This weekend’s Division 1 college baseball teams’ conference championship hopes for Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Southern Mississippi might be on the line as all three schools have key conference games. Mississippi State will be hosting Super Bulldog Weekend and will host the Rebels in a three-game series beginning on Friday. Second place Southern Mississippi will travel to C-USA Western Division leader Louisiana Tech.
Mississippi State (24-7, 8-4) swept Auburn this past weekend to slip into a second place tie with Ole Miss (24-8, 8-4) in the Southeastern Conference Western Division. Ole Miss dropped 2-of-3 to Arkansas (26-7, 9-3) over the weekend. The Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (21-7, 9-3) are on a hot streak with seven straight C-USA wins. The Eagles will have a big challenge this weekend in Ruston when they tangle with the Bulldogs (24-7, 10-2). Tech won 3-of-4 games the last weekend of March in Hattiesburg against the Golden Eagles. Jackson State (21-7, 15-0) has all but claimed the SWAC Eastern Division title as the Tigers swept second place Alabama State this past weekend. The Tigers host Alcorn this weekend.
2021 Masters Golf Tournament
Hideki Matsuyama won by one stroke over Will Zalatoris to win the 85th Masters Tournament. Matsuyama became the first golfer from his homeland of Japan to capture the Masters.
JUCO News
The Lady Bobcats of Jones College (20-0) are the No. 1 seed in the NJCAA Women’s Basketball National Tournament. Jones earned a first-round bye in the tournament. The NJCAA Division 1 Women’s Basketball Tournament is set for April 19-24 in Lubbock, Texas. Jones downed Coahoma in the Region 23 Championship in Clinton to claim their fifth consecutive Region 23 championship. Holmes Community College won the Region 23 Men’s Title and will head to Hutchinson, Kansas, for the National Tournament also April 19-24.
The top two JUCO baseball teams in Pearl River and Itawamba split a doubleheader Sunday and are tied for first with 15-5 conference records.
Football News
The Jackson State Tigers fell to Alabama A&M, 52-43, in football action last Saturday. The Tigers (3-3) will play their season finale on April 24 versus Prairie View A&M. Mississippi Valley (0-3) lost on the road at Alabama State this past Saturday. This Saturday the Delta Devils will trek over to Texas Southern. The MSU football team will have their annual Maroon-White spring game on Saturday morning as part of Super Bulldog Weekend. Ole Miss will hold their spring football game at 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 24th. Five-time National Champion East Mississippi Community College is holding spring football practice after not having any football for the previous 17 months.
Tennessee State is copying Jackson State’s hiring of Deion Sanders as the Nashville school is set to name Eddie George as the program’s next head football coach. George played at Ohio State and won the Heisman Trophy in 1995. George was also inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame after eight stellar seasons with the Tennessee Titans.
Former Ole Miss football coach Hugh Freeze’s offensive coordinator Dan Werner has been hired as quarterback coach at Lafayette County High School in Oxford.
Notable Accomplishments
Sacred Heart and former Petal head baseball coach Larry Watkins became only the fourth Mississippi High School baseball coach to win at least 900 games. Gulf Coast Community College softball coach Kenneth Long won his 600th game while Newton County softball coach Justin Chaney captured his 400th fast pitch career win. Jones College baseball coach Chris Kirkland picked up his 200th career win Sunday in only his sixth season.
Mississippi State softball pitcher Annie Willis threw a no-hitter this past Saturday against Louisiana Tech. She fanned ten, walked one and hit a batter. Willis also threw a no-hitter last year.
San Diego Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove hurled the first no-hitter of the MLB season. The San Diego area native no-hitter was the first in Padre history as Musgrove no-hit the Texas Rangers.
Dale is a Waynesboro resident who has been writing sports since 1973.
