Starkville Academy baseball has new swagger

STARKVILLE — Athleticism can only get a team so far.

Attitude and bravado can help compensate for a lack of experience or skill, and the players on the Starkville Academy baseball team said they’re as confident as they’ve ever been.

Homan keen on players improving putting; Greenan looking to overcome injuries

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State men’s golf coach Clay Homan was expecting more than his team’s 12th-place finish at the Gator Invitational.

Already waiting on Brad Mason and Chad Ramey to return to the form they showed in the fall, the Bulldogs finished 59 strokes behind winner University of Florida last weekend.

Outside of sophomore John Darden’s career-best plus-7 finish, no other Bulldog broke par.

At least he knows why his team struggled: chipping and putting.

Starkville High’s Carlisle likes effort in practice

STARKVILLE — Starkville High School baseball coach Danny Carlisle isn’t sure how good his team will be this season, but he won’t have to worry about players giving maximum effort.

The Yellow Jackets have six starting positions open, and they must find a replacement for The Dispatch All-Area Large Schools Player of the Year R.J. Johnson, who led the team in ERA, batting average, and home runs.

Parks hopes to be consistent contributor for MSU baseball

STARKVILLE — Of all the injuries Mississippi State’s baseball team endured last season, Jarrod Parks’ season-ending back surgery seemed to strike a deep nerve with coach John Cohen.

Outfield will be key for MSU

STARKVILLE — Ask anyone on Mississippi State’s baseball team which component of the squad has the most athleticism and players will tell you the outfield.

That position has been a hot topic of discussion in the preseason, and that’s a good thing offensively and defensively.

Starkville High fast-pitch wants to keep moving forward

STARKVILLE — The Starkville High School fast-pitch softball team won six games last season to take a major step forward.

Third-year Starkville coach Mimi Milling’s job now is to make sure the wheels keep turning.

In the past, Milling hasn’t had experienced seniors who are used to her style of coaching. She has witnessed players leave the program and has struggled to find a dedicated core to lay a solid foundation.

With eight seniors this season, she thinks double-digit wins and a trip to the playoffs are within reach.

Titans rally to reach 1A second round

CRAWFORD — A team with twice as many losses as wins is bound to have shaky moments.

For much of the season, the East Oktibbeha County High School boys basketball team had too many to win consistently.

MSU will try to rebound tonight at Kentucky

STARKVILLE — The only solace Mississippi State men’s basketball coach Rick Stansbury can take in trying to rebound from a loss at the University of Kentucky is the Wildcats’ current run of form.

Losers of three of their last four games, Kentucky (17-7, 5-5 Southeastern Conference) will play host to MSU (13-11, 5-5) at 6 tonight (ESPN) in a rematch of last year’s SEC tournament title game.

Gentry girls end West Point’s season

WEST POINT — The West Point High School girls basketball team’s season ended Monday with a 67-48 loss to Indianola Gentry in the first round of the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A North State tournament.

Ole Miss men will try to finish strong

Andy Kennedy and the University of Mississippi men’s basketball team are in a familiar position.

At this point in each of Kennedy’s five years in Oxford, the Rebels have been in the middle of the Southeastern Conference’s Western Division.

Nearly $30K raised for former Bulldog Duffy

STARKVILLE — Approximately $30,000 dollars was raised Saturday in support of former Mississippi State baseball player Ryan Duffy.

The “Do It For Duffy” committee raised close to $15,000 in a 5-Kilometer run Saturday morning and another $15,000 from a silent/live auction at MSU’s First Pitch/Meet the Team event.

Cohen wants maturity on mound

STARKVILLE — Last season, Mississippi State baseball coach John Cohen reluctantly relied on freshman pitchers.

He had no choice in his second year of overhauling the MSU roster, and he hopes a season of being “punched in the face” helps his pitching staff take a major step forward this year.

Tupelo boys beat Starkville for third time

STARKVILLE — Without injured starters Gavin Ware and Jacolby Mobley, Starkville High School basketball fans might have been unsure of what to expect in Friday’s district championship against rival Tupelo.

The Golden Wave already owned two wins — by a combined three points — against the Yellow Jackets in regular season play.

MSU men focused on SEC title

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State point guard Dee Bost made one thing clear following his team’s win against the University of Arkansas: The Bulldogs are thinking beyond winning the Southeastern Conference’s Western Division.

While MSU might seem like a long shot given its off-the-court struggles and 13-10 record, it is just two and a half games behind Southeastern Conference overall leader Alabama.

Darden, Hugall make MSU men’s golf team’s lineup

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State’s men’s golf team’s fall standouts will make the trip Saturday for the Gator Invitational.

Chad Ramey, the Bulldogs’ low-scorer from the fall, and third low-scorer Brad Mason have struggled through five rounds of team qualifying, coach Clay Homan said Thursday.

Bost leads MSU men past Arkansas

STARKVILLE — At this point of the season, it’s perhaps fitting the Mississippi State men’s basketball team has to deal with a new piece of adversity each day.

Against LSU, Dee Bost was limited with a strained Achilles’ tendon and the Bulldogs played without senior Ravern Johnson (suspension).

MSU/Starkville sports blog: Bulldogs clear another hurdle in Arkansas win

STARKVILLE — At this point of the season, it’s perhaps fitting Mississippi State’s men’s basketball team deal with a new piece of adversity each day.

Against LSU, it was Dee Bost being limited with a strained Achilles’ tendon and the beginning of Ravern Johnson’s suspension.

Both issues lingered Wednesday for MSU’s home game against Arkansas. But thrown on top of was senior guard Riley Benock’s questionable status due to an ailing shoulder picked up in a collision during practice Tuesday.

MSU will try to extend home streak vs. Arkansas

STARKVILLE — Amid the off-the-court distractions, Mississippi State’s men’s basketball team can lean on its recent success against the University of Arkansas.

The Bulldogs (12-10, 4-4 Southeastern Conference) have beaten the Razorbacks (14-8, 4-5) 10 straight times at Humphrey Coliseum. They will try to make it 11 in a row at 7 tonight (WCBI).

Patterson leads Columbus girls past Starkville

STARKVILLE — After two weeks without a game, the Columbus High School girls basketball team expected some rust.

Against rival Starkville High in the opening game of the Class 6A, Division 2, District 4 tournament, they expected a fight.

Starkville boys defeat Columbus

STARKVILLE — The Starkville High School boys basketball team beat Columbus to set up its much-anticipated district tile clash against Tupelo.

How Starkville arrived there wasn’t how coach Greg Carter drew it up.

The Yellow Jackets extended a six-point halftime lead into a 56-39 win in the opening-round of the Class 6A, Division 2, District 4 tournament.