Rooker odds-on favorite to win Ferriss award

STARKVILLE — Time will tell if the rest of college baseball agrees with what Mississippi State baseball coach Andy Cannizaro has been saying for months: Brent Rooker is the best player in college baseball.

Walks doom MSU in Game 2 loss; Ole Miss salvages game vs. Auburn

STARKVILLE — The Mississippi State baseball team lost the West on walks.

After losing the first game of the three-game series to LSU on Thursday, MSU had to win the final two games of the three-game series to have a chance to win the Southeastern Conference’s Western Division.

But MSU learned Friday night walking 11 isn’t a recipe for success.

No. 5 LSU sweeps No. 8 MSU

STARKVILLE — The No. 8 Mississippi State baseball team’s fate as the No. 5 seed in the Southeastern Conference tournament was settled before it took the field Saturday against No. 5 LSU after a three-hour rain delay.

First-inning home run not enough as MSU falls to LSU

STARKVILLE — Opportunities to score on LSU starting pitcher Alex Lange have been rare for the entire Southeastern Conference this season. Mississippi State had plenty on Thursday night, but none of them came to fruition.

Notebook: Bulldogs still fighting for Western Division title

STARKVILLE — All is not lost.

That is the message from all corners of the Mississippi State baseball program after Thursday night’s 3-1 loss to LSU (37-17, 19-9 Southeastern Conference).

Cannizaro’s connections to Louisiana add intrigue to series

STARKVILLE — If only he had played a stint with the New Orleans Baby Cakes, Andy Cannizaro would have Louisianan influences at all levels of his baseball career.

Still, removed from his home state, Cannizaro knows what this weekend means for the state’s baseball community.

MSU has knack for rallying from deficits

STARKVILLE — On Feb. 19, the Mississippi State baseball team rallied to beat Western Illinois and Texas Tech in a doubleheader at Dudy Noble Field.

Little did the Bulldogs know they were setting the tone for the season.

MSU scores late to beat Troy in final non-conference game

STARKVILLE — Andy Cannizaro has been eyeing a lineup change for a couple of weeks now. The only thing keeping him from pulling the trigger was Jake Mangum’s broken hand.

Cohen updates Starkville Rotarians about MSU

STARKVILLE — Self-deprecation wasn’t in the job description for John Cohen’s new role as Mississippi State director of athletics, but he mastered it anyway.

West Lowndes’ Rogers signs with Coahoma C.C.

COLUMBUS — West Lowndes High School has never hurt for students with natural athletic talent. The only problem, as West Lowndes softball coach Anthony King sees it, is most of the female athletes have gravitated toward basketball and track and field.

Pichaikool enjoys first season with MSU golf team

STARKVILLE — Peng Pichaikool was given no welcoming period to collegiate golf. The average student that enters universities in the fall can compete in limited fall tournaments, doing so knowing the championship season isn’t until the spring.

Self keeping it simple, having success

STARKVILLE — Batters who swing and miss at the first pitch from Riley Self don’t have to wait long to see the same thing again.

At that point, they’ve already seen his one pitch.

As a freshman, Self has developed into one of Mississippi State’s most effective relievers while throwing only a cutter. In going the final 3 1/3 innings to get the win last weekend at Texas A&M, all 51 pitches of Self’s pitches were cutters.

McQuary carves out spot in MSU’s weekend rotation

STARKVILLE — Denver McQuary has the talent to become a consistent starting pitcher in the Southeastern Conference.

But the right-hander from Houston lacked the confidence to realize that potential early in his freshman season with the Mississippi State baseball team.

Mattox, Spradling team up to win track titles for Starkville

Kate Mattox came off the track — having just won the 1,600- and 3,200-meter state championships for Starkville High School — feeling guilty. She said as much to her coach, Caroline Woomer, who was quick to remind her why.

MSU remembers, mourns Kersh

STARKVILLE — Jaquarius Wilson knows better than most that Kaelin Kersh was someone people went out of their way to get to know.

Wilson entered the Mississippi State track and field program with Kersh as a freshman in the fall of 2013. The two bonded immediately and built a friendship that began in the halls of the dormitory they shared and stayed strong through their graduations last weekend.

McQuary, Gordon set MSU up for series victory at Texas A&M

First place in the Southeastern Conference was slipping through the Mississippi State baseball team’s fingers Friday afternoon, a day after its third-consecutive conference loss.

MSU returned from College Station, Texas, 24 hours later having guaranteed no worse than a tie for first by the weekend’s end.

The turnaround began with Denver McQuary and Cole Gordon.

MSU track athlete dies early Sunday

Mississippi State track and field runner Kaelin Kersh died in a car accident early Sunday morning. She graduated with a degree in kinesiology and health fitness studies on Friday after turning 22 last month.

Senior looking forward to professional football opportunity

STARKVILLE — It’s far from uncommon to see college athletes that left school early for the professional ranks return to school to finish their degrees. In this day and age with year-round enrollment and numerous redshirts, it’s even normal for some football players to receive graduate degrees before finishing their eligibilities.

Homan proud of strides made by MSU golf program

STARKVILLE — To see how collegiate golf has changed in Clay Homan’s 14 years at Mississippi State, all he needs to do is look out the back window of his office.

Brown’s versatility has made him fixture in MSU’s lineup

STARKVILLE — Figuring out Cody Brown’s position in the field can be a daily adventure — not that he minds.

When it comes to the lineup, there’s no moving Brown. He has proven to be too valuable as a cleanup hitter.

The Mississippi State baseball team (30-16, 14-7 Southeastern Conference) will look for Brown to continue his seven-game hitting streak at 6:30 tonight (ESPNU) when it takes on Texas A&M (33-13, 13-8) in Game 1 of its three-game SEC weekend series in College Station, Texas.