| Friday, May 29, 2026 |
| MSU receives inaugural Top Colleges for Innovation Award | |
 | Mississippi State is being honored for its commitment to forward-thinking campus solutions, earning a spot on Insight Into Academia's inaugural "Top Colleges for Innovation" list. Insight Into Academia, the nation's longest-running publication dedicated to advancing best practices in higher education, established this award to recognize institutions where innovation is central to the university's vision, strategy and measurable impact. MSU is the only university in Mississippi and the Southeastern Conference to be featured in the publication's upcoming June issue. "Innovation is a driving force here and is woven into Mississippi State's strategy, operations and culture," said Ra'sheda Forbes, MSU vice president for access, opportunity, and success. "This distinction further solidifies the ample work our staff and faculty do daily to ensure that we are taking care of our students in the ways they need." The award highlights institutions with faculty and staff who consistently reimagine teaching, research and administrative practices to meet the evolving needs of both students and employees. |
| MSU's Berry, White join elite class of national Astronaut Scholars | |
| Two Bulldog engineering majors have earned the prestigious title of Astronaut Scholar, a recognition reserved for the best and brightest science-focused undergraduates in the country. Madelyn "Sloan" Berry of Brandon and India "Alex" White of Saltillo are Mississippi State's latest recipients of the nationally renowned Astronaut Scholarship. They are among only 79 students nationwide receiving up to $15,000 and joining the national Astronaut Scholarship Foundation's lifelong network of professional mentors and peer researchers. Both Berry and White are members of MSU's Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College, and White was named a national Barry Goldwater Scholar this spring. Berry, a senior aerospace engineering major with a 4.0 GPA, is a Louis A. Hurst Jr. Presidential Endowed Scholarship recipient at MSU who plans to research composites and help build the next generation of high-speed aircraft after college. White, a senior biomedical engineering major also with a 4.0 GPA, is an MSU Luckyday Scholar who plans to lead her own lab, spearheading research and teaching in a hospital setting, helping advance breast cancer treatment options. MSU's Office of Prestigious External Scholarships connects students to competitive scholarships and fellowships and assists with their applications. |
| MSU's Berry, White join elite class of national Astronaut Scholars | |
 | According to an MSU press release, two Bulldog engineering majors have earned the prestigious title of Astronaut Scholar, a recognition reserved for the best and brightest science-focused undergraduates in the country. Madelyn "Sloan" Berry of Brandon and India "Alex" White of Saltillo are Mississippi State's latest recipients of the nationally renowned Astronaut Scholarship. They are among only 79 students nationwide receiving up to $15,000 and joining the national Astronaut Scholarship Foundation's lifelong network of professional mentors and peer researchers. Both Berry and White are members of MSU's Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College, and White was named a national Barry Goldwater Scholar this spring. Juniors and seniors intending to pursue research or advance their field upon completion of their final degrees are eligible for the Astronaut Scholarship. They are selected for their initiative, creativity and excellence in their chosen field. In addition to receiving a financial award, they enjoy networking and mentoring opportunities with astronauts, alumni and industry leaders; participation in the Michael Collins Family Professional Development Program; and a paid trip to attend ASF's Innovators Week and Gala in Houston, Texas, which provides an opportunity for the scholars to present their research at a technical conference. |
| University recognizes exemplary staff members during annual MSU Zacharias Awards | |
| Mississippi State is recognizing a dozen university staff members for their exemplary professionalism and dedication with this year's Donald W. Zacharias Distinguished Staff Awards. A tribute to the university's 15th president, the Zacharias awards were presented May 22 during the annual Staff Appreciation Day, organized by the MSU Staff Council. This year's Zacharias Distinguished Staff Award honorees are Brittany Adams, Delaney Foster, Brentson Hall, Mark Hall, Alexis Hamilton, Rhonda Hannah, Zack Ivy, MaryAnn Latham, Ashlee Reed, Donna Reese, Paige White and Tracy Wilcox. |
| It's not just high gas prices -- inflation is now spreading through the US economy | |
| Mississippi State University's Brian Blank and Appalachian State University's Brandy Hadley write for The Conversation: Americans don't need a press release to know that inflation is rising. Gasoline is above $4 per gallon amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and the release of key price data on May 28, 2026, underscores why policymakers are worried these pressures could spread into the broader economy. The report offered a mixed but still uncomfortable picture. The month-to-month rise was softer than expected, but the change year over year still points to concern: a 3.8% jump from a year earlier, the fastest pace since 2021, and a less volatile index that excludes food and energy up 3.3%. This increase suggests inflation isn't limited to gasoline. Housing, utilities and recreational spending are also keeping underlying inflation elevated, even as other data shows a slowing economy and weaker income growth. As finance and applied investments professors who study how businesses make decisions amid uncertainty, we have been watching this tension build. In our 2026 economic outlook, we warned that recession fears could persist alongside rising prices. Fresh inflation data now suggests the challenge may be deeper and longer lasting than many expected. |
| Mississippi investing $5 million in 3 forestry projects | |
| Mississippi is investing $5 million in three major forestry projects. Gov. Tate Reeves announced Thursday that the Mississippi Development Authority approved the funding through the state's forestry facility grant program to support infrastructure, transportation improvements, and site readiness in Choctaw County, the city of Gloster, and at family-owned wood product company Bell Timber, Inc. In Choctaw County, roughly $2,950,598 is being doled out to construct a publicly owned industrial access road, easing congestion tied to Southeastern Timber Products' expansion. The company opened its $123 million expanded site in Ackerman in October 2025. "Forestry continues to be a cornerstone of Mississippi's economy, and these investments make it easier for our communities to grow and compete. We're improving the infrastructure that keeps products moving and businesses expanding," Reeves said. "That means more opportunity, more jobs and a stronger future for Mississippians." |
| Tomatoes become latest symbol of America's affordability squeeze | |
 | Tomatoes, ubiquitous in everything from fast-food burgers to haute cuisine, are taking on a new role beyond the plate: A nagging reminder of rising costs. Prices for those red orbs have soared more than any other food product over the past year to cement a spot as one of the consumer headaches du jour. "The tomato has become a symbol of something much deeper," says Isaac Bernal Carbajo, a New York City chef who lamented life's "simplest pleasures" falling victim to price increases. "Something as basic as buying fresh vegetables is starting to become a serious financial decision for many families." Tomato prices are up about 40% over a year ago, according to the latest Consumer Price Index, dwarfing increases for other groceries, including coffee (up 18.5%), beef roasts (up 17.8%) and frozen fish and seafood (up 12%), among other products that have become symbols of America's affordability squeeze. Usha Haley, a Wichita State University economist, says it's "a perfect storm of trade policy, extreme weather and Mideast policy." |
| Why the U.S. cattle herd is at a 75-year low -- and what it means for beef prices | |
 | Beef has long been an iconic and beloved staple of the American diet, from barbecue to hamburgers and steaks. Even as retail prices have soared recently, U.S. demand for beef has remained strong. Yet the U.S. cattle herd, including both beef and dairy cattle, is the smallest it has been in three-quarters of a century. Domestic producers had 86.2 million head of cattle on the first day of this year, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data, the lowest number since 1951. A number of factors have been pushing livestock numbers down, including rising costs, drought, international competition and increased consolidation in the cattle industry. Now, there are fewer American farmers and ranchers than there were even a few years ago, according to Bill Bullard, CEO of the cattle and sheep producers group R-CALF USA. "We have likewise lost the cows that they once maintained," he said. "So we have seen our herd shrink at an alarming rate for the past several decades." Farmers and ranchers say expenses such as those for diesel fuel, equipment parts, fertilizer and even the animals themselves are all up. |
| Americans Are Falling Behind on Their $1.25 Trillion Credit-Card Bill | |
 | After working all day as an operations director at a busy New England hospital, Catherine Clarke would lie awake at night wondering where she went wrong. Despite her $194,000 salary, Clarke's Chase Sapphire credit-card balance had crept up to $15,000. She could afford the $572 monthly minimum, but with a 26% interest rate, it barely made a dent. Like many Americans, Clarke, who is 42 years old, was pushed to her financial limit by the one-two punch of inflation and the highest interest rates in decades. She avoided going out with friends to save money, and considered taking a second job as a receptionist at her gym. She imagined something terrible befalling her, and her parents discovering her mounting credit-card bills. "It felt very similar to a struggle with weight," Clarke said. "It doesn't happen overnight. It happens slowly, and then suddenly, you're like 'Oh, crap, my pants don't fit.'" In the first quarter of this year, the percentage of credit-card balances that were at least 90 days delinquent rose to 13.12%, according to data released in May by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. That's the highest level in 15 years, and the most since the period following the 2008 financial crisis. |
| Despite drop in latest public health emergency preparedness ranking, Mississippi's State Health Officer remains confident | |
| Even though Mississippi's public health emergency preparedness performance ranking has fallen, State Health Officer Dr. Daniel Edney remains confident of the systems in place to protect the public. Trust for America's Health Ready or Not 2026: Protecting the Public's Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism report evaluates the nation's readiness in 2025 for public health emergencies through 10 indicators of state preparedness, including healthcare workforce mobility, state public health funding, laboratory surge planning, access to paid sick leave, and community water system safety. Across the nation, 20 states were listed in the high-performance tier, 17 states and the District of Columbia were in the middle-performance tier, and 13 states were in the low-performance tier. Mississippi is ranked among the lowest of the three performance tiers. Yet, as Dr. Edney said, until last year, Mississippi regularly ranked among the top of the three tiers used by Trust for America's Health to rank the states. The ranking scores each state on its public health emergency preparedness performance. Edney attributed the drop in Mississippi's ranking to several factors, including changes to the ranking system and uncompleted responses. |
| Mississippi lawmakers review Rural Health Transformation Program | |
 | Mississippi lawmakers gained insight from a group about how the Rural Health Transformation Program is being used in other states. Lawmakers on health care committees in the House and Senate heard from State Health and Value Strategies on Thursday. They informed lawmakers there are only two states administering the program through the governor's office. Those states are Mississippi and New Hampshire. Gov. Tate Reeves (R-Miss.) announced the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services awarded Mississippi nearly $206 million through the Rural Health Transformation Program. Lawmakers sent Reeves a bill that would give more oversight over the federal funds. The governor vetoed the bill, saying it would slow down the process. "By no means will we ever slowing down the process. We were just putting in statute priorities and transparency," said State Rep. Sam Creekmore IV (R-District 14). |
| Supreme Court rules for Black death row inmate from Mississippi over racial bias in makeup of jury | |
| The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled for a Black death row inmate from Mississippi who claims there was racial bias in the makeup of the jury that convicted him. By a 5-4 vote, the justices sided with Terry Pitchford, who was sentenced to death for his role in the killing of a grocery store owner. "In this case, whether due to confusion, oversight, an overly hurried jury selection process, or some other cause, things broke down," Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote for the court. Chief Justice John Roberts and the court's three liberal justices joined with Kavanaugh. There were 11 white jurors and one Black juror in a trial with similarities to that of another Black man on Mississippi's death row, whose conviction the high court overturned seven years ago. It's unclear what happens next in Pitchford's case. |
| Civil rights groups sue Mississippi over panhandling law | |
| Two civil rights organizations filed a federal lawsuit challenging Mississippi's panhandling law, arguing it violates constitutional rights by requiring people to pay for a permit before asking strangers for help. The Southern Poverty Law Center and the ACLU of Mississippi are suing the state over its Solicitation Act, House Bill 1197, which went into effect in July 2025. The law prevents people from asking for money or holding signs on Mississippi streets and public sidewalks without a permit in cities that did not opt out of enforcement. "Our clients can't afford to pay $25 per day to ask for help," said Micah West, senior supervising attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center. The groups argue the law amounts to a price tag on free speech rather than a legitimate permit requirement. They claim it violates First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. "We all have a right to ask for help and to ask for charity when we are sick, when we are homeless and when we're hungry," West said. "This act violates our plaintiff's rights and the rights of everyone in the state to ask for help and communicate with each other without having to ask permission from the government first and to pay the government to speak." The lawsuit names the Department of Public Safety and Capitol Police as defendants. |
| U.S., Iran nearing deal to end war and reopen Strait of Hormuz | |
 | The United States and Iran have reached a tentative agreement to end their months-long war in the Middle East, senior officials on both sides said Thursday, but it comes with the major caveat that President Donald Trump and his counterparts in Tehran are reviewing it. Senior U.S. officials acknowledged the framework deal following a night in which U.S. and Iranian forces exchanged drone and missile fire in the region, highlighting the shaky nature of the ceasefire that was declared in April. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters at the White House that the tentative agreement is "multifaceted" and awaiting Trump's potential approval. "He has several red lines," Bessent said of the president's review, later adding: "He's not going to take a bad deal." Continued fighting between Israel, America's partner against Iran, and Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group in Lebanon, has also affected efforts to reach a comprehensive deal. |
| AI companies want power fast. The electric grid's gatekeeper wants them to learn the rules. | |
 | The top U.S. energy regulator spoke bluntly to a room of industry executives at their biggest annual conference earlier this spring. Laura Swett, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, said the giants of artificial intelligence -- the ones with Washington lobbying teams and huge financial stakes in quickly linking up their AI data centers to the U.S. power grid -- weren't coming to see her. When they did, she said, they weren't on the same page as the utilities and regulators that manage the nation's power system. "The hyperscalers, when they do come speak to us, they don't speak FERC," Swett said. "Their complaints about the utilities, quite frankly, to me show a lack of understanding of how the utilities normally function and how the grid functions." Since that March gathering, those AI developers have been learning the language, according to multiple people in the tech industry. Swett's remarks set off a two-month sprint to further engage with FERC in face-to-face meetings as the commission approaches a June release for its proposal that aims to bring data centers onto the big regional electric grids -- at a faster pace than the likely five- to-10-year timeline that frontier AI companies say is too slow for the fast-moving technology. |
| Ohio suspends data center tax break as tech firms face pressure to pay the cost to power AI | |
| Ohio, one of the nation's data center destination hot spots, is suspending a tax break that has been critical to its competition with other states to attract the massive new facilities that power and train artificial intelligence chatbots. The move Wednesday by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine comes as tax breaks for energy-hungry AI data centers are increasingly playing a role in state budgets and the industry is under pressure to pay the full costs of the vast network of its computing warehouses needed to power AI. The size of Ohio's tax break skyrocketed, dwarfing previous projections, as opposition to data centers is sweeping through cities, suburbs and towns there and prompting lawmakers to form a committee to study the impact. In the meantime, residents are trying to bypass the GOP-controlled Legislature and get a referendum on November's midterm election ballot that's designed to permanently ban hyperscale data centers, likely the strictest such statewide ban under consideration in the U.S. |
| Corporate America Is Starting to Ration AI as Cost Skyrockets | |
| Use of artificial intelligence by big companies is exploding -- and the soaring cost has some of them pumping the brakes in a way that could complicate AI's triumphal march across the economy. Executives across industries this year have urged employees to integrate AI tools into their work, spending freely to encourage experimentation and seeking to send a message to Wall Street that their companies won't be left behind in a coming wave of disruption. All that enthusiasm has resulted in skyrocketing costs for so-called tokens, the basic unit of measurement for AI computing, as AI model providers seek to balance supply and demand and manage their own costs. Some enterprises have hit their annual budget in just three months or reported seeing their AI spending bills double or triple. Now corporate leaders are scrambling to bring down expenses by finding ways to ration AI use in their organizations, steer workers toward cheaper, homegrown tools and help them hone their skills to improve returns. |
| JSU breaks ground on new $21.7 million dining facility | |
| Jackson State University broke ground on a new state-of-the-art dining facility on Tuesday supported by legislative and auxiliary funds that will cost approximately $21.7 million dollars. The Tiger Dining Hall is slated for completion in summer 2027 and will accommodate up to 550 guests, offering a customizable dining space for students to study, engage with peers in between classes, and eat fresh, healthy food options. The Tiger Dining Hall will transform areas such as JSU's former Department of Public Safety building and surrounding parking lots into a beautiful 26,000 square foot facility that connects to the JSU Student Center. |
| Q&A: Jackson State President Denise Jones Gregory shares the path ahead for the university | |
| Denise Jones Gregory took the helm as president of Jackson State University in a permanent capacity on May 1 after serving as the interim president. She enters a role that has been marked by years of turmoil, with several of her predecessors leaving unexpectedly or amid controversy. Gregory, a JSU alumna, said she hopes to bring stability to the university. As she settles into her role, Mississippi Today asked her to outline the challenges she sees ahead for the state's largest historically Black university. Gregory said that while she, like all university presidents, is concerned about funding and budgets, she is particularly focused on relationships because effective leadership is about "trust, communication and shared purpose." The following email responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity. |
| Federal judge rules against U. of Alabama student publications shut down over DEI | |
 | A federal court last week declined to issue a preliminary injunction against the University of Alabama that would have reinstated two suspended student publications. U.S. District Judge Edmund LaCour Jr., a former Alabama solicitor general, wrote in the opinion issued last Friday that UA's decision to suspend Alice, a magazine targeted at women, and Nineteen Fifty-Six, which wrote on issues related to UA's Black student community, did not partake in viewpoint discrimination. "UA retains authority to regulate content and speaker access in a limited public forum, provided its regulations are reasonable and not a pretext for viewpoint discrimination. Here, the University has, at most, made selections based on content, not viewpoint," he wrote. Mike Hiestand, senior legal counsel for the Student Press Law Center, an organization that works to advance and defend the rights of student journalists, said in a statement Tuesday the judge's decision "flies in the face of nearly six decades of student press law." "Not only does the ruling permit the University of Alabama to get away with a blatant example of censorship, but it also jeopardizes the First Amendment rights of college student journalists nationwide," the statement said. |
| Judge weighs free speech, offensive posts in U. of Florida student expulsion case | |
 | A federal judge in Gainesville heard final testimony May 28 in the case of a former University of Florida law student who says the university violated his free speech rights by expelling him over antisemitic posts he made on X. In late March 2025, Preston Damsky, 30, wrote on X that "Jews must be abolished by any means necessary." Several other X posts shared in the case peddled antisemitic tropes, stereotypes and conspiracy theories and made disparaging remarks against Black people and immigrants. Shortly after Damsky was expelled in September 2025, he sued UF Dean of Students Chris Summerlin for what he described as violating his First Amendment rights. In that case, U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor ordered Damsky reinstated to UF. Then, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an administrative stay -- a temporary hold on the judge's ruling after UF argued Damsky posed a violent threat to the campus community. UF reaffirmed its position that Damsky's post constituted a threat of violence during the trial. Final briefs are due to Winsor by June 26, after which he will issue a ruling, he said. |
| U. of Missouri investigates four hazing incidents since passage of federal law | |
 | Since a federal law passed in 2024 to require mandatory hazing reports, the University of Missouri has investigated four incidents, including one during the 2025-2026 school year. In the most recent incident, reported in February, an investigation found that new members of Phi Delta Theta had to throw food at one another and clean it up. They were also blindfolded, directed to stand on an elevated surface and then told to drop a glass bottle and jump, landing on a mattress. No one was hurt, and alcohol was not present, but the investigation found the incident could reasonably have caused psychological pressure. The fraternity was put on disciplinary probation until February 2027, in addition to required hazing prevention education and coaching. Since the federal Stop Campus Hazing Act passed two years ago, Mizzou has increased its efforts to curb hazing on campus. |
| Some NC State students are on the verge of going hungry. One makes sure they won't | |
| As a teen, Alyssa Griffin didn't imagine that college students could really go hungry. "Aren't they all rich kids?" she thought. But during her time as an undergraduate at Plymouth State University in her home state of New Hampshire, she realized she had been wrong. That's when she first became involved with campus food pantries. And she hasn't stopped. Now, Griffin is at NC State University, getting her doctorate in atmospheric science. She is also the manager of Feed the Pack, a food pantry that serves more than 300 NC State students, staff, and faculty per week. It's a big job. She manages volunteers and staff, coordinates food pick-ups, works on hunger relief efforts across campus, ensures food safety, and manages data systems on visits and inventory. In college, when young people are often on their own for the first time, surviving on ramen noodles is a common quip. But there's a fine line between a joke and genuinely not knowing where your next fresh vegetable is going to come from. A 2024 survey of NC State students found that 30% of students reported food insecurity, according to the university -- seven percentage points higher than the national average. |
| European Academics Shun U.S. Business Conference Over Trump Fears | |
 | Many European academics are opting out of one of the largest annual gatherings for business scholars because it is being held in the U.S., citing concerns over data privacy, their opposition to travel bans and the political climate under the Trump administration. The U.S.-based Academy of Management meeting is set to take place on July 31 in Philadelphia. The AOM gathering typically draws up to 14,000 participants from around the world, but early registration figures suggest that this year's event will be attended by only about half the usual figure, according to the Financial Times. Following the growing backlash, the AOM announced its decision to move next year's meeting from Seattle to Vienna. Subsequent conferences are also set to be held outside the U.S.: Toronto in 2028, Frankfurt in 2029 and London in 2030 -- the latest of several conferences to bypass the U.S. A recent push by European countries and the European Union to attract U.S. academics and those who would typically opt for the U.S. has led to a debate over whether the continent could emerge as a viable, long-term alternative base for academics. |
| White House Aims to Establish Political Oversight of Federal Grants | |
| The White House is advancing a sweeping rule change that would give administration officials more power over billions of dollars in federal grants. The regulations seek to codify that Trump officials have the right to keep doing what they started last year: canceling thousands of grants that they said didn't align with the president's priorities, and shooting down new ones for the same reason. The proposed rules would set up a process for this political review, possibly helping insulate it from legal challenges that stymied the administration in the past. Among many other changes, the rules direct "senior appointees" at federal agencies to take charge of awarding and terminating new and existing research grants and other federal awards -- a change that reflects an August executive order. "Federal agencies must perform pre-issuance reviews to ensure that federal award proposals selected for funding are consistent with applicable law, federal agency priorities, and the national interest," the proposed regulations say, adding that "federal agencies heads [sic] must designate one or more senior appointees" to review "all discretionary awards." The more than 400-page document, which research and higher ed advocacy groups say they are currently combing through, goes further than just implementing the August executive order, which raised alarms about political interference in science. |
SPORTS
| Hattiesburg, Starkville regionals to generate millions in economic impact | |
| As tens of thousands of fans descend on Hattiesburg and Starkville for NCAA regional play this weekend, both college towns are expecting an economic boost as the first round of postseason baseball brings not only visitors but also their spending power. Tourism officials in both cities said hotels are filling quickly, restaurants are seeing more reservations and walk-ins, and local businesses are preparing for one of their busiest weekends of the year. Combined, regionals at Southern Miss and Mississippi State are expected to generate tens of millions of dollars in economic activity. While Hattiesburg officials provided projections ahead of the weekend, Starkville officials said they will not have formal economic impact figures until about a month afterward. Still, they are pointing to strong early indicators, including expectations of a sold-out weekend with hotels and rentals filling up and retailers staying busy. "The [economic impact] means so much. We always hear with retail about the dreaded J-months," Visit Starkville Director of Main Street Paige Watson said, referring to the slower days of summer in most college towns. "But starting June with a bang is just going to be great for us. We're excited, and our retailers are open." Tourism officials say another key factor in drawing opposing fans to local regionals comes down to one word: hospitality. |
| Bulldogs Bring Postseason Baseball Back To The Dude | |
| The road back to Omaha will begin in a familiar place for No. 17 Mississippi State. Five years after turning a postseason run through Dudy Noble Field into the program's first national championship, the Diamond Dawgs are back hosting in Starkville and carrying the No. 1 seed into this weekend's NCAA Regional. MSU opens against No. 4 seed Lipscomb at 1 p.m. Friday on ESPN+, looking to turn one of college baseball's best home-field advantages into the first step of another June push. The Starkville Regional features No. 1 seed Mississippi State, No. 2 seed Cincinnati, No. 3 seed Louisiana and No. 4 seed Lipscomb. Cincinnati and Louisiana will meet at 6 p.m. Friday on ESPN+ after the Diamond Dawgs' opener. Saturday's elimination game is scheduled for 3 p.m., followed by the winner's bracket game at 8 p.m. Game 5 will begin Sunday at 2 p.m., with Game 6 set for 7 p.m. A Monday game, if necessary, has not yet been assigned a time. The regional winner will advance to face the winner of the Athens Regional. |
| Mississippi State opens NCAA Regional at Dudy Noble with Omaha expectations rising | |
| NCAA Tournament baseball is returning to one of college baseball's most electric environments. For the first time since Mississippi State's national championship run in 2021, postseason baseball will once again be played at Dudy Noble Field, as the No. 14 national seed Bulldogs prepare to host the Starkville Regional this weekend. Mississippi State enters the NCAA Tournament with momentum, confidence and expectations that extend far beyond simply surviving the opening weekend. In Brian O'Connor's first season leading the program, the Bulldogs have re-established themselves as one of the Southeastern Conference's most dangerous teams and one of the more complete clubs in the national field. Now, the road to Omaha runs through Starkville. The atmosphere at Dudy Noble Field has become one of the sport's defining environments over the last decade, especially in June when the stakes intensify and the crowds grow louder. For players like Noah Sullivan and Ace Reese, who transferred to Starkville specifically to experience postseason baseball at Dudy Noble, the moment carries personal weight. "It's special," Sullivan said Thursday. "We're excited to get going tomorrow. We work all year -- the past two years, all the transfers, and everybody that's on the team this year -- to play at home. That's what this fan base and these facilities are here for." |
| USA Today reports: Mississippi State University has the best college baseball stadium | |
 | Video: Dudy Noble Field has been named by USA Today as the 2026 best stadium in college baseball. |
| Softball: Bulldogs Drop WCWS Opener To No. 4 Texas Tech | |
| No. 20 Mississippi State lost its opening game at the Women's College World Series to No. 4 Texas Tech, 8-0. The Red Raiders (58-7) opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the first. They plated two more runs in the second before scoring four with the help of two errors in the fifth. "You could tell we were a little bit different during BP today, tried to get them out of that," head coach Samantha Ricketts said. "It didn't really turn it on until the fourth inning for us. That mindset and that switch and that approach that we expect and that we know how to do, that we showed last weekend, has to start right now. It's the belief that we belong here, we're here to compete, that we expect to win, that we're going to play Mississippi State softball and let it fall where it may. They need to start talking about that and believing it now, not when it's too late tomorrow night." The Bulldogs will now play in Friday night's elimination game at 6 p.m. CT. |
| How Mississippi State bonded with a broccoli-wielding fan and went on a Cinderella run | |
| After failing to make the high school baseball team, Jim Stewart Allen spent afternoons running laps around the track, usually still in his jeans. A friend suggested Allen join the track and cross-country teams. So he did. "I was terrible," he said. "But I really enjoyed it." Allen rarely beat anyone to the finish line. But he never quit a race or stopped running in practice. Every season, he was voted "most inspirational." "That gave me quite a bit of pride," he said. "I might be slow. ... But I'm doing it because I love it." Allen, 37, has always loved sports. And he has found a way to belong in them, as a superfan waving broccoli like pom-poms while dancing nonstop in the bleachers. That's how Allen ended up at this year's Women's College World Series supporting the Mississippi State Bulldogs, the team that's embraced him and his vegetable of choice. "I'm a fan of the kindness and the good energy in sports," Allen said. "I follow the energy." Two years ago, Allen found that energy in softball. Two weeks ago in Oregon, he found it in the Bulldogs -- and he has followed them since on their Cinderella run all the way to Oklahoma City. |
| Mike Leach makes College Football Hall of Fame ballot four years after his death | |
| Mike Leach is one step closer to joining the College Football Hall of Fame. Leach, who passed away in 2022, is officially on the ballot among coaches under consideration for induction into the Hall of Fame's Class of 2027, sources told On3. On Monday, the National Football Foundation (NFF) will release the ballot to be voted on for induction into the Hall of Fame's Class of 2027, a source said. The Hall of Fame inductees won't be announced until January 2027 with the ceremony to honor the Class of 2027 in December from Las Vegas. Last May, the NFF lowered the eligibility criteria for coaches to get into the Hall from a winning percentage of 60% to 59.5%, opening the door for Leach, who was at 59.6% at Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State. Leach was nominated for the Class of 2027, as required for consideration, by Mississippi State, a source said. "He is incredibly deserving," said Auburn athletic director John Cohen, who hired Leach at Mississippi State in 2020. "He was a college football pioneer. He had a lot of characteristics not typical of anyone, such as his creativity and sense of humor." Despite Leach's uniqueness, Cohen said he hired Leach for his ability to win football games. |
| Track & Field: Rougetet Books Second Consecutive Ticket To Eugene | |
| Mississippi State track and field concluded the second day of competition at the NCAA East First Rounds, with another ticket secured for the national championship. Marie Rougetet started the day off in strong fashion, taking the regional title in the hammer. She officially joined the 70m club with her personal best of 70.16m throw, setting a new program record. Her mark was the farthest throw between both the east and west regions. De'Kayla Simpson was the first Bulldog on the track, earning a 51.58 finish in the 400m. Her time improves on the program's freshman record and is the second fastest mark in program history. She will race in the 400m quarterfinals on Saturday after earning a time-qualification spot. Ife Adisa continued the action on the track, earning an automatic qualifying spot to the 800m quarterfinals. Her 2:03.02 finish secured third in her section, and she will race in the next round of the 800m on Saturday. Anje Nel concluded the action on day two, running 58.04 in the 400m hurdles. Her finish earns her a time qualifying spot in Saturday's quarterfinals and moves her to the No. 3 spot on the MSU all-time list. |
| Mississippi saw record turkey season in 2026 | |
| Mississippi set a turkey harvesting record in 2026. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks said Thursday that the most recent turkey season yielded 17,907 birds being reported through the state's game check platform. The figure surpassed the previous record of 15,498 birds set in 2024 and is the highest number that has been reported since the state implemented mandatory harvest reporting in 2019. Multiple Wildlife Management Areas also recorded historic harvests with some setting all-time records for bird numbers and others reaching harvest levels not seen in more than 40 years, officials say. Biologists contend several factors may have contributed to the record turkey harvest in 2026, including strong hatches, increased hunter numbers, and favorable spring weather. The 2026 spring season also marked the first year of the wild turkey stamp in Mississippi. Passed as Senate Bill 2280 during the 2025 legislative session, the stamp created a hunter-based source of funding for wild turkey conservation efforts across the state. During the 2026 spring season, a reported 31,177 hunters purchased a wild turkey stamp. |
| SEC commissioner noncommital on LSU coach Lane Kiffin reprimand for Vanity Fair comments | |
 | Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey was noncommittal Thursday when asked if reprimands from the league office were forthcoming for LSU football coach Lane Kiffin and Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian. "You'll find out when I make decisions," Sankey told reporters at the conclusion of the SEC Spring Meetings at the Sandestin Hilton. A report earlier this week said Kiffin might be sanctioned for comments he made in a recent Vanity Fair cover story, saying recruits at Ole Miss told him: " 'We really like you, but my grandparents aren't letting me move to Oxford, Mississippi.' "That doesn't come up when you say Baton Rouge, Louisiana," Kiffin said. "Parents were sitting here this weekend saying the campus' diversity feels so great. 'It feels like there's no segregation, and we want that for our kid because that's the real world.'" Kiffin later attempted to clarify his quote in an interview with USA Today. In a separate interview, Sarkisian spoke to USA Today about inequities in academic standards across schools by taking a shot at Ole Miss. Sankey reiterated that he has "addressed those issues directly in each meeting this week" with coaches and athletic directors regarding public comments. |
| Could the SEC actually govern itself? With college sports in dire straits, more options are on the table | |
| As she exited the Sandestin Hilton here after the SEC's annual spring administrative meetings, Donde Plowman, the Tennessee chancellor and chair of the league's presidential board, had something on her mind. "Do you know how many firms on the Fortune 500 list were on that list 25 years ago?" she asked aloud. "It's about 20%. Most organizations would rather die than change and most do die. I'm not saying we are dying. But we must change." The SEC's presidents and chancellors did not take action on any items this week. There was no vote on a future governance model, no decision on the long-discussed split from the NCAA or a creation of their own rules and enforcement. However, there are signs here that something drastic is afoot. For the first time since 2003, the league capped off spring meetings without a "business session," where presidents normally adopt bylaw changes -- an indication that the conference is possibly on its way to something grander this summer. Commissioner Greg Sankey offered subtle suggestions of impending decisions, telling reporters to "stay tuned." And perhaps most notably, the league presented to its presidents and chancellors several future governance models on Wednesday during a closed-door session with the commissioner and conference staff, including -- in a landmark moment -- a collective bargaining framework. |
| Policy shaper Cody Campbell asks college sports leaders to give bipartisan fix-it bill a chance | |
| An architect of the Senate bill that proposes to solve problems engulfing college sports says he heard the criticism right away, along with conversations of breakaway conferences and collective bargaining as ways to combat the industry's ever-spiraling spending. Cody Campbell's response to that talk: You broke it, we're trying to fix it. "My take is, it's pretty rich for these people who created the problem in the first place to say that all of the sudden, they have the solution to the problem," he said. The billionaire head of the Texas Tech board of regents spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday, a day after Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., presented a bipartisan bill they hope can put teeth behind a lot of rules already in place to guide college sports through its multibillion-dollar metamorphosis. While leaders of conferences and the NCAA said they would review the bill to decide whether to support it, critics emerged almost as quickly |
| College Sports Protect Act has power conferences in wait-and-see mode | |
 | While leaders of the four power conferences in college sports took encouraging but wait-and-see approaches to the proposed "Protect College Sports Act of 2026" in their public statements, the bipartisan bill led by U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has been met with both wholesale and granular resistance. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) blasted the legislative measure proposed Wednesday, May 27, by Cantwell and Cruz as thwarting the potential earnings of student-athletes while doing nothing to address the six-, seven- and eight-figure earnings of college administrators and coaches. "We are all still reading this bill, but its primary effect seems to be to limit the compensation of athletes while protecting the huge salaries of all the adults -- coaches, (athletics directors), sports industry executives -- who are getting rich off the performance of the players," Murphy said in a statement provided to USA TODAY Sports. "And it gives the NCAA an antitrust exemption that no other industry gets just so they can keep underpaying the athletes." |
| Meet the man behind the Savannah Bananas' moves | |
| It's the middle of the sixth inning at Texas A&M's Kyle Field, the fourth-largest football stadium in the country, and the Savannah Bananas are leading the Texas Tailgaters 3-0. There's a chance some in this throng of 102,000 came to College Station to watch great baseball in early May. But the majority, many of whom arrived at the stadium more than seven hours before game time, are here for what comes next. Players from both teams sprint into formation as Diplo drops a beat from a set of turntables at second base. Country-hip hop influencer Adrien Nunez strides in from right field belting the opening line of a song he and the multitime Grammy winner just debuted at Stagecoach. Nunez drops to one knee as the Bananas' dancing first-base coach, Maceo Harrison, jogs toward him, side flips over his head and lands in sync with the surrounding performers. The crowd erupts. But what these fans likely don't know is that Harrison taught the roughly 50 dancers on the field with him, including both teams' players, every step of this routine yesterday. Before joining Banana Ball, few of them had any dance or theatrical training. Now, they perform with the polish of a seasoned touring company. That's because Harrison deftly designs routines that emphasize charisma over technical precision and spotlight the teams' natural showmen while camouflaging the players with two left feet. He also has the rare skill set -- and patience -- to teach dances to athletes who, not long ago, didn't know an 8-count from a full count. |
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