Mangum providing more pop at top

STARKVILLE — On a day when he was the hero, Luke Alexander made an admission.

Minutes after his walk-off double beat No. 5 Ole Miss, Alexander said, “Jake (Mangum) is the best hitter in the SEC, and he has been for three years now.”

Price begins long road back from Tommy John surgery

STARKVILLE — Spencer Price has been doing this long enough that he doesn’t need much direction.

On this Wednesday earlier this month, Price enters the weight room in Mississippi State’s Shira Fieldhouse Complex, grabs a white, laminated sheet from the trainer Taylor Gossman, and begins his workout. Gossman is in and out of the room after Price warms up and gets going.

MSU beats Ole Miss in Governor’s Cup thriller

PEARL — Ole Miss catcher Nick Fortes stood up and stuck his left hand out to his side, signaling for the intentional walk. The crowd booed the decision, wanting to see the hometown boy, Mississippi State center fielder Jake Mangum, take an at-bat with the game on the line.

MSU Notebook: Hit streak ends for New Hope’s Golson

PEARL — Will Golson took the first two pitches of his final at-bat, both outside the strike zone, then timed one right just to hit it foul behind him. The next two pitches were balls, he took them both and did his job: got the tying run on base in the bottom of the ninth.

France offers strong relief outing as part of MSU’s sweep

STARKVILLE — JP France has spent years as the guy who does what’s needed.

As the marquee arm for Tulane in the first three seasons of his college career, he played a key role in helping the Green Wave earn key Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) wins.

Hill shows speed, strength in Maroon & White Game

STARKVILLE — Comfort was an acquired taste through Kylin Hill’s freshman season at Mississippi State.

The former Columbus High School standout running back had enough on the surface being 30 minutes from home and playing in an offense that resembled his prep system that made him one of the nation’s top prospects at his position. All that was missing was the details.

Thompson shows growth at QB in MSU’s spring game

STARKVILLE — Austin Williams came off the line running an option route.

Against a zone defense, Williams is supposed to sink to a hole and stay there. Against a man-to-man, Williams is supposed to use an out route to beat the defense. The man coverage forced Williams to the sideline, several yards into the end zone. It also created a difficult window — high and to a moving target with a defender in hot pursuit — for quarterback Keytaon Thompson to hit. The shrinking pocket around Thompson also made footwork tricky.

Williams leads MSU receivers

STARKVILLE — Joe Moorhead and his new Mississippi State football coaches didn’t have any film from the 2017 season to evaluate wide receiver Austin Williams.

MacNamee delivers for MSU in sweep of No. 4 Arkansas

STARKVILLE — Elijah MacNamee bounced as the final out was recorded.

With the fans a few feet behind him in right field, MacNamee screamed as he backed up in the direction of his fellow outfielders. They met midair in a celebration that followed with an extra slapping of hands with center fielder Jake Mangum. The intensity on MacNamee’s face began to fade to a smile weeks in the making.

MSU baseball faces fourth-ranked Arkansas for Super Bulldog Weekend

STARKVILLE — What has become the new normal for the Mississippi State baseball team’s corner outfield positions could change at any given moment. Frankly, most involved hope it does.

Moorhead starstruck by phone call with Prescott

STARKVILLE — Joe Moorhead still gets starstruck. He felt it when he called Dak Prescott.

Recruiting calendar undergoes major changes

STARKVILLE — The college baseball recruiting timeline just got more compact.

Bulldogs working to keep Abram on the field this fall

STARKVILLE — On this November third down against UMass, Johnathan Abram was doing what he does best. Mississippi State’s hard-hitting safety was flying down the left side of the offensive formation, barreling into the blind spot of quarterback Ross Comis.

Ole Miss, Thornberry lead way at Old Waverly

WEST POINT — Monday was a day where par was a good get at Old Waverly Golf Club, and Garrett Johnson needed help stringing them together.

Howland anticipates big things for 2018-19 season

STARKVILLE — A comedic smile cracks over Ben Howland’s face as he discusses a simple reality of next year’s roster: it will contain multiple seniors.

Buckley helps put MSU return game in place

STARKVILLE — Terrell Buckley’s legendary athletic career launched him right into a coaching career that is soon to hit its 12th season. An athlete of his versatility, having played multiple football positions, baseball and ran track all at high levels, certainly had a wide range of possibilities for himself in the field.

Dear eager to be back on field for Bulldogs

STARKVILLE — Injuries limited the playing time of senior wide receivers Gabe Myles and Donald Gray last season.

But Myles and Gray weren’t the only two receivers the Mississippi State football team missed.

Double play combination of Alexander, Stovall fuels MSU

STARKVILLE — The Mississippi State baseball team’s earned run average of 3.55 ranks ninth in the Southeastern Conference.

But MSU pitchers are 12th in batting average allowed (.250), 11th in walks allowed (128), and 13th in hits allowed (290).

The defense of shortstop Luke Alexander and second baseman Hunter Stovall has helped the Bulldogs’ pitching staff make up for those stats.

Howland excited about MSU’s future

STARKVILLE — Ben Howland is excited about the offseason.

In his third season at Mississippi State, Howland led the Bulldogs to the postseason for the first time since 2012. MSU (25-12, 9-9 Southeastern Conference) defeated Nebraska, Baylor, and Louisville to advance to the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament in New York, where it lost to eventual champion Penn State.

Lineup changes push MSU men’s tennis team higher

STARKVILLE — Matt Roberts had a feeling.

The Mississippi State men’s tennis team won four of five matches as the calendar turned from January to February and was ranked No. 15 in the nation, but Roberts knew something could be better, so he took a risk and shuffled his doubles lineup.