STARKVILLE — Although Cody Brown doesn’t spend much time in Biloxi anymore, he knows how important baseball is to the city.
Located on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Biloxi has a lot to offer between water sports and casinos. Like many towns in Mississippi, high school football also is an important tradition, but baseball was pushed to the forefront last summer when the Biloxi Shuckers, the Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee
Brewers, played their first season in Brown’s hometown. It was a welcome sight for Brown and Biloxi.
“I think it’s pretty cool,” Brown said. “It gives the people something to do other than just going boating or going fishing. It kind of gives a crowd atmosphere, like a family atmosphere. It’s something to do on week nights, and even the weekends.”
Brown, a junior outfielder, will get to play in his hometown at 7 tonight when the No. 7 Mississippi State baseball team (24-12-1) takes on Louisiana-Monroe (15-21) at MGM Park. Junior right-hander Zac Houston (2-0, 2.00 ERA) will start for the Bulldogs, while sophomore right-hander Keegan Curtis (0-1, 10.61) will go for the Warhawks.
The Biloxi Shuckers began as the Nashville Sound in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1978 before being relocated to Huntsville, Alabama. Baseball Biloxi brought the team to the city in 2014. After playing the first 25 games at different venues due to construction, the team played its first home game at MGM Park on June 6, 2015.
Brown, who played for Bethesda Big Train in the Cal Ripken League, saw one game at MGM Park before reporting to his summer baseball team. He was immediately impressed.
“It was pretty neat. It was a really cool atmosphere,” Brown said. “It’s in a really good spot of town right down there on the strip right next to all the casinos and all the downtown area.”
Brown, who is batting .271 with two grand slams and 13 RBIs, isn’t the only Bulldog from that area. Pitcher Myles Gentry is from Gulfport, which is about 15 miles from Biloxi, and pitcher Konnor Pilkington is from Hurley, which is about 45 miles from Biloxi.
MSU coach John Cohen, who hails from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, has lived all over the Southeast coaching baseball. He joked he has lived in or has history with just about every city MSU goes to in the Southeastern Conference. He understands what it means to Brown to return home and play the sport he loves.
“Hopefully our kids will stay focused on what’s important and really enjoy a great atmosphere from what I hear,” Cohen said. “We’re looking forward to seeing that.”
Brown expects a huge number of friends and family in the crowd. He said he has tried to meet the demand by asking teammates for extra tickets.
Immediately after the game, MSU will head to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to face No. 5 LSU in a three-game SEC weekend series. Tonight’s game will give Brown a small window to see his friends and family, but he said they understand baseball is a high priority.
“It’s kind of hard for some people to get up here from my high school and family even,” Brown said. “I think it’s pretty cool we get to go down there and play. It’s a little bit easier for them to get out there and watch me play.”
MSU plays Ole Miss in the Governor’s Cup and Southern Mississippi in Pearl every year at the home of the Mississippi Braves, the Double-A affiliate for the Atlanta Braves. Brown said he is all for the Bulldogs playing in Biloxi every year.
“We’re recruiting from down there,” Brown said. “Even people who are Mississippi State fans down there, it might be hard for them to get up here and watch games. It would be cool for those guys to not have to travel that far just to watch a Mississippi State baseball game.”
The game also will give senior outfielder Nathan Pugh a chance to play his hometown team. Pugh, a former Starkville High School and Pearl River Community College standout, is in his second year with Louisiana-Monroe. He is batting .254 with one home run and 20 RBIs and enters with consecutive three-hit games.
n In other baseball news, junior right-hander Austin Sexton (hamstring) is expected to pitch Saturday against LSU.
Sexton said he’ll be ready for Saturday, but Cohen said they will see how he progresses in the next few days.
“I think Austin’s doing a little bit better,” Cohen said. “He might be a little hampered, but I think he’s going to be able to pitch on Saturday. We’ll wait and see.”
Cohen said Sexton could be a game-day decision.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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