| Friday, May 17, 2024 |
| IHL Board approves two new MSU-Meridian healthcare schools | |
 | The Board of Trustees of Mississippi's Institutions of Higher Learning Thursday approved two new schools being established by MSU Meridian. The School of Health Professions and the School of Nursing will be at the Riley Campus in downtown Meridian, which already accommodates its Master of Physician Assistant Studies. "I am grateful to the Board of Trustees for recognizing the vital partnership between MSU, the regional medical community and the civic and governmental leadership in Meridian and Lauderdale County that will transform healthcare opportunities and the quality of life throughout our state. This is the realization of a vision for this community that will endure and grow," said Dr. Mark Keenum, President of Mississippi State University. The School of Nursing is led by Dean of Nursing Mary Stewart, who has overseen the university's accelerated Master of Science in Nursing program since 2023. Harold Jones, dean emeritus of the School of Health Professions at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, is the interim Dean of Health Science for MSU Meridian. |
| Reaction: Cicadas, cicadas everywhere | |
 | A rare brood of cicadas is making its presence felt in north Mississippi and the South. The sound of cicadas is common during the summer months across the South. But this year is different. Billions of cicadas have emerged through the ground after a long slumber. "What we're seeing now is an emergence of periodical cicadas or 13-year cicadas," Blake Layton Jr., an entomology specialist at the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said. He continued, "So, as the name implies, they only come out every 13 years, but when they do, they're in big numbers." That familiar sound is male cicadas attracting female cicadas. The insects not only impact human ears but also the trees on which the cicadas roost. "The females lay their eggs in the twigs of trees, pencil-sized twigs," Layton explained. "Sometimes that causes those twigs to break about 8 to 12 inches back from the tip of the twig." He expects the overwhelming number of cicadas to dwindle by the first week of June. |
| Farmers await busy storm season | |
 | Climate experts in the Delta region are somewhat skeptical about the recent robust 2024 hurricane season predictions released by Colorado State University weather watchers. CSU forecasts 23 named tropical storms with 11 advancing to hurricane status and five to major hurricane levels. The number and nature of these storms will likely have growers keeping a close eye on meteorological developments this summer and fall. However, these experts also note the potential is indeed there for an active storm season, which could threaten ag with the usual suspects of intense rainfall, high winds, storm surge and waterlogged soil. "The April forecast from CSU, because it is so early, has been shown to have the least skill when compared to forecasts issued in later months," said Mike Brown, a Mississippi State University professor of meteorology and climatology, who also serves as the state's climatologist. "Just because a storm becomes strong, it does not mean it will make landfall. Nevertheless, depending upon the timing of a landfalling hurricane in Mississippi, or a storm that transects Mississippi, it could be devastating." David Holt, associate professor of geography in the School of Coastal Resilience at the University of Southern Mississippi, described the CSU as surprisingly high. |
| Biloxi, Mississippi, is losing a foot of salt marsh shoreline a year | |
| Much of Biloxi, Mississippi, is on a narrow peninsula -- bordered by the Gulf of Mexico to the south and Biloxi Bay to the northeast. And some sections of shoreline along the marshy bay are rapidly eroding. Sparks: "Currently, the salt marsh vegetation, which is, like, right along the edge ... is being lost at about one foot per year." Eric Sparks is director of coastal marine extension at Mississippi State University. He says waves from boats cause much of the damage. But sea level rise and intensifying storms are making matters worse. Sparks: "With more extreme weather events and the big flushes of rain ... you can have erosion coming off the shoreline slopes." As the shoreline shrinks, the risk of flooding grows for coastal properties --- including a city park, VA hospital, and Keesler Air Force Base. So Mississippi State University is partnering with the Air Force base to help reduce erosion along a two-and-a-half-mile stretch of shore. The team will place long piles of rocks in the water to help break the waves before they reach the shore. And in some areas, they're planting native grasses to help stabilize the banks. |
| Storms to bring hail, rain, possible tornadoes to Southeast | |
 | A storm system is set to bring severe thunderstorms and excessive rainfall to the lower Mississippi Valley and Alabama on Friday and through the weekend. The risk area in Mississippi is from the central part of the state to the coast. Damaging wind gusts and hail are possible, according to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency. Tornadoes can't be ruled out, MEMA added. "If you like rain and storms the next 2 days are for you," the National Weather Service in Birmingham posted on X on Friday morning. Southern Alabama, including Montgomery and Selma, could see a few tornadoes as the area is hit with hail and "damaging winds" of up to 60 mph. As the storm moves eastward, northeastern Texas and parts of Alabama and Florida could be inundated with up to 8 inches of rain, potentially triggering serious flooding, according to AccuWeather. Through the night, areas in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama could be at risk of flash flooding, the Weather Channel reported. Amid damaging winds on Saturday, the area faces an isolated tornado threat. "Gusty winds and hail" would be the main threats in strong storms expected to hit parts of Southeast Mississippi, according to the NWS in Mobile. |
| Severe storms kill at least 4 in Houston, knock out power in Texas and Louisiana | |
 | Power outages could last weeks in parts of Houston after thunderstorms with hurricane-force winds tore through the city and knocked out electricity to nearly 1 million homes and businesses. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said Friday there have been casualties but "we don't know the latest numbers." However, earlier, Houston Mayor John Whitmire said four people were killed after storms Thursday swept through Harris County, which includes Houston. Officials warned residents that it would be a slow cleanup and that some residents should brace to be without electricity for days, if not longer. "We are going to have to talk about this disaster in weeks, not days," said Hidalgo, the county's top elected official. The widespread destruction brought much of Houston to a standstill as crews raced to restore power and remove uprooted trees and debris. School districts in the Houston area canceled classed for more than 400,000 students and government offices were closed. City officials urged people to stay off roads, many of which were flooded or lined with downed power lines and malfunctioning traffic lights. The storms weren't over Friday. Gulf Coast states could experience scattered, severe thunderstorms with tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds. |
| Mississippi state budget increased by $1.5 billion since 2020 | |
| For the 2025 fiscal year that begins July 1st, the Mississippi Legislature budgeted total state support of $7.866 billion, a jump of over $1.5 billion, or 24 percent, from the 2020 budget of $6.351 billion. Portions of the large increase in spending are a reflection of labor and material inflation in recent years, which has both driven up tax revenue collected and the cost of government operations. Still, much of the spending growth is a reflection of new recurring programs and commitments. One of the most talked about spending increases from the 2024 session was in K-12 education. For fiscal year 2025, the Legislature plans to dole out $3.312 billion, a sizable increase from the 2024 budget, which came in just over $3 billion. In 2020, the Legislature budgeted $2.570 billion for K-12 education. In that same period, student enrollment in K-12 public schools has declined by nearly 30,000 students. This year's nearly $250 million increase in education funding is part of the adoption of a new funding formula, the "Mississippi Student Funding Formula." Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, the state department that oversees the Magnolia State's public universities, will see a slight decrease. For FY 2025, IHL was budgeted $874 million, which is a decrease from 2024's budget of $878 million. Back in 2020, the agency was budgeted $709 million. |
| Supervisor refutes claims Madison County was jilted by state during legislative session | |
| A supervisor is refuting claims that state lawmakers overlooked Madison County during the 2024 appropriations process, saying others have likely forgotten about Amazon. "They helped us tremendously with AWS, Amazon Web Services," said Board President Gerald Steen. "Many people just overlook it." Steen's comments come nearly two weeks after the end of the 2024 session, and just days after other county leaders offered their thoughts on why Madison County didn't receive any money for road work or other public projects. Steen said Madison County received hundreds of millions of dollars to help secure AWS, including a $215 million loan to help cover infrastructure work related to the project and another $44 million for employee training and site planning. "When someone says, 'Well, we didn't get any help from the legislature,' that's totally false. Because they helped tremendously," he said. "We all know how huge AWS is to Madison County and the state of Mississippi. Amazon announced earlier this year that it would be investing some $10 billion into two data centers in the county, including one at the Madison County Megasite, a roughly 900-acre industrial center near Canton, and the Costas property, a more than 700-acre site near Tougaloo College. Once completed, the data hubs will employ approximately 1,000 people, who will earn at least 125 percent of the average state wage of $45,200, Gov. Tate Reeves said back in January. Meanwhile, another 15,000 workers will be needed during construction. Steen said another allocation made to the Mississippi Department of Transportation puts Madison County at the front of the line next year to receive funds to widen I-55. |
| Campaign launches in Jackson Metro to curtail illegal gun purchases | |
 | Over the next month, community members in the Jackson Metro area may notice various billboards, radio spots and social media posts informing audiences of the consequences of "straw purchasing." "Straw purchasing" refers to buying a firearm for someone else who cannot legally purchase one on their own, an action that can result in up to 15 years in prison and fines up to $250,000. The National Shooting Sports Foundation has partnered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to bring the "Don't Lie for the Other Guy" campaign to the Jackson Metro area. On Thursday morning, campaign representatives stood in front of firearm displays in Downrange Gun and Tactical in Clinton to announce the campaign's details. Downrange Gun and Tactical is one of more than 10,000 members the NSSF trade association. The ATF, NSSF and the Department of Justice created the "Don't Lie" campaign 24 years ago in an effort to curtail illegal straw purchasing by partnering with local law enforcement. This Jackson-area campaign marks the first time "Don't Lie" has come to Mississippi. Jackson is one of three areas chosen for this year's campaign. The locations are determined by trends in illegal gun purchasing and violent crimes involving guns. ATF Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson said the Jackson area was chosen due to its elevated level of gun crimes per capita. |
| House unveils $1.5 trillion farm bill after long delay | |
 | House Agriculture Chair G.T. Thompson's long-awaited farm bill significantly boosts farm safety net programs but crosses two of Democratic leaders' red lines, setting up a showdown with the Senate over the must-pass legislation. The massive $1.5 trillion legislative package, which Thompson (R-Pa.) plans to formally unveil later today, is still likely to draw some Democratic votes when the House Agriculture Committee holds a markup next week. The release of the draft legislation marks the latest salvo in what has become an intensely partisan debate over food and agriculture policy, an issue area that has traditionally bridged the two parties. Democrats on the panel, however, have been under intense pressure from party leaders to not support Thompson's House farm bill and to instead stand behind a rival proposal laid out by Senate Agriculture Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), a member of Democratic leadership. Doing so could prove politically dicey back home. Republicans are looking to oust at least a dozen Democrats on the House Agriculture Committee who represent rural, agriculture-heavy districts. The farm bill -- or lack thereof -- is likely to be a major talking point in those competitive races. It encompasses a huge range of rural funding, farm safety net and nutrition programs that serve as the cornerstone of the U.S. food and agriculture sector and rural communities. And it's one of the few must-pass bills left for Congress to address this year. |
| Chaos erupts in hearing as Greene, Ocasio-Cortez clash over 'fake eyelashes' jibe at Crockett | |
 | A House Oversight Committee hearing devolved into chaos Thursday night as Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) clashed after the firebrand Republican accused Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) of wearing "fake eyelashes." The comment -- which was made during a markup to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress -- prompted nearly an hour of disorder in the committee, with lawmakers screaming over one another and hurling insults left and right, leaving Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) struggling to maintain order. The madness culminated Thursday night with a vote on whether or not to allow Greene to continue speaking during the hearing, which the panel ultimately granted in a 22-20 vote. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) -- who has butted heads with Greene in the past -- crossed party lines to vote against allowing the Georgia lawmaker to proceed during the hearing. Boebert was sitting two seats away from Greene during the vote. The back-and-forth prompted a short pause in the proceedings as Comer determined how to proceed. When they resumed, Greene said she would agree to strike her words, but Ocasio-Cortez demanded that she apologize to Crockett, an exchange that led to Greene lobbing an insult at the New York Democrat. |
| Trump vs. Biden: How the Dow's Performance Compares | |
 | The Dow Jones Industrial Average's first foray above 40000, though brief, is the latest sign the economy has shrugged off the threat of recession in the midst of retreating inflation and hopes for lower interest rates. It is one bit of welcome news for President Biden, whose approval -- and re-election prospects -- are being held down by public dissatisfaction with the economy. On X, Biden called the milestone "great news for Americans' retirement accounts and another sign of confidence in America's economy." The stock market isn't the economy, but it is the most prominent, and most frequently updated, benchmark of financial and economic performance. How strong a case, then, does it make for Biden? Superficially, pretty strong. As of Thursday's close, the Dow is up 28% since he was inaugurated in January 2021 -- a respectable run. It is also slightly more than where the Dow was at the same point of Donald Trump's presidency. This, however, understates how well the market performed under Trump. At this point in his term, stocks had been nosediving as the economy shut down to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. Once the federal government and Federal Reserve flooded the economy with money and businesses reopened, the Dow turned around and shot up, finishing Trump's term up 57% from the inauguration date. Stocks are only one part of household wealth, and their ownership is most concentrated among the wealthy. A better measure of financial health is net worth: all assets, including stocks, bonds, cash and property, minus debts. Total household net worth rose 19% through Biden's first three years in office, according to Federal Reserve data -- not much less than the 23% through Trump's first three years. |
| GOP tries to 'correct the narrative' on use of mailed ballots after years of conflicting messages | |
| Marta Moehring voted the way she prefers in Nebraska's Republican primary Tuesday -- in person, at her west Omaha polling place. She didn't even consider taking advantage of the state's no-excuse mail-in ballot process. In fact, she would prefer to do away with mail-in voting altogether. She's convinced fraudulent mailed ballots cost former President Donald Trump a second term in 2020. "I don't trust it in general," Moehring, 62, said. "I don't think they're counted correctly." But now Republican officials -- even, sometimes, Trump -- are encouraging voters such as Moehring to cast their ballots by mail. The GOP has launched an effort to, in the words of one official, "correct the narrative" on mail voting and get those who were turned off to it by Trump to reconsider for this year's election. The push is a striking change for a party that amplified dark rumors about mail ballots to explain away Trump's 2020 loss, but it is also seen as a necessary course correction for an election this year that is likely to be decided by razor-thin margins in a handful of swing states. Republicans once were at least as likely as Democrats to vote by mail, but Trump changed the dynamics in 2020. He preemptively began to argue that mail balloting was bad months before voting began in the presidential race. That alarmed GOP strategists who saw mail voting as an advantage in campaigns because it lets them "bank" unreliable votes before Election Day and lowers the risk of turnout plummeting because of bad weather or other unpredictable factors at the polls. |
| Every university but Delta State to increase tuition this year | |
| Every university in Mississippi is increasing tuition in the fall except for Delta State University. The new rates were approved by the governing board of the eight universities, the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees, at its regular meeting Thursday. The average cost of tuition in Mississippi is now $8,833 a year, a roughly 3% increase from last year. In recent years, universities have cited inflation and rising insurance costs as reasons for the tuition increases. At Thursday's meeting, the board heard a presentation on how property insurance is becoming more expensive for the eight universities as Mississippi sees more tornadoes and storms with severe wind and hail. At Delta State University, the president, Daniel Ennis, announced that he will attempt to avoid tuition increases as the regional college in the Mississippi Delta undergoes drastic budget cuts in an effort to become more financially sustainable. "We will resist tuition increases so that our most economically vulnerable students can continue to have access to the opportunities that a college degree can provide," he wrote in a memo to faculty and staff on Monday. "We will move beyond basic survival and into a place where we have the capacity to take better advantage of our undeniable strengths." |
| Transgender girl faces discrimination from a Mississippi school's dress code, ACLU says | |
| A transgender girl from Mississippi's Gulf Coast who wanted to wear a dress to a regional band event was discriminated against when her school insisted she follow a dress code based on her sex assigned at birth, according to a new civil rights complaint. The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Mississippi want the Harrison County School District to get rid of its sex-based distinctions in the dress code and stop enforcing the rules in a way that discriminates against girls, according to an administrative complaint filed Wednesday with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights. The ACLU says the district's dress code violates Title IX, the 1972 law originally passed to address women's rights. The law prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex by any educational programs or activities that receive federal money. The district rule that students' clothing must match their sex assigned at birth was added to the dress code policy relatively recently, in July 2023. The complaint was filed Wednesday on behalf of a woman and her daughter, a 16-year-old student at Harrison Central High School. The complaint also wants the Office for Civil Rights to investigate the district focusing on Title IX discrimination. |
| Auburn Edging Tuscaloosa in New People | |
| Anytime there is anything to be compared that includes Auburn and Tuscaloosa it will harken back to the rivalry between the universities located in the two cities, even populations. The new U.S. Census 2023 Population estimates were released today and they show Auburn leading Tuscaloosa in new citizens. The newest estimate reveals the City of Auburn is winning the population growth battle with Tuscaloosa. The "Loveliest Village on the Plains "and home to Auburn University, added 1,600 new residents in 2022-23 to their 82,000 population. It is now the State of Alabama's 7th largest city. The state's fifth largest city is Tuscaloosa, the home to the University of Alabama. The Druid City added 760 new residents to the 111,000 population during the same time period. Across the river, Northport added 88 new citizens as the city continues its population growth. Huntsville, now the state's largest city, added 3,535 new residents its 225,564 population. According to the Census Bureau that works out to adding ten new residents a day to 'The Rocket City." The state's second largest city is Birmingham. The "Magic City" seems to have lost saw some of its enchantment. 246 residents were deducted from the 196,644-population base. The Birmingham Metropolitan area continues to be the state's largest. Alabama overall is seeing a small population growth according to the estimate. |
| The Hotel at Auburn University earns Tripadvisor's 2024 Travelers' Choice award | |
 | Ithaka Hospitality Partners named The Hotel at Auburn University & Dixon Conference Center as one of the best in the world based on 2023 traveler reviews on Tripadvisor. The Hotel earned the 2024 Travelers' Choice award, which celebrates properties that consistently deliver fantastic experiences to guests from around the globe, having earned great traveler reviews on Tripadvisor over the last 12 months. "Every day we work to delight our guests with memorable experiences," said Hans van der Reijden, Ithaka founder and CEO. "Our team is honored that our guests' positive feedback earned this property a Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice award for the eleventh straight year." The hotel is centrally located near the shops and restaurants of downtown Auburn. It is adjacent to Hey Day Market, The Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center and across from AU's Samford Hall. The hotel offers 235 guestrooms and suites that offer true Southern hospitality in an ideal setting. The property is owned by Auburn University. |
| 'Tsunami of hate' flooding Kentucky and its colleges as antisemitism rates soar | |
 | Antisemitism is on the rise in Kentucky, with incident rates more than doubling over the past two years. Kentucky saw 47 separate antisemitism incidents in 2023, according to the Anti-Defamation League, an organization aiming to stop the defamation of Jewish people. That's a steep increase from the 16 reported in Kentucky in 2022, of which only one occurred on a college campus. Of the incidents reported last year in the commonwealth, eight occurred on college campuses. "We have never seen anything like the tsunami of hate and harassment that has sprung up since Oct. 7," Adam Lehman, the CEO of the nation's largest Jewish student organization, Hillel, said at a meeting of the Kentucky Antisemitism Task Force Wednesday. The task force acts as an advisory group to the governor. In the executive order creating it, signed by Gov. Andy Beshear in December 2023, the 18-person group was charged with conducting a comprehensive review of the "growing threat" of antisemitism in the commonwealth. Statistics from the Anti-Defamation League have been cited by Beshear to show the need for the task force. UK Dean of Students Trisha Clement said UK has been particularly attentive to the Jewish community since the beginning of the Israel-Palestine conflict. She highlighted university sponsored listening sessions, where students were invited to tell administrators about their daily campus lives. |
| U. of Missiouri project awarded $2 million grant to improve child and teen vaccine rates | |
 | A new $2 million grant will go toward increasing immunization rates among children and teenagers, according to a news release from the University of Missouri School of Medicine. The grant, funded by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, will pay for training providers, with a particular focus on rural physicians. One of the researchers at the MU medical school is leading the effort in a study that focuses on completion rates for vaccines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the news release said. "Immunizations are vital to child health," Jane McElroy, a research professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine, said in the release. "The goal is to protect kids and others they encounter in the home or at school from preventable diseases. We look forward to assisting pediatric providers in giving their youngest patients a healthy start and life, and their school-aged children the immunizations they need to attend school and stay healthy." The study comes at a time of declining vaccine completion rates among the youngest patients, according to the Department of Health and Senior Services, complementing a CDC study that found a dip in vaccine rates nationwide. |
| Current Students Left Behind in FAFSA Change Conversation | |
 | Higher education leaders have worked tirelessly over the past five months to recover from the Department of Education's delayed and error-ridden rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid form (FASFA), but one in five current students say they're not aware of changes to FAFSA, or are unconcerned about the issues. New Student Voice survey data, collected by The Generation Lab for Inside Higher Ed, found 21 percent of college students don't know about the new FAFSA requirements or were not aware of changes to the form -- and half of these students self-identify as being on federal financial aid. Among those who do know about the new requirements, 18 percent say they are "not at all concerned" and an additional 14 percent don't expect to receive financial aid, so they didn't fill out a FAFSA. The survey was fielded April 28 to April 30 from a sample of 1,206 current college students at public and private nonprofit institutions (83 percent four-year and 17 percent two-year) from around the country, with a margin of error of +/- 2.8 percentage points. As financial aid officers scramble to provide incoming students with their packets, experts warn returning students could be thrown off by the lack of information or changes to their financial aid offers due to FAFSA. |
| As summer arrives and universities strike deals with students, campus protests taper off | |
 | The pro-Palestinian protests that roiled college campuses in late April and early May have begun to abate in recent weeks. As summer break approached, school leaders at some schools struck deals with student protestors while others resorted to calling on law enforcement to forcibly remove activists from campus. The tumult will likely taper off over the summer, according to experts, but could return again in the fall as the concessions made by some colleges come into sharper view. As the term wrapped up at Harvard University, top officials reached an agreement with demonstrators Tuesday to take down a weekslong pro-Palestinian encampment. As part of that pact, the university said it would retract student suspensions and broach the topic of divesting from companies affiliated with Israel, according to a social media post by Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine, a student group. How the social movement plays out on campuses over the rest of the year will depend on how the conflict unfolds overseas and whether students can maintain their recent momentum, experts said. Whether or not the protests return or reach another fever pitch, some remnants of the unrest could become more permanent fixtures of campus culture, according to Todd Ely, an associate professor at the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado, Denver. Though the divestment movement has a long history on college campuses, Ely said there seems to be a renewed interest in the concept of "socially responsible investing," also known as ethical investing. |
SPORTS
| Bulldogs Take Game One Against Missouri | |
| The No. 16 Mississippi State Bulldogs defeated the Missouri Tigers 4-3 in game one of the weekend series. With the win, the Maroon and White improved to 35-18 on the year and 16-12 in SEC play. Khal Stephen drew the start on the mound tonight and earned his eighth win. In six innings of work, he allowed five hits and three earned runs but also struck out eight. Tyson Hardin and Tyler Davis came in from the bullpen and locked down the final three innings. Hardin only gave up one hit, had no earned runs, and retired four batters in two innings. Davis also gave up one hit but struck out the last three Tigers in the ninth to close the game and earned his fourth save on the season. Bryce Chance, Amani Larry, and Joe Powell led the way at the plate for the Diamond Dawgs. Chance went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, Larry went 1-for-3 with one RBI, and Joe Powell went a perfect 2-for-2 with one RBI. Chance and Larry both had solo home runs in the game. Mississippi State is back in action Friday for game two against the Missouri Tigers. First pitch is set for 3 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on SECN+. |
| Baseball: Homers, bullpen guide Mississippi State to series-opening win over Missouri | |
 | With Mississippi State clinging to a one-run lead in a game that never felt secure, Tyson Hardin stood on the mound in the top of the eighth inning with the tying run just 90 feet away. Hardin, who had the Bulldogs' worst ERA last season but is now one of MSU's top high-leverage relievers, was in a battle with Missouri's Matt Garcia. The Tigers' second baseman fouled off three straight pitches to extend the plate appearance to its seventh pitch, but on the third 2-2 offering, Hardin painted a sinker at the knees on the outside corner, and Garcia could only watch it dart past him for a called third strike. Following another quality start from ace Khal Stephen, the back of the Bulldogs' bullpen came through again Thursday night as Hardin and left-hander Tyler Davis held Missouri scoreless over the final three innings of MSU's 4-3 victory. "We have a lot of guys. We have to have our trust in everyone," Hardin said. "Our bullpen is really elite. We all know that down there, and our starters know that. It's easy to do when the starters do their job. When they give it to us, they have a lot of confidence." |
| Missouri baseball eliminated from SEC Tournament contention after loss at Mississippi State | |
 | On Saturday, the season will be over for Missouri baseball. After a 4-3 loss Thursday against Mississippi State in the first game of a series in Starkville, Mississippi, Mizzou was officially eliminated from contention for the 2024 SEC Baseball Tournament. The Tigers faced an uphill battle heading into the regular season's final series, as they needed to sweep the Bulldogs at Dudy Noble Field and hope that Florida was swept by Georgia. Or that either LSU or Ole Miss took all three games in their set against one another. This is the last season that the SEC Baseball Tournament will have a cut at the end of the regular season. When Texas and Oklahoma join the conference this summer, the league expands to 16 teams. With that change, the conference tournament will expand to 16 teams and become a straight knockout event. MU coach Kerrick Jackson took over the program last offseason for Steve Bieser, meaning Jackson's first season at the helm will end without a postseason. Mizzou is not projected to earn an NCAA Regional berth. After a series loss against Auburn last weekend, Missouri's shot at making the tournament became mathematically unlikely. Jackson had been candid throughout the year discussing the team's strengths and weaknesses, frequently saying that the team's only consistency was its inconsistency. |
| This Amazing Pitcher Throws 95 MPH Right-Handed -- and 93 MPH Left-Handed | |
| His unearthly gift must be seen to be believed: a right-handed college pitcher, confident on the hill, in command of several pitches, his fastball blazing well into the mid-90s. Then -- behold! -- he switches his custom Wilson glove to his opposite hand, adjusts his feet, turns his body and does it all over again...left-handed. His name is Jurrangelo Cijntje (pronounced SAIN-ja), and he's a 20-year-old "switch-pitching" phenomenon from Curaçao, by way of the Netherlands and Florida, currently helping 16th-ranked Mississippi State make a charge to the College World Series. At the moment, Cijntje holds a 7-1 record with 89 strikeouts over 70 innings. He would be a major-league prospect if he merely threw from the right side, where his repertoire includes a sizzling fastball, curve, slider and change-up. According to Mississippi State's pitching coach Justin Parker, Cijnte's heater tops out at just under 100 miles an hour. "He'd be a first- or second-round pick as a right-hander," Parker says. "You'd still be talking about him -- just without the uniqueness component." Yes: the uniqueness component. Cijntje's virtuoso ambidextrousness has turned this soft-spoken SEC academic honor roller into a college sports fascination, his highlights regularly percolating on social media. The ability to pitch from both sides -- not as a novelty, but at a consistent high level -- makes Cijntje "an absolute monster," says Parker. "He's a really special kid," the coach says. |
| State Begins NCAA Tournament At Stanford Regional | |
| A rematch awaits No. 18/20 Mississippi State as the Bulldogs open the NCAA Tournament against Cal State Fullerton on Friday night. State and the Titans met in February this year, with MSU claiming a 4-2 victory. The Bulldogs' first game of the regional will air on ESPN+ at 6:30 p.m. CT and is available online through WatchESPN or the ESPN app. Television assignments for the remaining games of the regional will be announced later this week. State (33-18, 12-12 SEC) is making its 18th NCAA Tournament appearance. The Bulldogs have made 10 of the last 12 tournament fields, and all 18 appearances have come since 2000. In their last NCAA Tournament appearance, the Bulldogs reached the Super Regionals for the first time in program history, winning the Tallahassee Regional to earn the right to host the Starkville Super Regional. Aspen Wesley adds a proven presence in the circle as she holds the program record for wins and appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Wesley is also one of just five Bulldogs in program history to throw a shutout in the Tournament, blanking then-No. 2 Florida State in 2022. Matalasi Faapito has never pitched in the NCAA Tournament, but she has hit well, posting a career .733 slugging percentage that is third in program history and a .333 average. |
| Softball notebook: Stanford Regional a homecoming for Samantha Ricketts | |
| Mississippi State may be traveling nearly 1,900 miles from Starkville for the NCAA regionals in Palo Alto, California, but the Bulldogs' head coach will be just a 30-minute drive from her hometown. Samantha Ricketts grew up in San Jose and starred at powerhouse Archbishop Mitty High School before enjoying a decorated playing career at Oklahoma. The Bulldogs are spending time at Ricketts' childhood home as they prepare to battle Cal State Fullerton in the opening round Friday. MSU is the only team in the regional not based in California, but the Bulldogs do have four Californians on the roster. Freshman pitcher Delainey Everett is the only player from Northern California, and although her hometown of Oakdale is more than two hours from Stanford, she will surely still have plenty of friends and family in attendance. "It's exciting. I don't know if I've really ever had that in my coaching career," Ricketts said after the selection show last Sunday. "(Everett) teared up when she heard the news, just to be able to play in front of her family. Just a special moment. I know we're looking forward to it. It'll give us kind of a home field advantage, having some extra fans in the stands when we get out there this weekend." After arriving in the Bay Area on Wednesday, MSU played tourist for an afternoon and evening in San Francisco, visiting Pier 39 and attending a San Francisco Giants game with tickets courtesy of Will Clark, the former Bulldog baseball standout and later a five-time MLB All-Star with the Giants. |
| Exposure, popularity and stars. Is college softball on the brink of a breakthrough? | |
 | On a steamy Thursday afternoon at Stanford's Smith Family Stadium, every Cardinal player and coach not on the field stands against the dugout rail, shouting encouragement at someone. Including, between every pitch, a chorus of "Yeah, NiJa!" NiJa is Stanford pitcher NiJaree Canady, a 6-foot sophomore, who finds herself in a bind against rival Cal. She began the top of the fifth inning with a walk, a passed ball and a single. Now, the Bears have executed a double steal to pull within 4-2. There are no outs and a runner at second. It's a 2-2 count. But on her 89th pitch of the afternoon, Canady unleashes a searing rise ball to strike out leadoff batter Lagi Quiroga swinging. Canady smiles and exchanges an excited clap with shortstop River Mahler. And then, in an instant, the inning is over, with Canady notching another strikeout and a two-pitch groundout in the eventual Pac-12 tournament win. With the NCAA Tournament opening this week, college softball has steadily increased in popularity over the past decade. Viewership for the Women's College World Series finals reached a record 1.85 million viewers in 2021 and notably passed the Men's CWS championship with 1.6 million viewers in 2022. The WCWS has reached at least 1 million viewers in each of its last four seasons (it did not air in 2020), and some believe the sport may be on the verge of a women's basketball-like breakout. Canady burst on the national scene as a freshman at last year's WCWS, where she struck out Oklahoma star Tiare Jennings on consecutive at-bats, unleashing her now-familiar fist pump and howl after both. Now, a year later, as the eighth-seeded Cardinal begin their quest to return to Oklahoma City, members of the softball community mention Canady alongside the all-time greats. |
| Mississippi State set for NCAA Championship | |
| The No. 23 Mississippi State Bulldogs take on 29 other teams in the NCAA Championship, which kicks off on Friday. The Bulldogs hit the tee box at 9:02 a.m. CT. State will tee off in their program record third consecutive NCAA Championship on Friday. The Bulldogs are one of 14 programs in the nation to appear in each of the last three NCAA Championships. The Bulldogs will be paired with No. 22 Virginia and No. 21 Pepperdine in the opening round. The Cavaliers of Virginia are led into the tournament by Amanda Sambach, the No. 7 ranked individual in collegiate golf. Pepperdine enters the championship with two golfers in the top 100, No. 34 Jeneath Wong and No. 62 Lauren Gomez. Julia Lopez Ramirez will compete with each team's top performers, as she is paired with Gomez and Sambach. Lopez Ramirez, the No. 2 collegiate golfer, enters her third NCAA Championship after finishing in the top three in her last three tournaments, including wins at the SEC Championship and Darius Rucker Intercollegiate. When she tees off, she will become the first Mississippi State Bulldog to appear in three NCAA Championships. The field will play three rounds before being cut from 30 teams to 15. Those 15 will then play a fourth round on Monday, with the top eight teams advancing to match play on Tuesday for the semifinal and quarterfinal matchups. The title match will take place on Wednesday. |
| Ramirez Lopez, Ewing nominated for awards as MSU women's golf begins NCAA Championship | |
| As the Mississippi State women's golf team swings into the postseason, one player and one coach have been named to major award watchlists. Julia Lopez Ramirez, coming off her second SEC Player of the Year award, is one of 10 nominees for this year's ANNIKA Award. The honor goes annually to the nation's top female collegiate golfer. Lopez Ramirez, who has never won but has been named to the watchlist three years in a row, looks to finally bring the trophy home to Starkville. Lopez Ramirez was also one of five players named to the watchlist for the Women's Golf Coaches Association's Player of the Year award. The junior from Malaga, Spain is a two-time WGCA All-American but has never been named as the association's best golfer. This year alone, Lopez Ramirez has shot an average of 68.4 while winning the SEC Individual Championship. With Lopez Ramirez being a vital part of the Bulldogs' historic season, the man running practices has been nominated for the WGCA's Jackie Steinmann Coach of the Year Award. Charlie Ewing, in his fourth season in Starkville, has taken the program to heights never seen before. On top of the program's first-ever SEC Championship, Ewing's squad is set to compete for an NCAA Championship beginning Friday. |
| Changes proposed for 2024-25 Mississippi deer seasons | |
| The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks proposed a number of changes for the coming hunting seasons and several, if adopted by the Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, will affect deer hunters. William McKinley, MDWFP Deer Program coordinator, started with the dates of the coming early archery season. McKinley said the 2024 dates are September 13-15, which is a Friday through Sunday hunt. The hunt is by permit only and is designed to offer hunters in Mississippi a chance at harvesting a buck with antlers in velvet, but any legal buck can be taken. McKinley said another proposal is allowing the early archery season on authorized state and federal public lands where as in the past it has been limited to private land. "That was a request from some of our partners to have the ability to allow this season on some of the state and federal lands there," McKinley said. "We're putting that in there to allow it if they so choose." Another change came through Legislative action. Hunters will now be able to choose to wear 500 inches of unbroken fluorescent pink for safety as an alternative to fluorescent orange. |
| Oxford brewery helps 'change' Ole Miss NIL opportunities | |
| NIL -- short for the NCAA's Name, Image, and Likeness policy -- has transformed the landscape of college athletics, including at Ole Miss. Ole Miss's NIL entity, The Grove Collective, launched in early 2022 and has signed notable student-athletes, such as Jaxson Dart, Tre Harris, Ethan Groff, Jaemyn Brakefield and hundreds more, according to 247Sports. Led by former Ole Miss athlete Walker Jones, the Grove Collective uses a subscription-based model that allows its members to donate in support of student-athletes, though one-time donations are possible, too. Circle and Square Brewing Company, a local microbrewery located just off campus, has found its own way to contribute to the cause. Co-owner Rick Hollander, who also teaches at Ole Miss, has implemented a system that gives customers the option to round-up their tabs to support the Grove Collective's fund. "So when we started the brewery back in August, we wanted to have an affiliation with the university as much as we could being right on campus," Hollander stated. Hollander also noted that Oby's in Oxford has a similar system in place. "It was kind of a no-brainer to just implement it, do what we said we're going to do and help the university as much as we can," he said. |
| Why an NCAA antitrust settlement will leave lots of questions unanswered | |
| The NCAA board of governors and several power conferences have scheduled meetings for next week to vote on a proposed settlement of antitrust lawsuits that would reset the framework for the business of major college sports. While sources indicate broad support for moving forward with the industry-shifting settlement, athletic department and university administrators are also worried about how effective the negotiated terms will be in creating a stable system. With formal decisions just days away, the chief concern of an industry on the precipice of a historic step is a simple one: Will these settlements actually settle the college sports landscape? To settle the looming House v. NCAA lawsuit as well as at least two other major federal antitrust claims, multiple sources say the NCAA would pay more than $2.7 billion in damages to past athletes over the next decade. Power conferences would agree to a future system for schools directly sharing revenue with athletes, a permissive choice that's projected to be in the neighborhood of $20 million per year for each school. The settlement looms as a quintessential conflicted college sports moment -- a bold step with an undercurrent of uncertainty and the new backbone of a multibillion-dollar industry that will forge ahead without key details determined. Sources told ESPN it would take a minimum of six months, and likely longer, to hash out the unsettled details. Revenue sharing with players is not expected to begin until fall 2025 at the earliest. |
| Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman named chair of NCAA Division I Council | |
| Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman is the new chair of the NCAA Division I Council, announced in a press release on Thursday. He steps in for Lynda Tealer, who was named the NCAA's new senior vice president of championships last month. She was previously the executive associate athletics director at Florida. Whitman was named the Big Ten's representative on the council in July 2023 and was elected to chair the group in last month's meeting. He's already taken over for Tealer and will hold his office until June 30, 2026. Along with his role with the D-I Council, he now becomes a voting member of the NCAA Division I Board of Directors, which consists of presidents and chancellors. The D-I Council is a group of 40 athletic directors, senior woman administrators, faculty athletics representatives, conference commissioners and athletes. "I am honored to represent the University of Illinois and the Big Ten Conference in this important role during such a transformative period in college athletics," Whitman said in a statement. "I feel fortunate to be working alongside such talented colleagues at the campus, conference, and national levels while we work collaboratively to reshape elements of Division I. Among the duties of the D-I Council is decision-making on future NCAA guidance. Notably, the NCAA Division I Council adopted emergency legislation in April remove the year-in residency requirement for multiple transfers and instead base their eligibility to compete on academic standards. The Council approved proposals that allow schools to provide "assistance and services" to their athletes as they pursue NIL deals. |
| Bike shops boomed early in the pandemic. It's been a bumpy ride for most ever since | |
| For the nation's bicycle shops, the past few years have probably felt like the business version of the Tour de France. Early in the pandemic, a surge of interest in cycling pushed sales up 64% to $5.4 billion in 2020, according to the retail tracking service Circana. It wasn't unheard of for some shops to sell 100 bikes or more in a couple of days. The boom didn't last. Hobbled by pandemic-related supply chain issues, the shops sold all their bikes and had trouble restocking. Now, inventory has caught up, but fewer people need new bikes. So, bicycle makers have been slashing prices to clear out the excess. It all adds up to a tough environment for retailers, although there are a few bright spots like gravel and e-bikes. Independent bike stores not only have to compete with national chains, but increasingly, bike makers such as Specialized and Trek as well. They've been buying bike shops and selling their bikes directly to consumers, essentially cutting out the middleman. In Boulder, Colorado, Douglas Emerson's bike shop, University Bicycles, is faring better, boosted by its location in one of the most popular places to ride bikes in the country. He's had the shop for 39 years and employs 30 staffers. Like other bike stores, the pandemic spurred a frenzy of bike buying at University Bicycles. Emerson recalls selling 107 bikes in 48 hours. But right after the boom, sales slowed dramatically because inventory was scarce, and rentals died down since no one was traveling. |
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