Friend shifts into SHS defensive coordinator duties during spring ball

STARKVILLE — When Chuck Friend got the chance to return to Starkville, he took it.

Starkville High’s Conner, Tate sign baseball scholarship offers

STARKVILLE — Travis Garner wants the Starkville High School baseball program to become known for sending players to college every year.

MSU women’s tennis continues historic season at SEC tournament

STARKVILLE — Disgusted and downtrodden, the Mississippi State women’s tennis team needed a boost.

Brown excited to return to hometown with Bulldogs

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.

MSU’s quarterback situation remains unsettled

STARKVILLE — The question of who will be the Mississippi State football team’s next quarterback remains unanswered.

With Dak Prescott graduating and getting ready for the NFL draft, four players had a chance in spring practice to make an impression on coach Dan Mullen and an opportunity to win the job. But after a month of practice and the team’s Maroon and White Spring game on Saturday, Mullen didn’t name a starter or give any inclination there is a leader.

No. 4 Texas A&M completes sweep of No. 2 MSU

STARKVILLE — The Mississippi State baseball team saw this weekend how quickly things can go sideways.

After taking two out of three from then No. 1-Florida last week in Gainesville, Florida, No. 2 MSU couldn’t build on the momentum and suffered its third-straight loss to No. 4 Texas A&M, 10-4 on Sunday before a crowd of 8,786 at Dudy Noble Field.

The three-game series, which was a part of Super Bulldog Weekend, drew 33,896 fans. It was the largest three-game series crowd since the 2014 Super Bulldog Weekend.

MSU softball team drops 12-inning decision to No. 11 LSU

STARKVILLE — Vann Stuedeman won’t soon forget this loss.

MSU baseball drops series to Texas A&M

STARKVILLE — Nothing has come easy for the Mississippi State baseball pitchers this weekend.

Starkville Academy’s Griffin signs with Northeast C.C.

STARKVILLE — Caleb Griffin needed to prove himself.

Dear leads Maroon squad to win at MSU spring game

STARKVILLE — You wouldn’t know it by looking at him, but Malik Dear is a wide receiver.

West Point’s Bailey signs with Meridian C.C.

WEST POINT — Qiayon Bailey knew at a young age she wanted to play basketball.

WR Brown no longer at MSU

STARKVILLE — Junior wide receiver Fred Brown is no longer a student at Mississippi State, a football spokesperson confirmed Thursday.

The Clarion-Ledger first reported Brown violated the MSU honor code, but the spokesperson didn’t confirm the report.

Rigby emerges as key cog in MSU bullpen

STARKVILLE — Ryan Rigby didn’t need two years at a junior college to get to the next level.

Going from Kosciusko High School to East Mississippi Community College, the right-hander found a niche as a sidearm pitcher. He attracted the attention of several Division I and Southeastern Conference schools and then picked Mississippi State.

Rigby has delivered on that potential and has emerged as a key member of No. 2 MSU’s bullpen. The sophomore is 4-1 with a 1.23 ERA, second lowest on the team. He has allowed four runs (three earned) on 15 hits, and has struck out 23 and walked five.

MSU’s Senior seeing time at both tackle positions

STARKVILLE — Justin Senior has grown comfortable at right tackle.

After starting all 14 games at that position in 2014, Senior started 12 of 13 games there last season.

But this spring Mississippi State offensive line coach John Hevesy asked the rising senior to practice at left tackle because he believed it would help the team and Senior.

No. 2 MSU defeats Memphis 11-1

STARKVILLE — John Cohen is seeing a workmanlike attitude from his team.

The Mississippi State baseball coach has been impressed with how the Bulldogs have handled the rigors of the Southeastern Conference and midweek games the last few weeks. MSU has taken series from SEC foes Vanderbilt, Georgia, Ole Miss, and then-No. 1 Florida. In that time, the Bulldogs are 3-0 in midweek games.

No. 2 MSU exhibited that workmanlike attitude Wednesday night in an 11-1 victory against Memphis at Dudy Noble Field. The victory helped MSU (24-9-1) matched last season’s win total.

Starkville High’s Little will run at USM

STARKVILLE — Patton Little made a life-changing decision in the summer of 2014 when he gave up tennis to focus on cross country and track and field.

The decision wasn’t easy for the Starkville High School student-athlete because he loved tennis, but he knew he had a future in the other sport.

Howland, Schaefer announce signings

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State men’s basketball coach Ben Howland announced Wednesday the signing of three-star center Elton “EJ” Datcher.

Datcher, who committed to the Bulldogs in February, averaged 11.6 points, 1.3 assists, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.0 blocked shots per game in his four-year career at Vincent (Alabama) High School.

Mangum building legacy in first season at MSU

STARKVILLE — Jake Mangum thought he would play college baseball in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

The 2015 prospect, whose father, John, played football at Alabama in the late 1980s, committed to Alabama in 2013, but he changed his mind later that year and committed to Mississippi State.

Jiles, Cleveland want to offer new level of leadership

STARKVILLE — Cedric Jiles knows what is expected of him.

As one of the veterans in the secondary on the Mississippi State football team, Jiles is being counted on to assume a bigger leadership role after the departures of Taveze Calhoun and Will Redmond, who are expected to be taken in the NFL draft.

Now it’s time for Jiles and fellow senior Tolando Cleveland’s to emerge at cornerback. The duo will get a chance to show how much they have improved as players and leaders at 11 a.m. Saturday (ESPNU) in the annual Maroon and White spring game.

MSU wants to build momentum after taking series at Florida

STARKVILLE — Brent Rooker never doubts his team.

That’s the mind-set for the entire Mississippi State baseball team. That wasn’t the case last season when the Bulldogs finished 24-30 and missed the postseason.

But the Bulldogs aren’t doubting themselves this season. That was the case last weekend when MSU bounced back from a Friday night loss to win the next two games against then-No. 1 Florida in their Southeastern Conference series in Gainesville, Florida.