Bramlett, Miller help lead U.S. to gold

Mississippi State softball player Chelsea Bramlett had a tough time measuring the correct temperature during her stay at the Canada Cup in Surrey, British Columbia.

Bramlett pretty much had to guess the temperature after trying to convert Canada’s Celsius readings to Fahrenheit.

Caledonia’s Sherrod bids to make roster of Pittsburgh Steelers

Dezmond Sherrod enjoyed being on the sideline watching the Pittsburgh Steelers win the Super Bowl this past February.

But the former Caledonia High School and Mississippi State tight end doesn’t want to settle for being a member of the Steelers’ practice squad this season.

Sherrod will report to the Steelers’ training camp July 31 with the intention of impressing Pittsburgh’s coaches and to make the team.

MSU volleyball team to do clinic for Starkville Boys and Girls Club

STARKVILLE –– Mississippi State’s athletic department has encouraged its coaches and student-athletes to be visible throughout the community of Starkville.

Many sports have followed through with that request from MSU Athletic Director Greg Byrne and the administration.

The volleyball team takes advantage of one of those opportunities today.

The Lady Bulldogs are scheduled to be at the multi-purpose facility at the Starkville Sportsplex from 1-3 p.m. and will volunteer their time to conduct a skills and drills teaching session for the Starkville Boys and Girls Club.

Mullen to teturn to work after being on vacation

STARKVILLE — Dan Mullen’s idea of a vacation is being able to kick back on the beach and enjoy reading a good book.

That’s what Mississippi State’s football coach tried to do as he and his family took a week off from football for a little rest and relaxation.

It all changes when Mullen returns to Starkville later this week.

He will trade in his novel for the playbook.

Starkville claims easy win after two close games

EUPORA — The Starkville Freshman 11-year-old All-Stars were happy to claim an easy win after two high-scoring one-run decisions to open the Dizzy Dean South State Tournament.

After losing 19-18 to Grenada on Friday night and beating Louisville 12-11 in the first game Saturday, Starkville had an easier time by knocking off Greenwood 13-3 in four innings.

Starkville coach Will McWhorter was happy to see pitchers Cameron Johnston and Matthew Oxford respond with good outings.

Sidney case may be delayed

It has already taken quite a bit of time for the case regarding Renardo Sidney’s amateur status to develop.

Donald Jackson, the attorney for the Mississippi State basketball signee, said something happened this week that could delay the process even further.

Jackson recently learned through e-mail the NCAA has transferred all amateurism cases to the eligibility center, which means a new person will handle the case.

Starkville teams bid for South State titles

STARKVILLE — Starkville’s Dizzy Dean All-Star baseball teams are looking to celebrate more than Independence Day this weekend.

The teams hope to add South State championships and a trip to the World Series to the holiday fun.

Jim Moorehead’s age group seeks to defend its state championship when it plays in the Freshman 12 South State in Winona at 3:30 p.m. today. Starkville received a bye and will play the winner of the Winona-Grenada game.

MSU’s Looney to represent SEC on SAAC committee

Mississippi State sophomore center D.J. Looney has his bags packed for a trip this month, but it’s not for a vacation.

It’s for business.

Looney will travel to Denver to meet with members of the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Looney was selected in Junee to represent the Southeastern Conference as a member of the committee.

Grantham believes Starkville All-Stars prepared

STARKVILLE — Shane Grantham has been given the responsibility of teaching 7-year-old All-Stars more about the game while playing in a competitive situation this weekend.

The Starkville 7 Coach-Pitch All-Stars begin the Dizzy Dean State Tournament at Grenada when it plays Water Valley at 1:30 p.m. Friday.

Starkville played two practice games and also scrimmaged against Columbus in getting ready and Grantham believes his squad is prepared for tournament action.

Area teams benefit from new league and new facility

STARKVILLE — Starkville Academy believes it has an up and coming point guard in freshman Tiffany Huddleston.

Having a summer league to help develop her talents has been considered a good thing for the Lady Volunteers.

The Starkville Park and Recreation Department provided just that and concluded its June high school basketball league on Tuesday.

West Point continues to build softball program

The West Point High School softball program continues to build.

After taking over as West Point’s fastpitch coach last season, Libby Forrester saw the Lady Green Wave go from two wins to eight in the spring, while the junior varsity won 12 games.

Although the varsity didn’t achieve a winning season, Forrester sees progress being made.

Forrester has taken advantage of the high school summer softball league offered by the Starkville Park and Recreation Department, and it was able to get her younger players some experience.

Hebron softball team showing signs of getting better

Hebron Christian softball coach Cass Tapley believes he has a good team that’s getting better.

The high school summer league that was held at the Starkville Sportsplex has helped that along.

For a program that has only been in existence for six years, the Lady Eagles have fastly become competitive.

Tapley, who became the coach at Hebron last year, thinks his squad can be better than in 2008 when it was 13-7 and won the district championship with a 9-1 mark.

Dizzy Dean officials pleased with World Series results

Bigger doesn’t necessarily always mean better.

Take the Dizzy Dean High School World Series in the Golden Triangle this past weekend for example.

Althoough the World Series consisted of only 17 teams, Dizzy Dean Baseball officials Richard Ellis and Stacy Hester were pleased with the results.

Although the response was the lightest in the seven years the Golden Triangle has hosted the World Series, the spirit and competition remained strong.

Stansbury waits for Sidney issue to resolve itself

Until the NCAA has had a chance to weigh all the facts concerning Mississippi State men’s basketball signee Renardo Sidney’s eligibilty, it will continue to be a “he said, he said” situation and MSU basketball coach Rick Stansbury appears to be staying out of it.

Ever since Sidney signed with Mississippi State, there has been a question concerning his amateur status because of dealings with Reebok representatives, first with Sonny Viccaro and later with Chris Rivers.

Ridgeland Titans definitely a team to remember

Remember the Titans?

It’s hard to forget the Ridgeland High School version.

For the second consecutive year, the Ridgeland Titans won the Dizzy Dean High School World Series.

The Titans defeated Kosciusko 6-1 on Monday at New Hope High School’s Trojan Field to repeat as champions.

The thing that seems to make Ridgeland click more than anything else is teamwork.

Ridgeland defends Dizzy Dean World Series championship

Playing seven games in four days can be taxing on a pitching staff.

Ridgeland High School coach Brian Rea was glad he had an ace in the hole with Michael Posey.

Working on two-days rest, Posey took the mound for Ridgeland on Monday and pitched six strong innings to help the Titans beat Kosciusko 6-1 in the championship game of the Dizzy Dean High School World Series at New Hope High School.

It was a repeat for Ridgeland as it defeated New Hope to capture the title last year.

Ridgeland makes it back to World Series championship game

Jarrett Jenkins reaching and stealing bases. Stephen Joe driving in runs.

Those things have become a common sight for Ridgeland High School at the Dizzy Dean High School World Series.

After losing its first game of the World Series to Center Hill on Friday, Ridgeland has come back to win five-straight games, including beating Neshoba Central 13-2 in the semifinals Sunday.

Tate rallied to claim victory in 400-meter final

EUGENE, Ore. — Starkville sprinter and Mississippi State signee Tavaris Tate rallied to take the victory in the finals of the 400-meter dash at the United State’s Track and Field Junior Championships on Sunday afternoon.

Tate’s winning time of 46.04 seconds was better than Joey Hughes at 46.26 and Clayton Parros at 46.88.

By winning the USA event, Tate has qualified to participate at the National Junior Championships in Trinidad next month.

Starkville Academy advances to Elite Eight of World Series

STARKVILLE –– Starkville Academy has entered unchartered waters in the Dizzy Dean High School World Series.

After winning Pool D and moving on to the championship round today at New Hope, it’s an experience the senior Volunteers seek to use in a positive way.

“We’re getting closer as a team,” Starkville Academy pitcher Will Fuller said. “Everybody is getting better at their positions and it’s coming together. We’ve improved our game a lot.”

Caledonia loses pair of games to pool winners

CALEDONIA — Two of the seven pools of the Dizzy Dean High School World Series were decided in back-to-back games at Caledonia High School on Saturday afternoon.

After Center Hill defeated Caledonia 10-0 to win Pool E, Gulfport won Pool G by knocking off the Confederates 7-1.

It has been a successful return to the area so far for Gulfport coach Tim Dowdy, a former assistant baseball coach at New Hope.

After losing 12-0 to New Hope on Friday, Gulfport came back to beat Center Hill 5-3 and Caledonia on Saturday.