| Tuesday, June 2, 2026 |
| MSU's Berry, White join elite class of national Astronaut Scholars | |
 | 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. |
| Seven MSU-Meridian outstanding students recognized during spring commencement | |
 | According to an MSU press release, seven MSU-Meridian graduates were recognized as outstanding students during spring commencement exercises for their exemplary academic performance. Christopher Alan Burrow of Ridgeland, who earned a Doctor of Education in Educational Policy and Organizational Design, said he plans to continue to serve as an associate state superintendent with the Mississippi Department of Education. Catherine Grace Compton of Scooba, a physical therapist assistant at Noxubee General Hospital, graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Applied Science through MSU's College of Professional and Continuing Studies. Makaela Davis of Flowery Brand, Georgia, plans to advance her bachelor's degree in Healthcare Administration to the master's level. Jason Frulla of Union, a husband and father of three adult children, two of whom graduated from MSU, received a Master of Arts in Teaching. Alexis Grant of Starkville graduated with a Master of Physician Assistant Studies degree and plans to work in dermatology, she said. Joshua Johnson of Meridian graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and said he hopes to work with Alzheimer's patients. Jordan Smith of Mooreville graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. |
| 2025 Mississippi 4-H President visits Starkville to discuss the changing face of the club | |
| For many, the mention of 4-H conjures up images of livestock showing and gardening, but the youth organization is changing with the times. Morgan White, the 2025 Mississippi 4-H President, was in Starkville today talking about the changing face of the club. The traditional agricultural and homemaking activities are still available and popular, but there are also things like shooting sports, and later this month, there is an event where LEGOS projects will be judged. There are also things like public speaking and leadership. White says it's a chance for young people to find their passion or maybe even a potential career path, and sometimes there are surprises along the way. |
| SOCSD honors district retirees ahead of school year's end | |
| Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District hosted the annual Retiree Luncheon on May 26 to honor 16 staff members who are retiring after the 2025-2026 school year. The event was sponsored by the district's partner, Community Bank of Starkville. Superintendent Tony McGee, Board of Trustees President Sumner Davis and Community Bank staff members spoke to retirees during the luncheon held at Harveys Bulldog Boardroom. In addition to a plaque honoring their service, employees received a gift bag from bank sponsors. This year's retiring employees have more than 300 years of combined service to the Yellow Jacket family across various school campuses as well as SOCSD's Child Nutrition and Transportation departments. Davis commented on how this group of staff members has served well through many changes in the district and community. McGee echoed the board president as he congratulated the staff members for a job well done. "Public education is a primary driving force for successful communities," McGee said. "Your service to our district and our families has helped us achieve a lot of success over the years, and it has made a huge difference for our community." |
| America's New Financial Middle: Not in Crisis, Not Thriving Either | |
 | Nicholas Wallace, by his own estimation, isn't experiencing a financial crisis. But he wouldn't say he is thriving, either. The 34-year-old has a full-time job at a plastics manufacturer, as well as health insurance and a retirement account. He and his wife together make $90,000 a year in Madison, Wis. They consider themselves middle class. But food and gas costs keep eating into their budget. Recently, Wallace took a second job answering calls at a veterinary clinic. "We're like, 'Oh, my God, what if we have an emergency?'" he said. "Are we going to be able to stand up from that?'" Some 51% of U.S. adults place themselves alongside Wallace in this financial gray area, according to a new survey by Edward Jones and Gallup, their first on the topic. The survey, expected to be released Tuesday, labels this group financially "conflicted," with respondents describing feeling a mix of stability and uncertainty. Roughly 5,000 people were polled in late March and early April. People feel conflicted because they are weighing more than today's bills, according to Penny Pennington, managing partner at Edward Jones. They are looking ahead at the schools their children and grandchildren might attend, the lives they will lead and the cost of making it possible. |
| Mississippi homelessness rises nearly 20% as providers point to cost-of living pressures | |
 | A new federal report is shedding light on why more people say they are seeing homelessness across Mississippi. The 2025 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report identifies Mississippi as one of the states with the largest increases in homelessness nationwide. According to the report, homelessness in the state rose nearly 20 percent between 2024 and 2025, placing Mississippi among a small group of states experiencing some of the sharpest year-over-year increases. he report found that about four out of every 10,000 people in Mississippi are currently unhoused. Local service providers say the increase reflects growing financial pressure on residents. Service providers said the biggest reason is simple: people can't afford to keep up with the cost of living. At Stewpot Community Services in Jackson, Executive Director Jill Buckley said many people who manage to secure housing still struggle to remain stable. |
| Mississippi prepares to distribute rural health grants | |
| Mississippi will begin accepting applications for the first round of rural health grants in mid-June, with more than a billion dollars in federal funding available over the next five years to expand and improve rural health care. Program leaders announced during an hour-long webinar that the first grants will focus on capital investments, telehealth expansion and health technology upgrades. The application window runs from June 15 through July 15. "Just think big. And that's what we're here for -- ideas -- and trying to innovate in Mississippi," said Richard Grimes, project director of the Mississippi Rural Health Transformation Office. The funding aims to address gaps in rural health care, where fewer providers can mean longer waits and longer travel times for patients. At the Capitol, lawmakers previously raised questions about transparency. The Legislature passed a bill meant to add oversight, but Gov. Tate Reeves vetoed it. He argued it could slow the process and risk missing federal deadlines. Lawmakers said the bill would not have directed spending. "I'm just a little disappointed we didn't get more input. Our goal was to put guardrails in place," said Rep. Sam Creekmore, chairman of the House Public Health Committee. |
| Miss. senator drafting bill to legalize chemical castration for educators convicted of sex crimes against children | |
 | State Senator Michael McLendon (R-Hernando) has announced his intent to introduce legislation in response to recent child sexual misconduct cases involving educators in Mississippi. McLendon said in a social media post Monday that he plans to introduce the "School Predator Accountability Act" during the next legislative session. "Predators belong in prison, not in our classrooms," said McLendon. "The School Predator Accountability Act closes loopholes, exposes bad actors, protects whistleblowers, empowers parents, and ensures those who target children face consequences that follow them for life." The legislative package includes the "Educator Chemical Castration Eligibility Act," which would authorize courts to order chemical castration for offenders convicted of committing sexual crimes against minors while serving as educators. McLendon also wants to require school districts to notify parents of any child sex crime arrests involving employees within three hours. |
| Mississippi developer plans to move forward with data center plans, even as state declines to give ruling | |
| A Mississippi company plans to move forward in building a private power plant and an artificial intelligence industrial campus. State utility regulators, though, declined to make a ruling on the project, calling the developer's request for an opinion "premature" and "hypothetical." The state's two largest power companies are protesting the effort, arguing the project would classify it as a public utility. "We're celebrating the ruling of the Public Service Commission," said Gabriel Prado, CEO & president of PraCon Global Investment Group, the developer of the project and a slew of others throughout the Jackson metro area, including Topgolf in Ridgeland and a luxury apartment complex in Fondren. The Jackson metro area, which includes Ridgeland, is in Entergy Mississippi's service territory, meaning the company has exclusive rights to sell power there. On Friday, the PSC, which regulates public utility providers in the state, declined to issue an opinion saying that it did not have enough information. Central District Public Service Commissioner De'Keither Stamps told Mississippi Today that Prado didn't answer "basic" questions, such as how many tenants the power would serve. |
| Tuberville to headline MSGOP gala | |
| The Mississippi Republican Party will hold its 2026 MSGOP Lincoln-Reagan-Trump Gala on Thursday, June 4 at the Sheraton Refuge Hotel in Flowood. The VIP Reception will begin at 6:00 p.m., followed by the dinner program at 7:00 p.m. Headlining the event will be U.S. Senator and gubernatorial candidate Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and Republican National Committee Co-Chair K.C. Crosbie of Kentucky. "The Mississippi Republican Party is excited to be celebrating the 250th anniversary of our great country at our upcoming statewide gala," said Mike Hurst, Chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party. "We are thrilled to hear from two national stars in the Republican Party -- Senator Tommy Tuberville and RNC Co-Chair K.C. Crosby -- who are leading conservative efforts both on Capitol Hill and throughout our nation as we seek to elect more Republicans and make America even better. Thursday will be a once-in-a-lifetime event for Republicans, and a very special night to remember for all Mississippians." |
| Administration sticks with Congress on Medicaid work mandate exemptions | |
 | The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Monday outlined states' obligations to implement upcoming Medicaid work requirements, issuing a rule that closely adheres to a list of exemptions already found in federal law. The work requirements, passed as part of the Republican 2025 reconciliation law, are set to take effect in January. The law requires certain adults in the Medicaid expansion population work, volunteer, or go to school to obtain and maintain coverage, while exempting those unable to comply due to illness or other circumstances. The rule issued Monday by CMS says individuals can qualify for an exemption if they have a condition that "significantly impairs" their ability to live their daily lives. But CMS did not go further than the exemptions laid out by Congress, which said someone must be "medically frail." Beneficiaries may also meet other exemptions, such as being pregnant, postpartum or a parent of a child under age 14. Since the law was enacted a year ago, states have sought clarification about how much flexibility they will have to determine whether someone is frail enough to be exempt from the work requirements. In particular, state officials have wondered whether homeless people could be exempt. |
| The W welcomes the state's young scholars for Mississippi Governor's School | |
| The state's next generation of leaders, innovators and creators has arrived at Mississippi University for Women for the 2026 Mississippi Governor's School, a prestigious tuition-free residential honors program taking place through June 13. Nearly 60 academically talented students from 29 different Mississippi schools have been selected to attend the 2026 MGS. With the theme "Voices," this year's session invites scholars to explore the many ways voices -- both individual and collective -- can inspire change, foster understanding and build stronger communities. "We are honored to host Mississippi Governor's School once again at The W," said MGS Coordinator Rachel Watson. "These students have already distinguished themselves through their academic achievement and talent, and this program allows them to explore new ideas, challenge themselves and engage with faculty and mentors in a unique learning environment." Courses for the session include "Clinical Microbiology: Where the Big Questions Start Small," "Ethics and Values in Leadership," "MGS3K: Mississippi Governor School 3000" and "Applied Philanthropy: The 'Giving Done Right' Lab," among others. |
| JSU partners with Getty Images and Ancestry to preserve archives digitally | |
| Jackson State University is partnering with Getty Images, a preeminent global visual content creator and marketplace, and Ancestry, the global leader in family history, to preserve its archival materials dating back to 1877, the university's founding year. The new initiative looks to preserve the records, documents, and photographic archives of Historically Black Colleges and Universities as part of Getty Images' HBCU Grants Program, making the materials widely available and accessible on the Ancestry platform. Through physical media such as yearbooks, student records, newsletters, photographs, and school catalogs, JSU's rich history has been carefully preserved over the years. This initiative, led by Getty Images and Ancestry, will further support digitizing these critical documents to prevent them from being lost to time. Once digitized, these records will be searchable on Ancestry, helping millions of people get a new look at HBCU history and allowing students and faculty to explore Jackson State's legacy and history like never before. The program aims to safeguard the legacy of HBCUs and ensure their contributions to American history are accessible to a global audience. |
| State's oldest college officially renamed to Mississippi Christian University | |
| Mississippi's oldest higher learning institution has officially been renamed. Mississippi College officially transitioned to Mississippi Christian University on Monday, June 1, with officials announcing that the name change was on the horizon in November 2024. University President Blake Thompson said the private school in Clinton's new name is a strategic title that better reflects the school's Christian mission, academic scope and long-term vision. Officials notably implemented the Mississippi Christian University title as part of the school's 200th anniversary celebration. Discussions about a potential name change had been ongoing at for decades, with Mississippi Christian University being selected as it allows the school to keep its longstanding "MC" logo and moniker. Along with the decision to rename the university was a move to shutter the football program for financial purposes. |
| Mississippi College Is Now 'Mississippi Christian University' | |
| As Mississippi College celebrates its 200th anniversary this year, it also dons a new name -- Mississippi Christian University. MCU's Student Government Association President Marco Pineda, a senior communication and journalism major, expressed excitement for the future to be one of the first graduates to have "Mississippi Christian University" printed on a diploma. The school's new name is updated on the marquee sign at Highway 80 and Springridge Road and a banner at the gates to campus says, "Welcome to Mississippi Christian University." More new signage updating the university's name will come over time, the press release said. The Mississippi Legislature chartered Mississippi College on Jan. 24, 1826. Four Mississippi governors, 26 current representatives and senators, along with state Treasurer David McRae and state Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson, have degrees from Mississippi College. |
| More megachurches want to be your alma mater | |
| In the heart of the Bible Belt, a small Methodist college graduated its final class in May 2024, shutting its doors after 168 years. Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, Alabama, was a Christian private liberal arts school that counted among its graduates members of Congress, famous musicians, Pulitzer Prize winners and the former executive editor of The New York Times. Yet it had been unable to endure years of financial losses. About 15 minutes southeast, toward the Birmingham suburbs, the inaugural freshman class at Highlands College was finishing its first year that same spring. The private Christian school, which has just gotten permission from the state to award bachelor's degrees, was born out of the nondenominational Church of the Highlands, the biggest religious congregation in the state and one of the largest in the nation. It claims a weekly attendance of 60,000 across more than two dozen campuses in Alabama and Georgia. Long-established, religiously affiliated small colleges such as Birmingham-Southern are battling the same existential pressures weighing on non-religious liberal arts colleges nationwide: declining enrollment, rising operational costs and a deepening skepticism of higher education among families who fear ideological influence on their children or question whether steep tuition and fees are worth it. But a different model of Christian education is on the upswing. |
| Another Megachurch to Open College | |
 | An evangelical megachurch with multiple locations across North Carolina plans to open a college this coming fall, in partnership with Southeastern University, a Christian institution in Florida. Elevation Church announced that the new institution would offer two associate and eight bachelor's programs, including ministerial leadership, biblical studies and digital media and design. Classes, a combination of regular SEU courses and those exclusive to Elevation students, will be delivered in online and hybrid formats. However, students will be required to live in Charlotte, N.C., to participate in the programs and to complete "practicum experiences" at the megachurch. Historically, a huge number of U.S. colleges and universities were founded in partnership with churches or began as seminaries. In recent years, a handful of megachurches -- a relatively modern term referring to churches with particularly large buildings and weekly attendance of 2,000 people or more -- have dipped their toes into education. Elevation College will charge students $19,936 a year, including $8,136 for tuition, $6,800 for housing, and a $5,000 annual "site fee." |
| Millsaps Expands Access for JPS Students Through Tuition Discount Program | |
 | Millsaps College and the Jackson Public School District have launched a five-year partnership that will provide JPS graduates with a 50% tuition scholarship, an effort aimed at expanding college access and reducing student debt. The agreement comes as private colleges nationwide face enrollment challenges and families continue to grapple with rising higher education costs. Annual tuition at Millsaps exceeds $40,000 per year, and students who qualify for the scholarship may renew it for up to four years. Millsaps Chief of Staff Stephanie Rolph said the college has worked to make its financial aid process more transparent and help families better understand the long-term costs of higher education. "The adjustments that we have made as an institution to be more transparent about merit scholarships," said Rolph. "About how to navigate and manage minimal student loan debt where appropriate, and emphasizing the investment that you're making in your future," |
| Inside Auburn University's chaotic attempt to police its curriculum | |
 | By the time the deadline arrived, Stephanie Shepherd had spent a lot of time scrutinizing the form Auburn University asked her to sign. Less than two weeks earlier, in the middle of the fall 2025 semester, the provost's office had told faculty members to "review and certify" the legality of their courses. Specified in the form was Alabama legislation banning public universities from endorsing "divisive concepts," including that "moral character" is determined by race, sex, or religion and that meritocracy is racist or sexist. It also referenced Trump-administration guidance asserting that many campus practices related to race and identity violate civil-rights statutes. Like scores of her colleagues, Shepherd, a geosciences professor, held off on signing the form until she got a clearer picture of what the university was asking. The form, which differed between colleges, was alternately described as a "requirement," "optional," and an "expectation." Faculty members questioned both the implications of signing and the risks of refusing. |
| Higher ed, construction spending rise in Louisiana budget package | |
| The $47 billion state operating budget is on its way to Gov. Jeff Landry, who has bragged about a renewed ethos of fiscal responsibility. The current operating budget is what Landry calls a "standstill" budget: agencies are mostly funded at current levels and spending remains flat. But the operating budget is only one piece of the state's spending package. While House Bill 1 pays for the ordinary operations of state government, lawmakers also advanced separate measures for state construction at hospitals and universities, supplemental spending, legislative expenses and the courts. Spending on higher education is also increasing, including a $56 million formula bump for the Board of Regents. Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro, told The Center Square the Board of Regents sought the formula increase after Amendment 3 failed and argued the additional money would help universities close budget gaps. In all, amendments to the originally proposed budget increased higher education spending by $150 million. Outside the operating budget and the formulas meant to provide equitable funding for universities, there are hundreds of millions in bonds for construction and infrastructure, including almost $400 million for LSU alone. |
| A new entity looks to enter the 'mysterious industry' of accreditation. What's at stake? | |
| The U.S. Department of Education wants to increase competition in the realm of college and university accreditation. This summer, a new entity called the Commission for Public Higher Education (CPHE) is taking a series of steps to get ready to do just that. Once it gets up and running, many large colleges and universities across the South could be answering questions from CPHE about what they teach, how they evaluate faculty and how they spend their money. The new accreditor could be the first to come as the Trump administration aims to shake up the business of college and university accreditation. In the case of Florida and Georgia, the accreditation giant is the metro Atlanta-based Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC). Its president, Stephen Pruitt, notes that, in many other countries, the government alone is responsible for educational quality. "What has really set American higher education apart has been accreditation," Pruitt said. "But the reality is the capacity for [government] to really dig in and do the reviews they need to do and keep the watch on things is just not typically something that government is set up to do. But that is all we do." |
| Florida Lawmakers Aim to Give Statewide Boards Power to Amend Gen Ed | |
| The state boards governing Florida's public colleges and universities showed this spring that they're willing to change curricula statewide -- and to publicly cite "ideology" as their motivation -- when both ordered their institutions to remove sociology from the courses that could fulfill general education requirements. State University System of Florida chancellor Ray Rodrigues said in March, when his Board of Governors axed the Introduction to Sociology offering for universities, that "sociology as a discipline is now social and political advocacy dressed in the regalia of the academy," The Miami Herald reported. The Board of Education followed suit in April for state colleges, with board chair Ryan Petty saying in a news release that "general education courses must be grounded in rigorous scholarship and the accurate teaching of history. They cannot be mired in ideology or used as vehicles for indoctrination." Now, the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature has passed legislation to give these boards more power to shape gen ed requirements. The boards currently can approve or reject institutions' gen ed course lists. House Bill 5601E would give them the power to amend those lists as well. |
| U. of California Professors Are Begging Schools to Reinstate the SAT | |
| More than 1,100 University of California math and science professors are urging UC regents to reinstate college-entrance exams, saying that unprepared students are lowering academic standards and draining teaching resources. The request, delivered in a two-page letter last week, cites a sharp decline in readiness among students studying science, technology, engineering and math. Nearly one-third of students taking first-semester calculus at UC Berkeley "displayed severe preparation deficits," the letter said. "We now observe preparation gaps so severe that instructors must reteach middle-school mathematics while simultaneously teaching the material students need for sciences, engineering, economics, and other quantitatively demanding fields," the faculty wrote. "UC has finite resources and can help only so many students." The letter follows a University of California, San Diego, faculty report last year saying that the number of students placed in classes to remediate elementary and middle-school math before they could take precalculus increased to 8.5% from 0.5% between 2020 and 2025. In their open letter, UC math faculty explain that students' knowledge deficits have made it harder to teach at the level required for advanced STEM work. The professors warned that these problems would ultimately hurt the state's tech economy. |
| Pell Recipients Face Higher Food Insecurity | |
| Pell Grant recipients are nearly twice as likely to experience food insecurity as students who do not receive the federal grant, according to a new analysis from the Institute for Higher Education Policy. Drawing on data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study, the analysis found that 42 percent of Pell Grant recipients experience food insecurity, compared to 22 percent of students who do not receive Pell Grants. Marián Vargas, assistant director of research and co-author of the report, said recent changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program combined with a projected $16.9 billion Pell Grant funding shortfall could worsen food insecurity, making it harder for students to stay enrolled and complete their degrees. "Students should not have to choose between eating and staying enrolled in college," Vargas said. "Supports like Pell and SNAP are essential tools for expanding opportunity and supporting student success, but right now the supports are not keeping pace with students' financial realities." |
| Young and unemployed? Remote work, not AI, may be the problem, study finds | |
 | The rise of remote work since the pandemic has made businesses more reluctant to hire young, inexperienced workers and is the key driver of higher unemployment rates for recent college graduates, a study released Monday has found. The study, by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, compared occupations that can be done remotely -- such as software development -- with those that are done in person, such as nursing. The study, led by New York Fed research economist Natalia Emanuel, concludes that businesses are reluctant to hire new college grads into remote work because it is harder to train and mentor them if they work outside of the office. The authors of the study calculate that remote work is responsible for nearly two-thirds of the rise in the unemployment rate for young college graduates since the pandemic. The study lands amid widespread concern over the employment prospects of college graduates as artificial intelligence makes inroads into a variety of white-collar jobs, including finance, law, entertainment, and media. But the study notes that the worsening employment picture for young college grads pre-dates the development of artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT. And when the authors looked at the exposure different occupations had to AI, it found that AI had little impact on youth unemployment. |
| Loan rules would gut aid for thousands of low-paying college majors | |
 | Dozens of higher education groups are lobbying the Education Department to revise proposed regulations that could cut off federal student aid for thousands of programs whose graduates earn meager salaries, including in cosmetology, theology and the performing arts. Some officials said the impact could be catastrophic for some trade schools and small colleges with low-paying majors and graduate degree programs. For instance, the government estimated the proposed regulations could shut off federal loans to 89 percent of students enrolled in master's programs for religion and religious studies. But supporters say the regulations, expected to be finalized as early as June, are sorely needed to keep taxpayer-funded financial aid from flowing to programs that don't adequately prepare students for good jobs. Overall, the Education Department estimates that more than 5 percent of undergraduate and graduate programs would flunk the new earnings rules, affecting hundreds of thousands of college students. |
| The Trump push to bring more conservative views to college campuses | |
 | Trump administration officials believe conservative voices are being suppressed on college campuses. They're now trying to give these voices room to speak. The administration plans to do this by mandating the adoption of "intellectual diversity" policies that ensure different viewpoints are represented among faculty. "Seven out of 10 college students pretend to have more liberal views than what they really do. And so we have an ideological problem, and a viewpoint diversity problem on our college campuses, where students are afraid to express who they really are," Education Undersecretary Nicholas Kent said in an interview in May. The changes are being enforced through the accreditation process for schools after a group of higher education experts gave them the green light via a negotiated rulemaking with the Education Department last month. "What we wanted to try to get across in this negotiated rulemaking is that viewpoint diversity, academic freedom, all of those really core elements to the academy are critically important, and the accreditors should be paying attention to those," Kent said. |
SPORTS
| Bombing Bulldogs blitz their way to first regional victory since 2021 | |
| Coming into the Starkville Regional, questions surrounding Mississippi State's baseball team were abundant; was the squad truly capable of a deep postseason run? While many other baseball squads -- including No. 1 national seed UCLA -- found themselves on the wrong side of an upset, the Bulldogs dismantled all three Regional foes with at least 10 runs scored in all three games and captured its first regional victory since that fabled 2021 season with a 19-5 rout of the Ragin' Cajuns on Sunday – the second-most runs scored in a regional in program history. Now heading into a Super Regional battle at SEC champion Georgia, the Bulldogs loudly left no doubt they are a team to contend with. "I'm just proud of this group," head coach Brian O'Connor said. "We have more baseball. Our next opportunity is (this) weekend in Athens and we look forward to the opportunity of the next game we have in front of us." |
| How Mississippi State can upset Georgia, make College World Series, plus our prediction | |
 | Mississippi State baseball has played Georgia four times during the 2026 season and lost all four of those games to the SEC regular season and tournament champions. That's who MSU must get through to reach the College World Series. No. 14 Mississippi State (43-17) is matched up with No. 3 Georgia (49-12) in the Athens Super Regional. The best-of-three series at Foley Field will start on either June 5 or 6. Both teams went undefeated in their regional. Mississippi State will be playing in its first super regional since winning the 2021 national championship. "We may or may not win," MSU coach Brian O'Connor said May 31. "I don't know. I believe we will, but the mentality will be right. I can assure you that we won't back down because, again, that's one of the foundations of what we're about. I have zero concern about this team settling for just winning a regional. I know their goals are much higher than that." |
| Mississippi State baseball vs Georgia schedule, dates, times, TV in NCAA super regional | |
| Mississippi State baseball's super regional at Georgia in the NCAA Tournament will begin June 6. First pitch from Foley Field in Athens is scheduled for 10 a.m. CT on ESPN. Game 2 is June 7 at 11 a.m. on ESPN, and Game 3, if necessary, will be June 8 with a start time and TV channel to be announced later. The winner of the best-of-three series will advance to the College World Series. MSU (43-17) is the No. 14 seed, playing in its first super regional since the 2021 national championship. It won all three of its games in the Starkville Regional, outscoring Lipscomb, Cincinnati and Louisiana 39-11. Georgia (49-12) also won all three of its regional games. |
| Ejection report details what led to Georgia's Tre Phelps, Wes Johnson getting tossed | |
| Tre Phelps' ejection for his actions after hitting a two-run homer to put Georgia baseball ahead in the Athens Regional 6-1 clinching win over Liberty brought a wide range of reactions from observers and the teams' head coaches offered their take on it after the game. What exactly led to Phelps and Georgia coach Wes Johnson being booted from the game is detailed in the official ejection report that was provided to the Athens Banner-Herald on Monday, June 1, from the NCAA. Phelps was ejected by home plate umpire Javerro January for violating Rule 2.26.f (Non-head coach) for "unsportsmanlike conduct or language directed toward an umpire or opponent..." He will be suspended for the first game of Georgia's Super Regional series. Here's the account in the ejection report provided by the NCAA: "In the bottom of the sixth inning with Georgia trailing 1-0 and a runner on first base, Georgia batter Phelps hit a home run to left field. As Phelps began running the bases, he turned his chest toward the Liberty University dugout on the first-base side and waved in a taunting gesture. After rounding first base, he turned again and waved mockingly at the first baseman. Once Phelps touched home plate, Umpire January ejected him for unsportsmanlike conduct. After the ejection Phelps left with head coach and stayed out of sight and sounds." |
| Despite disappointing end to season, future is bright for MSU softball | |
| Mississippi State softball players filed into the press conference room at Devon Field in Oklahoma City on Friday night, eyes red and faces splotched. Their season had just come to an end. Senior pitcher Peja Goold, who sat on the far right of the stage, reached behind and grabbed a box of tissues. She pulled a few from the box, and passed it down the line to the rest of her teammates on the platform, preparing for the possibility of flowing tears as they powered through the media's questions. Senior Nadia Barbary walked in later than the rest of the pack along with head coach Samantha Ricketts. Barbary appeared to be taking the loss worse than anyone on the stage. She had put on the MSU jersey for the final time after four years in Starkville. When the first question of the conference came, asking the players what they would remember from playing for this year's team, everyone on stage turned their heads to Barbary. "Everything," Barbary said, her voice shaky. "The bus rides, plane rides, waking up at 5 a.m. to go lift. Everything." |
| Mississippi State softball WCWS run 'life-changing' for Broccoli Guy | |
| Oddly enough, Broccoli Guy's favorite part of the Women's College World Series was parting ways with Mississippi State softball. Broccoli Guy, whose real name is Jim Stewart Allen, became a viral sensation during the NCAA Tournament for dancing at games with broccoli. He first drew attention at the Eugene Regional, where MSU leaned into the gimmick, bringing its own broccoli for the regional final. Allen then followed the Bulldogs to Norman, where they upset Oklahoma in the super regionals, and to Devon Park for the program's first WCWS appearance. After MSU was eliminated on May 29, Allen made sure to revel in his final moments with the team. "The fact that I went out and just took the amount of time that needed to be taken to wish the team goodbye and thank them all for what they did and what they showed on that field," Allen said "... I was glad that I did." The connection Allen formed with the Bulldogs will last long beyond this season. He plans to use some of the fundraiser money to take a trip to Starkville next season to see the Bulldogs play. Allen isn't wasting any time getting back to his usual antics. He planned to attend a Seattle Seawolves Major League Rugby game on May 31. Then he plans to take a month-long break from broccoli dancing. |
| Offensive mastermind Mike Leach, who died in 2022, heads ballot for College Football Hall of Fame | |
| Mike Leach, the eccentric and revolutionary offensive savant whose teams set dozens of scoring and passing records over his 21-year head coaching career, is among the nominees for the 2027 College Football Hall of Fame class. The National Football Foundation released the ballot Monday for the class that will be announced in January. It includes 80 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 99 players and 39 coaches from lower levels. A player is eligible 10 full seasons after his last year in college and must have received first-team All-America honors by a major selector. The nominee's college football achievements are a prime consideration, but his post-football record as a citizen also is a factor. Leach, who died in 2022 at age 61, became eligible for induction under adjusted criteria for coaches to be considered. The NFF announced last year the minimum career winning percentage required would go from .600 to .595 beginning in 2027. Leach had a .596 winning percentage with a 158-107 record at Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State. |
| Leach on college football HOF ballot for first time | |
| Mike Leach is on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot for the first time, following an adjustment to eligibility criteria for coaches. Leach, whose use of the Air Raid offense, widespread coaching tree and distinct personality left a significant impression on the sport, had been kept off of previous ballots because his career winning percentage at Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State -- .596 (158-107) -- fell below the previous threshold of .600. In 2025, the National Football Foundation, which oversees the Hall of Fame, announced that the winning percentage required for coaching eligibility would be adjusted to .595. Leach died in December 2022 at 61 from complications related to a heart condition, while still coaching at Mississippi State. Leach's previous ineligibility for the Hall of Fame led to extensive criticism of the process from coaches, media members and others. Jackie Sherrill, who had a career winning percentage of .592 at Washington State, Pitt, Texas A&M and Mississippi State, also appears on the ballot for the first time. |
| Explainer: Everything you need to know about the 'Protect College Sports Act,' including whether bill has chance to pass | |
| This week, the college sports industry enters one of the most exciting stretches of its calendar. In Oklahoma City, a national champion will be crowned at the Women's College World Series in a title bout pitting rivals Texas and Texas Tech. At eight different on-campus super regional sites, baseball parks will be teeming with fans as a trip to Omaha is on the line. And on Capitol Hill, inside a marble-walled committee room, with the future of college athletics at stake, a much different game is set to be played: the political one. Former Alabama coach Nick Saban, Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua and Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould headline a lineup of witnesses testifying in a hearing before members of the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday morning -- perhaps the most significant of the more than a dozen hearings held here since 2020. At the center of what's supposed to be a more than two-hour affair is a newly introduced bill from Sens. Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell intended to reform the college athletics industry. The "Protect College Sports Act" is the most comprehensive, bipartisan college sports legislation produced during the NCAA's seven-year lobbying effort -- and it's a bill that many believe has the best chance to pass among those introduced. |
| Sen. Ted Cruz announces Saban, others for college sports legislation hearing, calls it a win | |
 | Nick Saban will be among those in attendance when U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) will convene a committee hearing titled, "Protecting College Sports: Supporting Student Athletes, Restoring Fair Competition, and Saving the Games Fans Love," on Wednesday at 8 a.m. (9 a.m. ET). This hearing will assess the Protect College Sports Act of 2026, legislation from Cruz, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) and Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) "to restore order in college athletics," per a release. In addition to the former Alabama coach, witnesses will include Notre Dame athletics direcrtor Pete Bevacqua, West Virginia President Emeritus Gordon Gee, Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould and Utah student-athlete Lance Holtzclaw. The bill, per the release, will provide structure to college sports by "creating enforceable national standards, preserving fair competition, protecting student athletes, and ensuring fans do not lose the teams, rivalries, and traditions they love." |
| Sorsby and NCAA await ruling after judge hears case as QB seeks eligibility after admitting bets | |
| Attorneys for Brendan Sorsby and the NCAA presented arguments before a district judge Monday as the Texas Tech transfer quarterback seeks an injunction to allow him to play next season after he acknowledged making thousands of impermissible bets while in college. There was no immediate ruling from Senior Judge Ken Curry after the two-hour hearing, or any indication of when he would rule on a temporary injunction against the NCAA. An injunction would not change Sorsby being declared permanently ineligible by the NCAA, but would put that on hold as the case proceeds. Sorsby did not attend the hearing in the 99th District Court in Lubbock County, where Texas Tech is located. Jeffrey Kessler, the attorney who negotiated the House settlement against the NCAA and is now representing Sorsby, requested a ruling by June 15. That would be a week before the deadline for Sorsby to apply for the NFL supplemental draft if he remains ineligible to play for the Red Raiders this fall. NCAA lead attorney Taylor Askew questioned how being allowed to play again in college, and putting him back into the situation that triggered his behavior, would help Sorsby's mental health. As for NCAA rules, Askew said, Sorsby would have been ruled ineligible long ago had his gambling been known in the past. |
| Why the College Football Playoff is stuck in a stalemate | |
| Sandwiched between talks of new-look governance and rising basketball costs, SEC administrators met this week on the Florida Panhandle with the College Football Playoff's future still hanging over the room. The league's stakeholders departed with no decisions and, more pressing, a deeper understanding of the CFP's real question -- whether there's actually enough new money to justify a jump from 12 to 24 teams. "When professional sports have added to their postseason, it's always been a small adjustment," SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said. "Four to 12 [teams] was monumental, but I think it was justifiable. You want to be careful about how far you go." That question sits at the center of a CFP stalemate. The SEC and Big Ten wrested control of future format discussions during the most recent media rights negotiations. The result: two conferences at odds over whether to push the field to 24 teams, remain at 12 or find a middle ground -- with little agreement on what comes next. |
| Pope Leo plays tennis religiously as part of an Augustinian devotion to sports and spirituality | |
| When Pope Leo XIV was elected last year and it emerged that he was a tennis player, his love of the sport was quickly celebrated during an audience with top-ranked Jannik Sinner. In the ensuing months, Leo has tried to set aside time in his busy schedule to play the sport every week as part of his Augustinian devotion to physical activity and spirituality. The Rule of St. Augustine, an ancient guide for religious life, highlights the value of good habits. "He's trying to keep some regularity to his routine that comes from the Rule," said the Rev. Rob Hagan, Prior of the Augustinian Province of St. Thomas of Villanova and team chaplain for the men's basketball and football teams at Villanova University -- the pope's alma mater in Pennsylvania. Leo's devotion to St. Augustine was evident when he made a pilgrimage during his Africa trip in April to the archaeological ruins in Algeria where the influential 5th century theologian and philosopher lived and died and wrote some of the most important works in Western thought. The pope "highlights a very underappreciated Augustinian value -- especially in this noisy world -- and that is to develop your interior life," Hagan added in an interview with The Associated Press. |
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