Grantham hopes to see mastery on defense in scrimmage

STARKVILLE — The final week of spring practice, as Mississippi State defensive coordinator Todd Grantham sees it, ends the period of learning. The only thing left is mastery of what has been taught.

Rooker hits two HRs to lift MSU past FIU

STARKVILLE — Brent Rooker wanted to save Spencer Price’s arm.

Price, the closer for Mississippi State’s baseball team, already had thrown 2 1/3 innings Wednesday when Rooker stepped to the plate in the 10th inning. If Rooker didn’t help Jake Mangum score from first base, Price would have to go back to the mound to make his longest appearance of the season.

MSU’s Dantzler adjusting to CB after injury

STARKVILLE — Cameron Dantzler’s redshirt year had a different feel than most — and not by design.

Most redshirts spend the fall on the scout teams to advance their development and to prepare the starters for that week’s opponent.

Dantzler’s time in that role lasted less than a week.

No. 22 MSU baseball team has winning streak snapped

STARKVILLE — A sweep of Ole Miss last week in Oxford helped the Mississippi State baseball team climb to the upper half of the Southeastern Conference standings and move into the Baseball America’s Top 25.

Freshman leads MSU men’s golf team at Old Waverly

WEST POINT — The back nine is generally not the friendly side of Old Waverly Golf Club.

It was for freshman Tanapat Pichaikool on Monday.

Nearly 4,000 pack the Hump for watch party

The sound of cowbells drowned out the aftermath of the final buzzer. In most moments leading up to it, they could drown out one’s thoughts.

Group of veterans speak up to get Bulldogs going in right direction

OXFORD — Josh Lovelady took the time to think this one through.

Notebook: Grantham finds challenge in stopping Fitzgerald on defense

STARKVILLE — For all the standout quarterbacks Todd Grantham has concocted defenses against in his 27-year coaching career, he’s had a good number of them as practice opponents, too.

Strong pitching helps Bulldogs complete sweep of Rebels

OXFORD — If there is a method to prepare for what Jake Mangum did on Saturday, he doesn’t know what it is. Just as well, since he wouldn’t have had time to do it anyway.

Notebook: Lovelady making presence felt for Bulldogs

OXFORD — Josh Lovelady just needed to be on the field more.

Caledonia’s Humber signs with Itawamba C.C. in golf

CALEDONIA — Bradley Tate has high demands for high school golfers. Parker Humber shows what’s possible if one meets them.

Caledonia’s Young signs with Itawamba C.C. in soccer

CALEDONIA — Sam Young has been making regular trips to Itawamba Community College from his home in Caledonia to visit the men’s soccer program since he was nine years old. Sometimes he would go for camps, others to visit friends playing for the Indians.

Thomas grows into leadership role for MSU defensive line

STARKVILLE — Cory Thomas is the veteran of Mississippi State football’s defensive line room now.

Price making a habit of saving Bulldogs

STARKVILLE — Spencer Price did not choose to be a closer at the beginning. The brutally honest truth is he wasn’t good enough to start on his high school team.

MSU will look to returning players to set tone up front on defense

STARKVILLE — Fourteen Southeastern Conference defensive linemen finished last season with at least 10 tackles for a loss.

Mississippi State had two of them, but they both graduated.

As MSU football works through spring practice without Johnathan Calvin and A.J. Jefferson, a young group of returning players has been thrust into a leadership role for five early enrollees on the defensive line.

Bulldogs want to continue to see production throughout lineup

STARKVILLE — The decision came sometime earlier this month: Brent Rooker was too good to limit his at-bats.

In the first month of the season, Rooker was locked in as the Mississippi State baseball team’s cleanup hitter. MSU coach Andy Cannizaro then opted to try to get Rooker as many plate appearances as possible. As a result, Rooker has hit third once, first once, and second three times.

Starkville High’s Perry shows his versatility

STARKVILLE — Jack Perry has given Travis Garner some thinking to do.

Garner, Starkville High’s baseball coach, thought he had his rotation of starting pitchers set for the all-important district schedule. But Perry, a freshman, continues to pitch well and make life tough on Garner.

Bulldogs’ bats complete sweep of Volunteers

STARKVILLE — Seventeen hits is all Mississippi State had to show for its first weekend of Southeastern Conference baseball, doing so in 93 at-bats to end the weekend at Arkansas with a .183 batting average.

Notebook: Bulldogs stay productive during rain delay

STARKVILLE — Luke Alexander wasn’t sure what he was looking at, but it was fun to watch.

Linebackers help make Grantham’s system go

Todd Grantham’s defense revolves around the pursuit of, as he so boldly put it in February, “make (quarterbacks) play bad.” If his prior defenses are any indication of what he’ll do at Mississippi State, he’s going to lean most on linebackers to make that happen.