, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina and Texas. April was a quiet month for severe weather in the United States, with half of the usual number of severe weather reports, the fewest tornado reports since 2000 and the fourth-fewest tornado watches on record, according to the National Weather Service. |
| Mississippi weather: Hail, damaging winds expected Tuesday with severe storms | |
 | Another round of severe thunderstorms capable of producing damaging winds, tornadoes and large hail is moving through Mississippi Tuesday. According to the National Weather Service in Jackson, most of the state is at an enhanced risk level to receive severe thunderstorms this morning through. The severe weather Tuesday follows severe storms from Sunday which produced eight tornadoes throughout the state, according to the National Weather Service in Jackson. Meteorologist Latrice Maxie said all types of weather will be possible with the biggest threats being damaging winds with speeds up to 70 mph and large hail. Maxie added tornadoes can't be ruled out. The storms will start as early as 11 a.m. in western parts of the state along the river, according to the National Weather Service in Jackson. Areas around Natchez, Vicksburg, Greenville and Cleveland can expect storms from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The metro Jackson area and areas along the I-55 corridor can expect severe weather in the early afternoon around 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., the agency has forecasted. Hattiesburg, Meridian and Columbus and other areas could see storms from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday. |
| Mississippi's economy rebounding, but growth expected to slow | |
| Mississippi is poised to have its biggest spike in economic growth since 2008, according to the latest forecast report by the state economist. But that expected surge doesn't mean the state's economy will keep growing. "The forecast shows that 2021 looks to be a rebound year," said Corey Miller, state economist with the University Research Center. "We're not seeing much growth beyond that. We are seeing Mississippi return to a trend of slow growth." Mississippi's gross domestic product is expected to rise by 2.8% in 2021, the report says. Since the Great Recession, the state hasn't seen annual growth of more than 1%. "For this second quarter of 2021, our forecast has improved quite a bit," Miller said. "A lot of that has to do with federal stimulus in the form of the American Rescue Plan and the increase of the number of people being vaccinated for COVID-19." The outlook report says consumer spending in the U.S. and Mississippi is expected to continue to grow as more Americans are vaccinated. The number of jobs in the state are also expected to grow by 1.8 year this year, which would be the largest annual increase since 1998. Those additions are largely making up for losses that had been caused by the pandemic. |
| Mississippi asserts it is meeting mental health mandates | |
 | The Mississippi Department of Mental Health says it is fulfilling requirements to provide community-based services, and it is asking a federal judge not to order the state to make changes in its mental health system. The federal government issued a letter in 2011 saying Mississippi had done too little to provide mental health services outside mental hospitals. The Justice Department sued the state in 2016. After a 2019 trial, U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves ruled Mississippi "operates a system that unlawfully discriminates against persons with serious mental illness." Attorneys for the Department of Mental Health wrote in court papers filed Friday that "even if the Court remains of its prior view on liability based on the evidence at trial, the Court still should order no relief because Mississippi is now in substantial compliance with Title II of the Americans With Disabilities Act ... and has addressed or will imminently address the violations the Court believed to exist." The Justice Department is supposed to file papers later this month responding to what the state said Friday. |
| Medicaid agency poised to extend contract with Centene, embattled insurer and big campaign donor | |
| Mississippi's contract with Centene, an insurance company state officials are currently investigating over suspicions it overcharges taxpayers to boost its profits, is set to expire at the end of June, providing an opportunity for the state to end business with the company. But the Mississippi Division of Medicaid, an agency under the governor's office, expects to extend the contract for another year without issuing a new bid, agency spokesperson Matt Westerfield told Mississippi Today last Wednesday. Centene, parent company to Magnolia Health, is one of three insurance companies the state pays to provide health coverage to the state's most vulnerable residents, mostly children of poor families. Meanwhile, the insurer has been filling the campaign coffers of Mississippi officials for years and is one of Gov. Tate Reeves' largest donors, contributing as large as $50,000 at a time to his campaign for a total of more than $200,000. Centene pulls millions in taxpayer dollars for its role as middleman, and the state auditor and state attorney general are now investigating whether it used deceptive practices within its pharmacy benefits, the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal first reported in March. |
| Why Lagging COVID Vaccine Rate At Rural Hospitals 'Needs To Be Fixed Now' | |
 | President Biden on Tuesday is set to announce new steps to reach rural Americans in the push to get as many people as possible vaccinated for the coronavirus, a White House official tells NPR. This emphasis comes as rural hospitals are raising alarms about the pace of vaccination -- even among their own employees. The Biden administration is moving into a new phase of its vaccination campaign, one where it knows doctors and health care professionals are often more persuasive than the government. It has prioritized a list of doctors enrolled in the vaccine system based on a "social vulnerability index" used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- including doctors in many rural communities -- and has been asking state government to send vaccine doses to those doctors, the official said. The administration also plans to work with states to enroll more pediatricians and family doctors in their vaccine systems so they can begin giving people vaccines. The new steps come as some rural hospitals are finding that their own staff members are reluctant to get the shot. A new survey conducted by the National Rural Health Association and Chartis Center for Rural Health showed that 30% of the 160 rural hospital executives who responded said less than half of their employees had been vaccinated -- even though health care workers have been eligible for months now. |
| FDA appears poised to authorize Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for adolescents by next week | |
 | The Food and Drug Administration is expected by next week to grant expanded emergency use authorization to allow children as young as 12 to receive the coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and German firm BioNTech, according to three federal officials familiar with the situation. The agency is still working on the authorization, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak freely. Shortly after the FDA decision, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee is expected to meet to recommend how the vaccine should be used. The New York Times first reported that the regulatory action was pending. Families and pediatricians have been eager for a vaccine to become available for children, particularly in advance of the next school year. Stephanie Caccomo, a spokeswoman for the FDA, declined to comment on the timeline. The biotech company Moderna is conducting a similar trial of its vaccine in teens, with results expected in the summer. Moderna is also testing its vaccine in younger children. Johnson & Johnson is planning pediatric trials of its single-shot vaccine. |
| Your COVID vaccine booster might be a patch or a pill. Or it might come with your flu shot. | |
 | While the Biden administration has been racing to maximize the number of Americans vaccinated against COVID-19, government researchers have also been working on what form the next generation of vaccines will take. They may be combined with the seasonal flu vaccine, or could come in the form of pills or patches instead of shots. Scientists also envision vaccines that might shield against viruses beyond SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) that could avert future pandemics. And they're evaluating whether those who are fully vaccinated might need booster shots later this year. Additional shots could be virtually identical to the first doses, given as a safeguard against the possibility of waning immunity or tweaked to defend against mutant strains that are raising concerns. There's also a substantial effort underway to come up with vaccines that don't rely on needles and syringes to be administered, after record demand strained the complex global supply chain amid the pandemic. For example, future doses could be inhaled through the nose instead of shot into arms. |
| U.S. Vaccine Hesitancy Is Nothing New. Here's How The Polio Vaccine Overcame It | |
| The mass inoculation of millions of American children against polio in 1955, like the vaccinations of millions of American adults against COVID-19 in 2021, was a triumph of science. But the polio vaccine had overwhelming public acceptance, while stubborn pockets of vaccine hesitancy persist across the U.S. for the COVID-19 vaccine. Why the difference? One reason, historians say, is that in 1955, many Americans had an especially deep respect for science. "If you had to pick a moment as the high point of respect for scientific discovery, it would have been then," says David M. Oshinsky, a medical historian at New York University and the author of Polio: An American Story. "After World War II, you had antibiotics rolling off the production line for the first time. People believed infectious disease was [being] conquered. And then this amazing vaccine is announced. People couldn't get it fast enough." Today, the unprecedented speed of the COVID-19 vaccines' development, along with a flood of disinformation on the internet about all vaccines, has led to a lingering hesitancy among some Americans to receive the increasingly available COVID-19 shots. The strong, consistent message during the polio years was "We're all in this together." The same message, says Stacey D. Stewart, current president and CEO of the March of Dimes, must come across loud and clear today. |
| Tougaloo Nine receive honorary doctorate degrees from college | |
| Hundreds of Tougaloo College students reached an important milestone in their lives Sunday. They walked across the stage, shook the president's hand, and received their diplomas. As students celebrated their accomplishments, the college also honored nine trailblazers who helped set the path before them. The school awarded members of the Tougaloo Nine with honorary doctorate degrees. The nine individuals are known for a "read-in" they staged 60 years ago to integrate the Jackson municipal library. Members of the Tougaloo Nine said they're grateful to be honored for the stand they took six decades ago. "This is one of the greatest honors I've received in my life, and I've received many many honors in my 83 years of living," said Alfred Cook, member of the Tougaloo Nine." Also, this weekend, Tougaloo College held an inauguration ceremony for its president Dr. Carmen Walters. Walters is serving as the 14th president at Tougaloo College. |
| 'It is really just so nice of Auburn to put this on for us': AU grads celebrate ceremony's return to Jordan-Hare | |
 | On Saturday, thousands of guests celebrated Auburn University's Class of 2021 in a Jordan-Hare Stadium commencement ceremony, after last year's spring graduation was postponed due to the pandemic. Graduates and guests alike enjoyed a high temperature of 80 degrees on Saturday, a typical spring day during an atypical graduation. Ebony Caver, a first-generation Auburn graduate from Mobile, is happy her friends and family got to see her walk. "I had like 50 people out here supporting me," said Caver, a kinesiology and exercise science graduate. "It was awesome." Caver will continue her studies at Auburn in the fall, with a graduate program in exercise science before going to physical therapy school. The university put on a mostly tradition graduation experience for its 3,522 undergraduate, 822 master's and 403 doctoral degree applicants during a long commencement weekend that began Friday with graduate students and will conclude Monday with pharmacy and veterinarian school grads. Undergraduate students entered and exited the stadium from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., starting with the College of Education's ceremony at 8 a.m. and concluding with the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering at 4 p.m. The Spring Class of 2021 represented 44 states and 43 countries. |
| Second LSU AgCenter researcher shown leniency amid sexual misconduct findings | |
| Daily Report has uncovered a case involving a professor in the LSU AgCenter who engaged in sexual misconduct under Title IX for sexually harassing and allegedly threatening a female AgCenter employee but was allowed to voluntarily retire rather than face disciplinary action. The new information emerges as LSU has yet to answer questions about the unusual Title IX case of a longtime AgCenter researcher whose academic tenure was temporarily removed and later reinstated. The researcher, Niranjan Baisakh, was found in a university investigation to have sexually harassed and assaulted a female graduate student. Baisakh has since been placed on interim suspension, while LSU officials look into the details of the sanction, which they acknowledge appears to be unprecedented. In the more recent case, another longtime professor and researcher was found in 2019 to be in violation of Title IX for sexually harassing and allegedly threatening a female employee at the AgCenter over the course of two years, 2017-2019, creating a hostile work environment. Yet, he was allowed to voluntarily retire rather than being forced to undergo disciplinary proceedings that could have resulted in his termination, which would have stripped him of the privileges retired faculty are entitled to receive and potentially damaged his reputation at the university and beyond. |
| U. of Florida hosts first in-person commencement since December 2019 | |
 | Amid dimmed lights and the echoing notes of Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down," about 500 students from the University of Florida College of Liberal Arts and Sciences spring class of 2021 prepared to walk across their graduation stage Saturday morning by swaying, singing along and shining their cellphone flashlights to the familiar tune. They would soon become some of the first UF students to graduate in person since the fall of 2019 and join almost 10,000 total celebrated by the university over two weeks from April 29 through May 9. "Graduates, you've gone the distance at a distance, and I can't wait to see where you go and what you do next," said UF President Kent Fuchs in his opening speech. "I'm so happy to see all of you in three dimensions. Congratulations." UF Commencement ceremonies in 2020 were held online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In February, the university announced 2021's celebrations would resemble the in-person ceremonies of years past -- but with a few tweaks for safety. According to the university's February announcement, attendance inside the Stephen C. O'Connell Center Exactech Arena is capped at 20% of the building's capacity for each graduation ceremony. Masks and physically distanced seating are required, as well as tickets for both students and their allotted two guests per person. |
| Federal report shines light on historically underrepresented groups in science | |
 | Academic science is much more diverse than it was a generation ago, even if it still has a ways to go. That's according to a new report on women, minorities and people with disabilities from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics at the National Science Foundation. The share of academic jobs held by female doctorates in science, engineering and health fields increased from 26 percent in 1999 to 39 percent in 2019. Underrepresented minorities hold more of these jobs now than in 1999, but their share -- 9 percent -- is still "considerably less" than their share of the population, according to the NSF. By comparison, underrepresented minorities make up one-third of the U.S. The share of academic scientists with one or more disabilities also increased over the same period, to 9 percent. Their share of the general population is about 11 percent. Numerous equity and inclusion advocates within the sciences said they welcomed the NSF's report, which helps shed light on historically excluded groups within the sciences, particularly on one understudied group: scientists with disabilities. The report pays particular attention to early-career scientists transitioning from graduate school to jobs. Of the 73,850 science, engineering and health students who earned doctorates, medical degrees or the equivalent in 2016 or 2017, about 2 percent were unemployed and looking for work in 2019. |
| New Head of Student-Aid Programs Signals Focus on Loan Forgiveness and For-Profit Colleges | |
 | The Biden administration on Monday named Richard A. Cordray, a former attorney general of Ohio and the first head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, to lead the Office of Federal Student Aid at the U.S. Department of Education. The announcement is a win for progressive Democrats pushing for student-loan forgiveness and strong oversight of for-profit colleges. Cordray, whose appointment as chief operating officer is not subject to confirmation by the U.S. Senate, is expected to play a key role in several major policy decisions, including how the administration will forgive student loans, and by how much. President Biden has said that he will not consider forgiving more than $10,000 in student loans for each borrower, and that he prefers it be done by congressional action. However, Cordray is seen as a strong ally of Sen. Elizabeth A. Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, who is pushing the administration to use its executive authority to forgive $50,000 in loans per borrower. Cordray is also an outspoken critic of for-profit colleges, and his appointment is the latest sign that the administration will push strong accountability measures for those institutions. |
| Nominee to lead White House science office defends himself against sexism claims | |
| During his confirmation hearing, Eric Lander -- the nominee to lead the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy -- faced criticism from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers for his controversial past actions, ultimately admitting his mistake in understating the role of two female scientists in the discovery of CRISPR gene-editing technology. Senator Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois, said during her opening statement at the hearing last week that she was "troubled" by issues surrounding Lander's nomination. The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee reportedly delayed his confirmation hearing to allow for a "full and thorough review of Dr. Lander's record and qualifications," said committee ranking member Roger Wicker, a Republican from Mississippi. "You have been criticized for downplaying the contributions of the female Nobel laureates I just mentioned, for toasting a well-known racist, misogynistic anti-Semite, and for attending lunch meetings with the late, disgraced Jeffrey Epstein," Duckworth said. Despite the critiques, much of the hearing was focused on Lander's views on a range of science and technology-related issues, including climate change, cybersecurity and research. He noted that one of his first priorities as director would be to address the gender and diversity gaps that exist in STEM fields. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State junior Brad Cumbest earning starting role in left field | |
 | Brad Cumbest has served as part of a revolving door in left field this season, but the junior two-sport athlete may have finally earned his starting role this past weekend. Cumbest, Brayland Skinner and Drew McGowan have all started games in left field this year, while Cumbest and Skinner have been switching in and out since conference play started midway through March. The two have traded starts with Skinner, a lefty, mostly starting against right-handed pitchers and Cumbest, a righty, starting against left-handed pitchers. That changed this weekend as Cumbest started all three games against Texas A&M, and he made his case for being the everyday starter. He finished the weekend 4 for 12 at the plate with four RBIs and two of the biggest hits of the weekend. "Yeah, I think so," head coach Chris Lemonis said of Cumbest earning a more prominent role. "It's easier to put him in the lineup when he does that. I've been playing Brayland against rightys and I finally said 'Hey, I'm going to give Brad a few days to play.' His swings have been good in the at-bats that he has got." |
| No. 16 Bulldogs Earn 10th-Straight NCAA Bid; Face Miami In First Round Saturday In Orlando | |
| For the 10th consecutive year in which the tournament has been held, the Mississippi State men's tennis team has earned a bid to the 2021 NCAA Men's Tennis Championship, the NCAA announced Monday evening. The Bulldogs are headed to Orlando, Florida, and will face Miami in the first round this Saturday, May 8, at 10 a.m. CT. On Saturday, the first match will showcase 16th-ranked Mississippi State and No. 41 Miami at 10 a.m. CT. Following the Bulldog-Hurricane battle, ninth-ranked host UCF (also the No. 9 national seed) will battle Monmouth in the other first-round matchup at 1 p.m. CT. The winners of the two Saturday matches will then compete on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT for the right to advance to the NCAA Round of 16, which will also be held in Orlando on May 17. "We are really excited for the tournament", MSU head coach Matt Roberts said. "It has been a crazy year, and we got tougher as the year went on. We overcame a lot of hurdles this season, and we are just happy to compete in the tournament and get to play in Orlando. It is a beautiful complex there, with it being the headquarters of the USTA." |
| MSU Women's Tennis Earns Ninth NCAA Bid; Faces Arizona State Friday In First Round | |
| For the fifth time in the last six seasons in which the tournament has been held, the Mississippi State women's tennis team has earned a bid to the 2021 NCAA Women's Tennis Championship, the NCAA announced Monday evening. The Bulldogs are headed to Austin, Texas, and will face No. 33 Arizona State in the first round on May 7 at 12 p.m. CT at the Texas Tennis Center. On Friday, the first match will showcase 38th-ranked Mississippi State against 33rd-ranked Arizona State. Following the Bulldog-Sun Devil battle, No. 2 national seed host Texas will meet Denver in the other first round matchup at 3 p.m. CT. The winners of the two Friday matches will compete on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT for the right to advance to the NCAA Round of 16 in Orlando, Florida, on May 16. "It's a great honor to make the tournament," head coach Daryl Greenan said. "It's the fifth time since I've been here, ninth time overall. It's a big deal. I'm excited to go there and compete. We have a tough match with Arizona State. We get to play the best teams in the country week in and week out in the SEC schedule, and there's nothing we haven't seen so we're prepared." |
| Mississippi State golfer Abbey Daniel of Covington wins U.S. Women's Open qualifier in Illinois | |
 | Covington native Abbey Daniel advanced to the 2021 U.S. Women's Open after winning her qualifier last week. A sophomore on the Mississippi State golf team, Daniel shot rounds of 71-68--139 to finish at 7-under par Thursday at the par-73 Kishwaukee Country Club. She was one of two qualifiers there out of 50 competitors at that site along with Celine Herbin of Doral, Florida. Herbin finished at 3 under. The U.S. Women's Open is set for June 3-6 at The Olympic Club in San Francisco. In 2015, Daniel became the first female from Louisiana to compete at Augusta National Golf Club when she took part in that year's Drive, Chip and Putt competition. She and her Mississippi State team will be the No. 12 seed in the NCAA Baton Rouge regional, May 10-12 at the University Club. Host LSU is the top seed. |
| Mississippi State softball wins first SEC series of the year against South Carolina | |
| Mississippi State softball entered the weekend series against South Carolina with just won Southeastern Conference victory all season. But the Bulldogs left Columbia with their first series win all year. MSU (27-22, 3-15 SEC) won Sunday's rubber match against South Carolina (25-22, 4-17) after an offensive explosion carried it to a 7-1 victory. "I think the biggest thing the offense did up and down the lineup was string together quality at-bats," head coach Samantha Ricketts said in a news release. "They didn't get too big and rely on the home run ball but took walks and marginal pitches in tough counts to make their pitching staff work a little bit harder. It was really great to see production from everybody. Montana (Davidson) had a great weekend in the nine-hole. Jackie McKenna as well. Chloe (Malau'ulu) was really setting the table all day long, and Fa (Leilua), when she finally gets pitched to, does what Fa does and is able to take one for a good knock-out punch for us." The Bulldogs host No. 16 Tennessee at 1 p.m. Wednesday for a doubleheader. The two contests were originally scheduled as part of the teams' series in April but were postponed to due positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing within the Tennessee program. |
| Mississippi State men's basketball brings back John Janovsky to coaching staff | |
| After a one-year absence, former Mississippi State men's basketball assistant coach John Janovsky is returning to Starkville. MSU head coach Ben Howland officially announced Monday Janovsky would replace the recently departed Michael Moyniham as the team's director of operations. Janovsky spent the past season as the director of operations at South Florida and was MSU's director of scouting and analytics in the 2019-2020 season. "We're very excited to have John back on our coaching staff," Howland said in a news release. "He does an outstanding job and is very conscientious and knowledgeable. John is familiar with our staff, our players, Mississippi State and the Starkville community. We're thrilled to have him back with our program." In Janovsky's lone season with the team, the Bulldogs finished 20-11 and finished fourth in the Southeastern Conference since 2010-2011 before the pandemic cut the season short. "I'm honored to have this opportunity to come back and be a part of Coach Howland's staff," Janovsky said. "Coach has had not only a tremendous impact on my professional life but also on personal life as a mentor for the last 20 years. My family and I are very excited to rejoin the Starkville community." |
| Former Diamond Dawg roundup: Brandon Woodruff continues early season dominance for Milwaukee Brewers | |
| Former Mississippi State standout pitcher Brandon Woodruff keeps on dealing for the Milwaukee Brewers. After six starts this season, the fireballing right-hander has yet to allow more than three earned runs in a single game and has pitched to a dazzling 1.55 ERA. In 29 innings of work, Woodruff has struck out 34 batters and only allowed eight walks. In his most recent start against the defending World Series champion L.A. Dodgers on Saturday, Woodruff notched a quality start with six innings of two-run ball and six strikeouts. Woodruff is projected to make his next start Thursday against the Phillies. While Woodruff's season has been impressive, it's hard to imagine any pitcher having a better start to the season than Seattle Mariners reliever Kendall Graveman. Graveman went all of April without allowing an earned run and that streak continued through Sunday's pair of games. On the year, Graveman has a perfect 0.00 ERA in 11.2 innings of work with 12 strikeouts, three walks and three saves. |
| Southern SEC states dominate in producing most NFL players per capita | |
| The NFL sure has some southern charm. This past week's NFL Draft was an SEC reunion of sorts. There were 65 players picked out of the SEC, the most of any conference in the country. The next closest was the Big 10 with 44. The SEC set an all-time record, breaking the previous record of 64 set by, yes, the SEC. It should be no surprise the list of states with the most players in the NFL per capita is dominated by those in the south. Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida round out the top five. South Carolina and Texas come in at No. 8 and No. 10, respectively. The stranglehold the SEC has on being the top conference in the country in producing NFL players should continue for years to come. Three of the top five 2021 recruiting classes -- No. 1 Alabama, No. 3 LSU and No. 4 Georgia -- belonged to SEC schools, according to 247Sports. The SEC's slogan is "It Just Means More." That might as well be in reference to NFL Draft picks. Every team in the SEC had at least one player picked in this year's draft. |
The Office of Public Affairs provides the Daily News Digest as a general information resource for Mississippi State University stakeholders.
Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.
