Browsing: Sports

“How many new ways to make a basketball can you come up with?”

In 2018, Dr. Nadine Lippa was tasked with this challenge on her first day as principal materials engineer for Wilson Sporting Goods. The concept instantly set her thoughts in motion as she imagined all the possibilities.

Last week, from May 14-18, the Southern Miss Softball Complex, home of the University of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles, hosted the 2024 Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Softball State Championships in Hattiesburg. Fourteen teams represented various-size high schools (Class 1A – Class 7A) from around Mississippi, and the tournament pitted the state’s North Half Champions against its South Half Champions:

According to Coach Grant Teaff, “The best teachers coach their students, and the best coaches are great teachers.” 

Teaff should know, since he is a College Hall of Fame Coach who spent most of his career at Baylor University, racking up some great wins and impressive stats. Probably none of those numbers were more impressive to Teaff than his 10 wins against rival University of Texas while coaching the Baylor Bears. 

Join William Carey University Tradition Campus for an unforgettable evening of excitement at their 2024 Scholarship Dinner featuring none other than NFL trailblazer, referee Sarah Thomas, in conversation with the legendary quarterback Drew Brees!

It’s that time of year again…. Mississippi high school playoff baseball is in full swing, and my hometown George County Rebels are still in the mix, still chasing another state championship!

Tonight, April 29, 2024, the Mooreville Troopers defeated the Booneville Blue Devils, with a final score of 10-0. #11, Wyatt McDaniels hit a grand slam that put the Troopers up 8-0 over Booneville. The number 11 is a legacy in Mooreville, Mississippi. My son Chris Lucius was a 2005 graduate of Mooreville High School and proudly wore #11 as a Trooper.

It’s no long shot: Youth archery is growing in Mississippi! 

Many know Joe Burrow as the talented Cincinnati Bengals quarterback or the young man who stated a few years ago that he was “just a kid from Athens” who set a Heisman record while at LSU.” No doubt about it, Joe Burrow is an exceptional athlete. However, in Amory, MS, he is affectionately called “Joey” by grandparents and other locals who have watched him grow up.

That’s right, lacrosse. One of the oldest games currently being played today is gaining popularity in the Gulf South, and the Pine Belt is right in the middle of the action.
The Hub City Lacrosse Club is in its fifth year of existence and is based at the Sacred Heart High School Sports Complex.

On February 29, the City of Pascagoula held a dedication ceremony for the newly minted Ring of Honor, a group comprised of early leaders in youth baseball and softball locally, who now have commemorative plaques prominently displayed around the entrance to the sparkling new Pascagoula Sports Complex on Tucker Street.

Legendary University of Southern Mississippi Baseball Coach Scott Berry was honored with presentation of Senate Resolution 6 by the Mississippi Senate on Thursday, February 22, 2024, upon his retirement at age 60, following 14 seasons at the helm of the baseball program, leading the Golden Eagles to unprecedented levels of success as the team moved to the Sun Belt Conference.

On February 14, 2024, the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) and the Mississippi Association of Coaches (MAC) formally announced the male and female athletes who were chosen as winners of this year’s C Spire Mr. and Miss Basketball awards. 

The University of Southern Mississippi’s (USM) baseball team brought joy and inspiration to the students at the University’s DuBard School for Language Disorders during a special visit on Feb.12, 2024. The visit was designed to foster community engagement and uplift the spirits of children facing language challenges.

The Panthers trounced arch-rival Moss Point 78-41, and it really wasn’t even that close. To say that I was impressed with PHS, which is now 27-1 and the number one 6-A team in the state, would be an understatement.

On February 11, 2024, football fans around the globe will have a chance to watch the world championship playoff between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. But most Mississippians (and most Americans, for that matter) will be viewing this year’s game in front of a screen.

It’s finally February again, the month for lovers – lovers of baseball. 

Yep! Over the next two weeks, every high school and college baseball field in Mississippi will fill up with players, coaches, and fans, eager to begin another season of America’s National Pastime.