| Tuesday, February 26, 2019 |
| Partnership aims to spark Meridian students' interest in computer science | |
 | Students in the Meridian Public School district will be able to jumpstart a career while in high school through a new partnership. A new program from C-Spire, The C-Spire Tech Movement Initiative, was announced Monday morning in the Meridian High School auditorium. A partnership among C-Spire, Mississippi State University Center for Cyber Education, Mississippi Department of Education, Meridian Community College, and Meridian Public School District will give students an opportunity to gain skills in computer science while helping to meet the demand of computer science jobs. Betsey Smith, director of Research & Curriculum Unit with MSU-Starkville, said she hopes that if students get a feel for the program they can decide if they want to study this as a career or not. Not all students will like computer science but it gives them an opportunity to gain skills for the future, Smith said. |
| Lowndes tornado relief effort reminders for students, faculty, staff, community members | |
 | MSU students, faculty, staff, and local community members: Thank you for your willingness to help those that have been affected by the recent tornadoes in Columbus. When a disaster happens, it can take months and even years for communities to rebuild. To make the most of your efforts to help, consider these tips for donating and volunteering: Be patient and be safe. Do not self-deploy into a disaster area. We know you want to help any way possible, but you must wait until first responders announce that the affected area is safe to enter and that volunteer opportunities have been identified. If you would like to support MSU students who have been affected by the Columbus tornadoes, you can consider making a donation to the MSU Student Relief Fund. |
| Mississippi House votes to limit landowners' liability | |
 | Attorneys in the Mississippi House are sharply divided over a bill that could limit the liability of landowners or property managers who are sued by people harmed on their property. The House voted 74-39 Monday to pass Senate Bill 2901, named the "Landowners Protection Act." The vote was largely along party lines, with most Republicans supporting it and most Democrats opposing it. After the vote, the bill was held for the possibility of another round of House debate another day. Republican Rep. Mark Baker of Brandon, who is an attorney, argued for the bill, saying it would bring clarity to business owners. Democratic Rep. Ed Blackmon, who is also an attorney, argued against the bill, saying it would create problems for people who are harmed. |
| Jennifer Riley-Collins looks to maintain Democrats' hold on attorney general's office | |
| Meridian native Jennifer Riley-Collins will try to maintain for Mississippi Democrats the one statewide seat they currently hold. Riley-Collins, the executive director of the Mississippi branch of the American Civil Liberties Union and decorated 20-year military veteran, has announced she is running as a Democrat for attorney general. "As attorney general I will serve and protect the legal interests of Mississippians," she said in response to questions from Mississippi Today. "l will work to protect vulnerable populations, combat the opioid epidemic, strengthen protections for victims of crime and fight for working people." Riley-Collins is vying to replace four-term Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood, who is running for governor and who in the past has thwarted efforts of the Republicans to capture the AG's seat as they have the other seven statewide posts. |
| Mike Espy Boosts Young House Candidate With Endorsement, Data | |
| "Hey Mr. President, this is Cory Booker," the U.S. senator and New Jersey Democrat said to the selfie camera on the smartphone he was holding up. He was not referring to President Donald Trump, though, or any other U.S. president. Next to him stood Brandon Rue, the 20-year-old president of a student organization at the University of Southern Mississippi called Common Cause. It was Nov. 19, and with Mississippi just over a week away from the runoff for the state's most contested U.S. Senate election in over a decade, Booker had come to the Hattiesburg's USM campus to rally for Democrat Mike Espy. Rue had organized Booker's visit on behalf of the Espy campaign. Earlier, Rue had confided to Booker a burgeoning ambition: He wanted to run as a Democrat for Mississippi House District 102, the state legislative seat that represents much of Hattiesburg, including Southern Miss. That seat, which incumbent Republican House Rep. Missy McGee now holds, would be a difficult feat; McGee won it with nearly 68 percent of the vote in a special election in 2017, albeit with lower-than-usual turnout. |
| Measles outbreaks lead states to reconsider vaccine exemptions | |
 | Measles outbreaks across the nation are prompting state lawmakers to consider eliminating vaccination exemptions for religious and personal beliefs that have been claimed by the parents of some children. Public health experts and officials blame the exemptions as one reason why states are seeing an increased number of cases of measles. "What you see as religious choice could possibly cause negative health outcomes for other members of your community and society," said Pat Burke, a Democratic state lawmaker in New York who is pushing to eliminate the state's religious exemption. Laws allowing parents to opt out of vaccinations were created by states trying to strike a delicate balance between religious freedom, personal choice and public health. But the most recent measles outbreaks, which have infected 159 mostly unvaccinated people in 10 states, is leading some states to reconsider. "That goes beyond religious freedom," said Burke. |
| Justice Elena Kagan may have pivotal role in battle on the separation of church and state | |
 | Justice Elena Kagan has emerged as one of the Supreme Court's most powerful voices on the separation of church and state, often rebuking conservative colleagues for allowing government actions that she says favor one religion over another. But the last time the justices considered the fate of a cross constructed on public land, Kagan was on the other side of the bench and on one side of the issue. As President Barack Obama's solicitor general, Kagan successfully defended a cross in the Mojave National Preserve, convincing the court's conservatives that what she unwaveringly referred to as a "war memorial" should remain as a tribute to the sacrifice of World War I dead. There is a reboot of the issue Wednesday, this time with Kagan as a justice: another cross dedicated to Americans killed during World War I, a massive structure on public land in Maryland, about five miles northeast of the Supreme Court. |
| United Methodist Church on edge of breakup over LGBT stand | |
| The United Methodist Church teetered on the brink of breakup Monday after more than half the delegates at an international conference voted to maintain bans on same-sex weddings and ordination of gay clergy. Their favored plan, if formally approved, could drive supporters of LGBT inclusion to leave America's second-largest Protestant denomination. A final vote on rival plans for the church's future won't come until Tuesday's closing session, and the outcome remains uncertain. But the preliminary vote Monday showed that the Traditional Plan, which calls for keeping the LGBT bans and enforcing them more strictly, had the support of 56 percent of the more than 800 delegates attending the three-day conference in St. Louis. As evidence of the deep divisions within the faith, delegates Monday approved plans that would allow disaffected churches to leave the denomination while keeping their property. |
| Fighting sex abuse in the Catholic Church: 'We want it to not ever happen again.' | |
 | In 2003, after an international public outcry, the Jackson diocese began putting procedures in place to combat the issue of sexual abuse. Sixteen years later, local church officials still say it's not a problem that can be easily solved. From a priest working in Jackson who has been previously accused of sexual harassment to a new lawsuit alleging a child was abused by a priest in 2004, the Jackson dioceses has been thrust into controversy again, with new allegations and investigations into the church that came to light over the last six months. And while church officials say fixing complex issues takes time, the Jackson diocese has implemented new policies and guidelines in an attempt to combat sex abuse in the church. In recent weeks the diocese hosted a series of training seminars for Catholic educators and priests in Mississippi, led by Monica Applewhite, a premier expert in sexual abuse within the church. The goal: to "help them know how to prevent and respond to sexual abuse." |
| Ole Miss' nursing program expanding to former hospital | |
| The University of Mississippi's School of Nursing is expanding in enrollment and will soon have the space to accommodate the growing numbers. Beginning in the fall, the school will take up residence in the South Oxford Center, formerly known as the old Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi. When the hospital moved to its new location on Belk Boulevard in 2017, the university purchased the building. The former intensive care unit at the old hospital will be converted to a high-fidelity simulation practice lab for nursing students. The number of students enrolled in the school and pursuing an Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree will total 45, an increase to last year's class of 30. With new space to utilize, the goal is to eventually admit 60 students into the program each year. Currently, the nursing program at Oxford's campus is housed on two floors of Kinard Hall. |
| 'We Need Leadership': Athletes' Protest Draws Attention to Lingering Confederate Symbol at Ole Miss | |
 | Eight players on the University of Mississippi men's basketball team knelt on Saturday while the national anthem played and Confederate sympathizers rallied outside. The moment has shined a spotlight on an institution that's still wedded to a certain Confederate icon -- and has prompted the question of whether administrators have done enough to distance the university from Confederate iconography. Charles K. Ross, a professor of history and director of the program in African-American studies, said the administration had tried to pick and choose some Confederate icons to eschew, like the Colonel Rebel mascot, while allowing others to continue, like the Confederate statue. That tactic isn't consistent, the professor said. The university is trying to denounce Confederate supporters without dealing with why they come to Ole Miss in the first place, Ross said. |
| Tweets threatening to pull donations after players kneel turn out to be just talk | |
 | After eight Ole Miss basketball players knelt during the national anthem before their game on Saturday, social media has been ablaze with some alumni supporting the players and others threatening to keep their donations from the university. In response to the Clarion Ledger's coverage, one typical tweet read, "Good luck with your donors and your alums." n reality, the University of Mississippi Foundation President Wendell Weakley said he only received one note from a donor who is removing his or her donation because of the basketball players kneeling. "It's really hard to quantify one event and determine what causes (changes in funding)," Weakley said, explaining there have been several controversial events so far this semester, including NCAA violations and a the hiring of a new chancellor. "It's just too early to tell." He calmly explained that he received a similar response when the state flag was removed from the campus in 2015. He received a few notes, as did others in the office. The Foundation passed these notes to University Communications. |
| Teacher shortage: USM program could put 20-year-olds in classrooms | |
 | A new agreement between the University of Southern Mississippi and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College could put teachers as young as 20 into classrooms and help alleviate the state's teachers shortage. On Monday, Southern Miss President Rodney Bennett and MGCCC President Mary Graham signed a memorandum of understanding for what they called an "exciting new academic partnership" that would bring "new strategies" for a contemporary generation of students. "The state of Mississippi is in the midst of a teacher shortage," Bennett said. "To help address this need, the University of Southern Mississippi and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College have collaborated to develop an innovative teacher education partnership program." Under the agreement, high school juniors and seniors who complete MGCCC's Collegiate Academy, where they earn an associate's degree while attending high school, could then enter the Southern Miss Teachers College program and earn a teaching degree in two years. |
| Meridian Community College teacher, student named for HEADWAE honor | |
| Valerie Bishop, Meridian Community College biology instructor and chairwoman of the science and wellness division, and Dunnam Shirley, MCC sophomore studying in the University Transfer Program, will be recognized at the Higher Education Appreciation Day, Working for Academic Excellence (HEADWAE) Tuesday, Feb. 26. Teaching is a common denominator for both Bishop and Shirley; Bishop has taught Shirley at the college, and Shirley plans to pursue a degree teaching biology. Shirley plans to transfer to Mississippi State University to pursue a biology education degree and aspires to teach biology or chemistry at the high school level. Active on campus, he is president of MCC's Phi Theta Kappa chapter and serves as a science tutor for the College's Student Success Center. Shirley also finds time to serve as the announcer for the college's soccer, basketball and baseball games. |
| Bill applying Arkansas' open-records law to universities' private arms goes to panel | |
| Legislation to expand Arkansas' open-records law to specifically include private agencies that support government -- such as universities' nonprofit fundraising arms -- will be presented Thursday to a Senate committee, the bill's sponsor said Monday. Senate Bill 231 by Sen. Kim Hammer, R-Benton, would allow Arkansans oversight into myriad business dealings that private agencies undertake on behalf of their public partners, including loan agreements and contracts. Robert Steinbuch, a University of Arkansas at Little Rock law professor, helped draft SB231. He has said the Democrat-Gazette's detailed reporting in 2018 on athletics foundations at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville and Arkansas State University helped inspire the legislation. "That's the motivation," Steinbuch said of an April 2018 story about ASU's athletics foundation, as well as other stories by the Democrat-Gazette and the Arkansas Times. |
| U. of South Carolina student government election could be the biggest in years, student president says | |
 | University of South Carolina students are about to elect their next student body president, and it could be the biggest election in years. That's because, as the university dials in on a replacement for President Harris Pastides and searches for a new provost, the new student leader is going to set the tone between the administration and the students, Student Body President Taylor Wright said. "This student government is going to set the tone for what this next group (of administrators) thinks of the students," Wright said. "It is going to be a big year." The student body president is a non-voting member of the school's board of trustees, the governing body that votes on all major financial decisions, tuition raises and major personnel decisions. But that doesn't mean the student body president goes unheard. Student body presidents get to sit in on the trustees executive sessions, and Wright is a voting member of the presidential search committee. |
| UGA Miracle raises $1.1M for Children's Healthcare | |
 | About 1,000 peopled gathered on Saturday and Sunday in the University of Georgia's Tate Grand Hall to raise more than $1.14 million for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta during UGA Miracle's 24 hour Dance Marathon. This is the fourth consecutive year student organization UGA Miracle has raised more than $1 million for the hospital. The program seeks to encourage the families of patients and financially support rehabilitation services and the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. To fund raise at Dance Marathon, attendees invited friends and family to sponsor them during the event. Some attendees committed to standing for 24 hours to honor patients. "We are standing for those who can't stand," said Edie Threlkeld, UGA Miracle communications director. |
| Two rapes reported in U. of Tennessee-Knoxville residence halls in February | |
 | Two rapes were reported to have occurred in on-campus residence halls at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, in February, according to UT Police Department crime logs. Both were reported to a non-police campus security authority (CSA) and no police reports have been filed related to either incident, said Lola Alapo, public information officer for University of Tennessee Police Department. Both took place in residence halls on the north side of campus, according to the crime logs. One alleged rape occurred on Feb. 10 at an unknown time and was reported to a CSA on Feb. 11. The other occurred on Feb. 17 at an unknown time and was reported to a CSA on Feb. 20. A CSA is a title given to university employees such as campus police officers, resident assistants, Title IX officers and coaching staff who are trained under the Clery Act to report certain crimes that take place on campus, public property adjacent to campus and in buildings owned or leased by UT. These two reports bring the number of rapes reported in on-campus residence halls for the 2018-2019 academic year to nine. |
| States cut higher education funding, new poll shows the public thinks it's up | |
| At a time when so many employers are struggling to find workers who have university degrees, Tyler Duffield thinks supporting higher education is as obvious an obligation of state government as it is essential. "It's kind of unthinkable that the government would scale back that kind of thing," said Duffield, 20, a North Carolina community college student majoring in environmental engineering. "Any country that chooses not to prioritize higher education makes itself less competitive in the world." Most Americans believe state spending for public universities and colleges has, in fact, increased or at least held steady over the last 10 years, according to a new survey by American Public Media. They're wrong. States have collectively scaled back their annual higher education funding by $9 billion during that time, when adjusted for inflation, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, or CBPP, reports. |
| U. of Memphis applies for $25 million permit for new student recreation center | |
| The University of Memphis applied for a $25 million building permit for its new student recreation center. The permit request lists the new 79,000 square-foot building on Southern Avenue adjacent to the new land bridge. The building will include a gymnasium, fitness space, an outdoor pool and recreation space, according to the permit. Hoar Construction is listed as the contractor on the project. The university expects to break ground this summer with a completion date in the fall of 2020. The total cost for the project is $30 million, according to the university. The university raised student fees to pay for the construction several years ago, but two years ago, President M. David Rudd announced the project would be delayed because the fees brought in less money than anticipated. |
| Latinx, black college students leave STEM majors more than white students | |
 | College administrators have long debated how to attract minority students -- black and Latinx men and women -- to science and technology fields. It turns out these students already have an interest in those fields, at least according to a new study. But black and Latinx students enrolled in STEM programs are either switching majors or dropping out of college at higher rates than their white peers, the study concludes. The study was published this month in the journal Educational Researcher. The researchers found that there was little difference at the beginning of the students' studies. About 19 percent of the white students declared as a STEM major, compared to 20 percent of Latinx students and 18 percent of black students. But the minority students left the major at far higher rates than the white students -- about 37 percent of the Latinx students and 40 percent of the black students switched majors versus 29 percent of the white students. |
| U. of Michigan Just Expanded Its Ban on Student-Instructor Romance. Here's Why. | |
| The three-campus University of Michigan system wants to remove any possible confusion from its policy on romantic relationships between faculty members and students. As the #MeToo era concentrates public attention on gender-based power dynamics, many colleges have been revising their policies. But few, if any, have built out their prohibitions with as much specificity as Michigan, which last week announced its first revision since 2004. The new policy bars professors from having romantic relationships with any undergraduate student or any graduate student who is, or who might "reasonably be expected" to someday be, under the supervision of the faculty member. Notably, the policy defines its terms --- covering all types of "learners" and "leaders" --- and stresses that postdoctoral fellows, teaching undergraduates, and nondegree students, among others, are all subject to its rules. What's more, relationships banned in most cases by the policy do not require physical contact and can "exist on the basis of a single interaction." |
| A New Benefit: Some Companies Help Workers Pay Down Student Loans | |
 | Kelly O'Brien graduated from college six years ago with a political science degree and $28,000 in student loan debt. "It was stressful, because coming out and having to have a payment of about $217 a month, it just seemed like a lot of money to pay back when you don't really know where you were going to be working, how much you're going to be making," she says. So when O'Brien got a job at Fidelity Investments a year and a half ago, she was happy to learn she would be eligible to have the company contribute to her student loan payments. "I quickly marked my calendar," says O'Brien, who is 27. "I called my parents that night and told them how excited I was that Fidelity offered this benefit because I had no idea an employer would help you pay off your student loan." Such benefits are relatively new and unusual; only 4 percent of employers surveyed by the Society for Human Resource Management offer it. But its popularity is increasing, because it helps solve a growing concern for workers about their mounting debt. And it helps employers find and retain people when available workers are scarce. |
| Arizona State and Chippewa Valley get OER grants as Education Department changes course | |
| Last year, when Congress authorized a second round of $5 million in federal funding for programs that support open educational resources, senators included explicit instructions to the Department of Education, which administers the grant program: 1. Conduct a new competitive process for grant applications in 2019. 2. Disperse funds among at least 20 proposals, rather than devoting $5 million to one program, as happened last fall. But the department appears to have gone in a different direction. Earlier this year, it quietly awarded $2.5 million to each of two applicants from last year's submission pile. This year's winning programs are based at Chippewa Valley Technical College and Arizona State University, according to representatives of both institutions. The department's new approach departs significantly from senators' priorities, laid out in supplementary "report language" tied to the fiscal year 2019 budget bill. A spokesperson for the department didn't provide comment in time for publication. |
SPORTS
| State seeks its ninth SEC win tonight | |
 | Mississippi State has won four straight and is well on its way towards punching a ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 10 years. The Bulldogs are hoping to add another victory to their resume as they host Missouri tonight at 6 p.m. on the SEC Network. "We talk about (what we need to do to reach the NCAA Tournament) all the time," said MSU coach Ben Howland. "I told them after we lost to Kentucky that we needed to get to nine (SEC wins). In these super conferences -- especially ours -- that are going to have a lot of teams go you have to understand what you need to do to get where you want to get." MSU has its chance at that ninth conference win as it enters tonight's contest with an 8-6 SEC record and 20-7 overall. |
| Mississippi State's basketball resurgence has coincided with Reggie Perry's rise | |
| Reggie Perry's performance from first half to second against South Carolina on Saturday serves as a microcosm of how Mississippi State's season has gone during conference games. Perry didn't make a shot in the first half against the Gamecocks. He was 0-for-5. He also had three turnovers. He violently clapped his hands together and had a look of disbelief and disgust on his face after the third one. In the first half of State's SEC season, MSU was as frustrated as a team as Perry was the other night. The Bulldogs were constantly fighting an uphill battle. Perry turned it around in the second half of the South Carolina game to finish with 21 points. He didn't miss any of his seven shots, and he only had one turnover. He scored nine points in the final four minutes of the game to put State's lead out of reach in a 76-61 win and was rewarded with SEC Freshman of the Week honors for his efforts. "It's a new game after halftime," Perry said. "I try to forget about the first half if I had a bad one and just reset." |
| Mississippi State's Reggie Perry earns second SEC weekly award | |
| For the second time this season, Mississippi State's Reggie Perry was picked as the SEC's Freshman of the Week. Perry produced 12 points and five rebounds in the Bulldogs' win at Georgia and followed up by tying his career-high with 21 points and grabbed six boards in the victory over South Carolina. The 6-foot-10, 245-pounder from Thomasville, Georgia is tied for third on the team averaging 9.6 points per game. Perry is seventh MSU freshman to be honored with multiple weekly awards joining Cameron Burns, Jamont Gordon, Barry Stewart, Dee Bost, Craig Sword and Quinndary Weatherspoon. |
| No. 12 Mississippi State hosts midweek homestand | |
| No. 12 Mississippi State closes its nine-game homestand to start the season with a pair of midweek contests. The Diamond Dogs (6-1) welcome Jackson State to Dudy Noble Field today at 4 p.m. and hosts Southeastern Louisiana on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Freshman right-hander Eric Cerantola (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will start today's game on the mound for MSU and senior righty Peyton Plumlee (0-0, 4.50) draws Wednesday's start. The Tigers are Lions are both off to 2-5 starts. JSU lost two of three at home to Milwaukee over the weekend while Southeastern Louisiana won two of three at home against Stony Brook and hosts Louisiana-Lafayette tonight. |
| Bulldog Brushback: Why Mississippi State might be better than some thought | |
| Mississippi State's status as one of the best baseball teams in the country was in question Friday night. The Bulldogs lost to Southern Miss 1-0 and had only crossed the plate in one of their last 18 innings. Four days later, the No. 15 Bulldogs (6-1) are still on the national radar -- and they might be even better than analysts originally thought. Here's how the Diamond Dawgs turned their weekend around and set themselves up for what should be another successful week. |
| Weight lifted off Mississippi State's Jordan Westburg after series victory | |
 | What a difference a year makes. Mississippi State's baseball players were reluctant a week ago to discuss the contrasts in opening weekend results after thrashing Youngstown State. Just last year, the Bulldogs opened the season with three losses at Southern Miss. Then-head coach Andy Cannizaro resigned a day later amid a personal scandal. The sweep at Hattiesburg last year was embarrassing for the Bulldogs, who were outscored 23-6 in three games. But Sunday, after winning a home series against the rival Golden Eagles, the Bulldogs didn't shy away from the topic; Jordan Westburg said winning the series "takes some weight off your shoulders." "It allows you to go out to practice and have fun," said Westburg, who went 2-for-5 with three runs Sunday. "There's no pressure. Going into what we went through last year, getting swept, and all the hype coming into this series, it's something we looked forward to." When asked about the rematch against Southern Miss, Tanner Allen, who drove in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth Sunday, said, "you know what happened last year." |
| Mississippi State spring football: Will Keytaon Thompson or Garrett Shrader emerge at QB? | |
| The Nick Fitzgerald era is over. No longer will Mississippi State fans see No. 7 bulldoze his way to end zones and drag defenders all over the field. Fitzgerald ended his career having obtained 13 program records and becoming the SEC's all-time leading rusher for a quarterback in his three seasons as a starter. Now, Moorhead has to replace him. He has two options: junior Keytaon Thompson or freshman Garrett Shrader. Thompson has been at State for two years and seems like the easy choice, but the competition could be closer than you think. |
| Debut season worth the wait for Mississippi State's Tyler Williams | |
| One of the most important lessons Tyler Williams has learned during his time at Mississippi State is patience. The former three-star cornerback graduated a semester early from Lafayette High School and enrolled at MSU in January of 2017. But Williams would have to wait a year and a half until he made his collegiate debut after redshirting his true freshman season. Williams appeared in nine games for the Bulldogs this past fall and finished the year with six tackles and a pass deflection. "It felt great getting some reps and getting into some action finally after redshirting," Williams said. "It felt good to be out there." The 6-foot-2, 175-pounder saw time on special teams but also got an opportunity in the secondary, especially when starter Jamal Peters missed three games due to injury. "I definitely felt like it was a time for me to focus up and try to do what I can and help out in his absence," Williams said. "I think I did pretty good but I've still got a lot of work to do." |
| Fa Leilua's hit helps Mississippi State walk off with win | |
| The Mississippi State softball team capped an undefeated Sunday with a 4-3 extra-innings victory against Southeastern Louisiana on the second day of action at The Snowman: Alex Wilcox Memorial Tournament at Nusz Park. Earlier Sunday, MSU (10-3) opened the day with a 9-0 victory against Georgia Tech. Senior Kat Moore had her first career grand slam in a five-RBI effort. The finale took nine innings, but junior Fa Leilua's two-out RBI single helped the Bulldogs walk off the victory. Against Georgia Tech sophomore Emily Williams (2-1) threw a complete-game shutout, her second of the season, to earn the victory. The right-hander allowed two hits in five innings. She walked three and struck out two. Against Southeastern Louisiana, Mia Davidson hit a solo home to give MSU an early lead. Davidson tied the game at 2 with a two-out single to center field. The score held through regulation and pushed MSU into its first extra-innings game of the season. |
| Mississippi State's Marco Arop finishes second in 800 at SEC Indoor meet | |
| Mississippi State sophomore Marco Arop finished second in the 800 meters Saturday at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Tyson Track Center. Arop's time of 1 minute, 47.86 seconds paced three Bulldogs in the top five 0.4 seconds behind Texas A&M's Devin Dixon, who is the top 800 runner in the NCAA. Dejon Devroe and Daniel Nixon placed fourth and fifth, respectively, to give MSU's men 17 points. In the women's 800 , Charlotte Cayton-Smith ran a personal-best 2:06.30 in a fourth-place finish as part of 14 personal bests set over the weekend. Alon Lewis finished eighth in the women's 800. Of the 14 personal bests set on the weekend, five occurred Saturday, starting with freshman Asia Poe, who cleared a personal-best 1.72 meters (5 feet, 7 3/4 inches) in the women's high jump. The top 16 athletes in each event will advance to the NCAA Championships on March 8-9 at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Birmingham, Alabama. Athletes accepted into the Championships will be announced next week. |
| What will fans see as Kentucky baseball opens its sparkling new stadium Tuesday? | |
 | Hard-core Kentucky baseball fans might have gotten a glimpse of the team's gleaming new Kentucky Proud Park during fall exhibitions, but most of the faithful probably waited for spring baseball to check it out. Opening day in the Bluegrass has arrived. Kentucky (3-3) hosts Eastern Kentucky (6-2) for Kentucky Proud Park's very first official game at 4 p.m. Tuesday, and the venue on Alumni Drive in Lexington promises a different experience for both the players and fans. Construction on the $49 million stadium began in March 2017. "We're still learning the ballpark," UK Coach Nick Mingione said this month at his team's media day. "We've done wind studies and everything else. We've had our scrimmages. To me it's going to play more of a doubles ballpark as opposed to The Cliff (Cliff Hagan Stadium, UK's former home) where it maybe played a little bit more home runs." The other major difference besides the giant video board over the right-center-field fence? The playing surface is all synthetic turf, with the exception of the dirt pitching mound. |
| Tennessee basketball contacts SEC office about referee from LSU game | |
| On Saturday afternoon, college basketball official Anthony Jordan worked Tennessee's 82-80 overtime loss at LSU in Baton Rouge, La. A day later, an old Facebook post of Jordan's was discovered in which he was holding up an LSU shirt and wrote "Geaux Tigers." Vols coach Rick Barnes said Monday he is aware of the picture and has contacted the SEC office about it. "All I can tell you is I have trust and faith in the SEC office," Barnes said during his regularly scheduled media availability. "I know they are going to do their due diligence and look at it. They will handle it the way it should be handled. That's all I can say about it." The SEC released a statement Monday regarding Jordan's post. "Anthony Jordan, the official in this social media post, has communicated to us that while traveling in Spain five years ago he saw the t-shirt from an SEC team for sale in a store," the league's statement said. "He took a picture and posted that picture to be seen by friends via his social media account. He said it was his intent to make a light-hearted social media post about having seen the t-shirt in another country and not to express affinity for a particular school." |
| Fundraising push on tap for latest UGA football facility | |
| Georgia brass will be on the road this spring to make a big push to get donors to commit to ponying up money needed for the next big football facility project. Football coach Kirby Smart, athletic director Greg McGarity and even men's basketball coach Tom Crean are set for "major fundraising dates," according to school president Jere Morehead. Georgia is planning a football-only building as part of a Butts-Mehre expansion and renovation and will make its pitch to pay for it. "We plan to be asking our supporters to begin supporting this project and get behind it," Morehead said after the athletic board's winter meeting last week. Dates and locations for the private donor functions are not yet set, according to Georgia deputy athletic director Matt Borman, who serves as executive director of the Bulldog Club. There will also be public events in May in Macon and Augusta. Georgia is spending $1.2 million for an architectural design and feasibility study for the project---which was approved by the athletic board's executive committee on Jan. 4. |
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