Mangum has added maroon to his family tree

STARKVILLE — In the spring of 2013, one of the worst kept secrets in college baseball recruiting was Jake Mangum’s love for Alabama.

Anyone who talked to Mangum could tell he was raised in an Alabama household. His father, John, played football for the Crimson Tide in the late 1980s. His commitment to Alabama seemed airtight, so much so that then-Mississippi State coach John Cohen stopped recruiting one of the state’s best prospects once he learned of the commitment.

MUSH! A Southern boy finds his calling among sled dogs

Seth Barnes needed freedom, a change in life. So he got on his BMW motorcycle and (loosely) followed his parents’ RV on a trip out west.

Starkville Academy’s Dempsey signs with Mississippi College

STARKVILLE — To say Dalton Dempsey had options would be an understatement.

The Starkville Academy senior was a standout running back on the football team, a key forward on the boys soccer team, and is one of the best track and field runners in the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools. He could have used any of those skills to earn a college scholarship.

Boxing gloves symbol of MSU baseball team’s fighting spirit

STARKVILLE — The most coveted gloves in the Mississippi State baseball program aren’t of the batting or fielding variety.

They also already have been defaced by multiple writings in black marker.

MSU’s Lee having banner season with marriage proposal

STARKVILLE — The crowd gathered around Jasmine Lee as she served to Sara Lizariturry after practice.

When the phones came out, Lee knew something was off.

Lee thought she was serving to Lizariturry so she could work on returning wide serves. What she didn’t know was her boyfriend, Stanton Price, was coming from his spot in the elevated bleachers with four balls, each with one word written on them.

Will, you, marry, me.

MSU tennis teams benefit from video technology

STARKVILLE — The A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre is a sea of maroon and tan divided by the white lines that surround the courts — with one exception.

On the far right of the court on the far right, a blue kiosk stands out. The small, blue support structure houses a tablet that receives information from five cameras. It is Mississippi State’s portal to the future of college tennis.

Starkville High’s Spradling signs with Mississippi State

STARKVILLE — The pitch to get Lake Spradling to transfer from Starkville Academy to Starkville High School started with Patton Little.

Spradling and Little knew each other outside of their respective schools. Entering the fall of 2015, with Spradling set for his junior year and Little for his senior year, Little made his case to get Spradling to move from the Volunteers to the Yellow Jackets.

Three Starkville High basketball players commit to schools

STARKVILLE — Starkville High School boys basketball coach Greg Carter remembers Jesse Little, Darrious Agnew, and Markedric Bell as freshmen.

The veteran coach didn’t rule out the possibility, but he didn’t guarantee they were going to play college basketball, either. After all, Little had plenty of room to grow into his body and Agnew and Bell had plenty to learn to make up for their lack of experience.

MSU throws shutout to beat Mississippi Valley State

STARKVILLE — Jacob Billingsley is more than a starting pitcher for Mississippi State, he’s the definition of an innings eater.

Safety becomes second nature for MSU’s Gray

STARKVILLE — Safety is, “second nature,” to Mississippi State’s J.T. Gray. “It’s what I’ve been growing up on.” It was the position that got him to the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic and to the second round of the playoffs in his senior year of high school.

Improvement in ball-handling focus of off-season workouts for MSU basketball

STARKVILLE — In a matter of weeks, the summer of transformation is set to begin for Mississippi State men’s basketball. It’s the summer where the youngest team in America is supposed to make the big jump expected of freshmen and sophomores, in theory enough to compete among the top of the Southeastern Conference.

Bulldogs have answered questions to climb to top of SEC

With two losses to teams with Ratings Percentage Indexes (RPIs) higher than 50 and two more to teams with RPIs higher than 100, the Mississippi State baseball team gave its fans reason to doubt.

Home losses to Morehead State, Louisiana Tech, Florida International, and Marist allowed the curiosity that accompanies a team at the start of a season to turn into skepticism.

Stovall stays sharp by watching pitches in bullpen

STARKVILLE — Hunter Stovall did everything he could to be ready for his much-awaited return.

A finicky hamstring injury doesn’t give one many options, but Stovall found one: standing in the batter’s box during live bullpen sessions, which allowed him to keep his eyes trained to track pitches.

The one thing he couldn’t prepare for: the curveball.

Mangum delivers at plate to help MSU take series from Kentucky

STARKVILLE — Jake Mangum knew he was going to have a bigger role as a sophomore.

But Mangum didn’t know how being asked to pitch was going to affect his hitting, so he set a goal not to let success or failure in one area impact the other.

The No. 22 Mississippi State baseball team is glad Mangum strayed from that idea a bit Sunday.

Transition continues up front for Bulldogs’ offensive line

STARKVILLE — The transition began in March.

The Mississippi State football team knew its offensive line was going to have a new look following the graduation of Jamaal Clayborn, Devon Desper, and Justin Senior.

But the absence of Clayborn, Desper, and Senior from spring practice was just the beginning.

Defense leads the way at White tops Maroon at Davis Wade

STARKVILLE — Nick Fitzgerald has never thrown four interceptions in a game as Mississippi State’s quarterback — he’s never thrown more than two.

Notebook: Diversity at running back pleases Mullen

STARKVILLE — All things considered, Dan Mullen was impressed with the run game.

Rooker homers three times as MSU evens series with Kentucky

STARKVILLE — In 5 2/3 innings, Kentucky’s starting pitcher Zach Logue had allowed Mississippi State first baseman Brent Rooker to hit a single, a first-pitch grand slam and a solo home run.

Kentucky halts MSU’s conference win streak

STARKVILLE — Two general commonalities arose in the six consecutive Southeastern Conference baseball games Mississippi State won as it climbed to its position as No. 22 in Baseball America’s rankings: limiting stranded runners and limiting walks.

Cannizaro will have to balance bullpen roles this weekend

STARKVILLE — Andy Cannizaro has never minced words when talking about his bullpen.

In the past, the Mississippi State baseball team’s first-year head coach’s focused on injuries and how they depleted his pitching staff. Of late, though, Cannizaro has talked with pride about his bullpen, even after it took a shot in the last 48 hours.