The Mississippi State Bulldogs edged past the Texas Longhorns in their 2021 World Series opener on Sunday night. MSU starter Will Bednar hurled six shutout innings as he allowed only one hit and fanned 15 batters in leading the Bulldogs past Texas, 2-1, at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha. Landon Sims hurled the final three innings and struck out six Longhorns. State will now play Virginia on Tuesday night in their next action. Mississippi State (46-16) is hoping to bring home the World Series for the first time in school history. The Bulldogs are making their third straight and 12th overall appearance in Omaha. Texas (47-16) is making their 37th appearance and has won six College World Series championships. Other winners in the opening rounds on Saturday and Sunday were North Carolina State, Vanderbilt and Virginia. Arizona, Stanford and Tennessee all lost their openers.
Big Football Weekend in Jackson
Mississippi Memorial Stadium will host the Soul-Filled Weekend as Jackson State, Delta State and Mississippi Valley will play in Jackson on the last weekend of September. Jackson State will host Delta State on Saturday, September 25, in the W.C. Gordon Classic. Mississippi Valley will host the Delta Bayou Classic and will tangle with Southern University of Baton Rouge the following day. Additional activities will include music, a golf tournament, a college fair, a 5K run and walk, a concert and a Sunday church service.
Mississippians in the Majors
Former University of Southern Mississippi hurler Nick Sandlin picked up his first Major pitching win as the Cleveland Indians edged the Baltimore Orioles, 4-3. Sandlin fanned three Oriole batters over 1.2 innings of perfect relief. The 2018 C-Spire Ferris Trophy winner and Conference USA’s Pitcher of the Year has been almost untouchable in June, allowing only one hit and posting a 0.00 ERA through 5.2 innings of work. Since being called up on May 1, Sandlin has appeared in 16 games with an overall ERA of 1.86 in 19.1 innings. He was the second pick of Cleveland in the 2018 draft and the 67th overall selection in the MLB draft.
The Indians called up first baseman Bobby Bradley of Harrison Central recently, and the lefty hitter with lots of power is off to a great start. Drafted by the Indians in 2015, he has shown tremendous power in the minors as he hit over 20 home runs most of those six minor league seasons. He entered the week batting .279 with 4 home runs and 11 RBI in 43 at bats for the Tribe.
Former Mississippi State pitcher Brandon Woodruff is 5-3 in 14 starts for the Milwaukee Brewers with an ERA of 1.94 for the former Wheeler High School ace. Lance Lynn is with the Chicago White Sox this season, and he is 7-3 on the mound in 13 starts. The league is only batting .195 against the former Ole Miss Rebel.
MAC Coaches HoF
Congratulations to the five new inductees into the Mississippi Coaches Hall of Fame. The 2021 class consists of Mike Carlisle, Mike Gavin, Don Hinton, Anthony Jenkins and Bill Ward.
Hoops Action
Moss Point native Devin Booker recorded his first triple-double in leading the Phoenix Suns over the L.A. Clippers in the first round of the Western Division NBA Championship. Booker tallied 40 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and handed out 10 assists in the win.
Golf News
Fulton native Ally McDonald Ewing had another good showing as she tied for sixth place in the Meijer LPGA Classic in Grand Rapids, Michigan, this past weekend. Spaniard John Rahm won his first career major by taking the US Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego this past Father’s Day.
