Tag: Mississippi State Bulldogs

Four-star UGA recruiting target decommits from Mississippi State

Georgia football is in the mix for four-star defensive lineman that recently decommitted from Mississippi State

The Georgia Bulldogs have offered a scholarship to four-star defensive tackle commitment Jeremiah McCloud in March. Now, McCloud is backing off his commitment to Mississippi State after originally committing to the Bulldogs in January. McCloud is a member of the class of 2025.

Jeremiah McCloud plays high school football for Gadsden County High School in Havana, Florida. McCloud is considered the No. 15 defensive tackle in the class of 2025 and the No. 45 recruit in Florida, according to Rivals.

McCloud has recently visited the University of Georgia in March. The four-star defensive tackle is also considering the Florida Gators. In fact, Rivals projects that McCloud will commit to Florida.

Georgia currently has eight commitments in the class of 2025 including one from defensive lineman Stephon Shivers. The Bulldogs have the nation’s No. 11 recruiting class and are fifth in the SEC, but it is still early in the 2025 recruiting cycle. There’s no doubt Georgia will finish among the best in the country on national signing day.

LSU transfer Hailey Van Lith reportedly visited conference rival over the weekend

LSU may not have seen the last of Hailey Van Lith.

Former LSU point guard [autotag]Hailey Van Lith[/autotag] opted to enter the transfer portal after just one season in Baton Rouge. The former All-ACC player at Louisville is back on the market after her production dipped in 2023-24 with a position change.

Van Lith is one of the top available players in the transfer portal, and she could be eying a move to a conference rival. Van Lith was in Starkville over the weekend to take a Saturday visit to Mississippi State, as was first reported by Talia Goodman of The Next.

Van Lith will be a fifth-year senior entering her final season of eligibility with her new team.

Van Lith moved from the shooting guard spot to the point guard position this season, and it resulted in her scoring average dropping from 19.7 to 11.6. Coach [autotag]Kim Mulkey[/autotag] recently said Van Lith chose to transfer in order to finish out her career playing her more natural position at the two.

It remains to be seen how much of an impact that visit with the Bulldogs had, but it’s possible LSU hasn’t seen the last of Van Lith.

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All in the Family: Sooners land commitment from 4-star DB Maliek Hawkins

Oklahoma Sooners earn commitment from four-star cornerback Maliek Hawkins.

The Oklahoma Sooners like to keep it in the family. Last year, the Sooners added the Dasan and Daeh McCullough. This year, the roster will feature Peyton and Eli Bowen. Next year, joining the Bowens, the Sooners will have the Hawkins brothers after Maliek Hawkins committed to the Sooners 2025 recruiting class.

The four-star cornerback, according to Rivals and On3’s Industry Rankings committed to Oklahoma on Wednesday.

Hawkins’ is the younger brother of Sooners freshman quarterback [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag].

The younger Hawkins is a talented athlete who will earn his keep on defense. There, he can showcase his elite athleticism and versatility to play multiple spots in the secondary. He’s got great size for the position at 6-foot-1 and displays great change of direction ability, necessary when covering wide receivers in the open field. But he isn’t simply an athlete, Maliek Hawkins is aggressive at the point of attack, bringing a physicality on the outside.

 

From the moment the Sooners were interested in Michael, they became similarly interested in Maliek. From there, the rest took care of itself. It helps that their father, Mike, also played for the Sooners under Brent Venables and Bob Stoops.

In a nutshell, this recruitment was likely to end only one way.  Predictions had been flowing in for Oklahoma to land Maliek Hawkins since last March, which isn’t a coincidence. That’s when Michael committed to Oklahoma. Oklahoma earned Maliek’s commitment over the Texas Longhorns, Arkansas Razorbacks, and the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

With Hawkins in the class, Oklahoma has its second commitment in the secondary, joining three-star safety [autotag]Marcus Wimberly[/autotag].  Hawkins gives Oklahoma its 12th commit of the 2025 class, currently ranked 6th in the country per 247Sports.

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Caglianone delivers walk-off win to claim Mississippi St. series

Jac Caglianone is the guy Florida wanted at the plate down a run in the bottom of the ninth, and he came through to avoid his first pitching loss of the season.

Florida only managed four hits agaisnt Mississippi State on Sunday, but the Gators made them all count, winning, 4-3, on a two-run, walk-off home run from Jac Caglianone.

The comeback started with Ty Evans taking a ball to the elbow, but it set up a walk-off opportunity for the Gators’ most dangerous bat, and Cags did not miss his pitch. He crushed a ball over the right field wall for his team-leading 13th home run of the season and Florida’s 16th win of the year.

“There’s no better way to start Easter man,” Caglianone said. “The whole thing for me was move the ball and get Ty into scoring position… it just turned out that way.”

Another solid outing

Caglianone also started on the mound for Florida, as he does every Sunday. He carried a no-hitter into the fifth but a hustle double from Connor Hujsak to lead off the inning set up the first run of the game.

More trouble came in the sixth for Caglianone. He walked four batters, one with the bases loaded, and got the hook in favor of Luke McNeillie. Caglianone said that he wasn’t happy with the way things ended on the mound, but it was his job to make up for it at the plate.

The freshman is settling in

McNeillie was tabbed as the fourth starter in the rotation to start the season, but he struggled during the midweek and moved to a bullpen role where he has shined.

He’s thrown 10 innings across five appearances without giving up a run, including 3 1/3 frames today. McNeillie has struck out 14 batters over that stretch compared to just four walks.

One aspect of it is that McNeillie can let loose as a reliever, even if he’s expected to throw multiple innings. As a starter, pitchers typically ramp up their velocity over five or more innings, but relievers can come out throwing as hard as they can. McNeillie touched 97 mph with his fastball today, punching out the best bat in MSU’s lineup.

Another series win for Florida

The Gators have yet to lose a series in SEC play, which bodes well for tournament play, but there are obvious depth issues in Gainesville. Also, both of these wins required walk-offs — not just comebacks — to win.

Florida is back at Condron Family Ballpark on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. ET to host Florida A&M. Then, the Gators hit the road for another SEC series, but it’s against the worst team in the league, Missouri.

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Mississippi State adds commitment from Penn State transfer Kanye Clary

The Mississippi State Bulldogs landed a commitment in the transfer portal from Penn State guard Kanye Clary.

Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans and the Bulldogs picked up a big commitment via the transfer portal, as former Penn State guard Kanye Clary has committed to the program.

Clary, who was at Penn State the past two seasons, is coming off a breakout 2023-24 campaign in which he started 20-of-23 games, and averaged 16.7 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.8 APG, and 1 SPG for the Nittany Lions. The guard also shot an impressive 37.7% from three, as well as 46.2% from the field and 81.1% from the free throw line.

Prior to this past season, Clary appeared in 32 games off Penn State’s bench as a freshman, averaging 10.4 MPG. Over that season, Clary averaged 3.7 PPG on 43.4% shooting from the field, as well as 70% from the free throw line.

Clary is the first transfer commitment for Mississippi State this offseason, and is likely to play a significant role in 2024-25 for a Bulldogs team that could easily return to the NCAA Tournament.

Braden Montgomery & Justin Lamkin recap Texas A&M’s first SEC series victory of the season

“It was great getting the love and support from my teammates and all of the 12th Man. It was something that was surreal and really cool.”

Led by 7.1 dominant innings on the mound from sophomore left-handed pitcher Justin Lamkin and 2 home runs from junior outfielder Braden Montgomery, the Texas A&M baseball team earned its first SEC series win this weekend

After the victory versus Mississippi State on Saturday afternoon, both Aggies spoke to the media.

“I think it’s always more impressive to be able to drive to the back side so I would say the first (homer) was my favorite,” Montgomery said. “I was trusting in everything that I’ve built up to this moment. Being able to see and react to what I’m seeing and I got a lot of fastballs. That’s what I enjoy swinging at so it was very fun.”

Lamkin struggled on the bump last weekend at Florida but clearly shook it off prior to Saturday’s start.

“It was great getting the love and support from my teammates and all of the 12th Man. It was something that was surreal and really cool to get to experience that,” Lamkin recalled. “It was not the first time but that (ovation) was extra loud, you could tell.

“I’d say overall fastball command (was the difference). That’s one thing that coach Walsh told me after the outing,” Lamkin explained. “So I took this week to work on that and I think it played out being able to throw the fastball where I want and establish all the plate.”

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‘Star player in star moments’: Jim Schlossnagle speaks to media after Texas A&M’s first SEC series victory

“Today (Lamkin) had that fastball command,” Schlossnagle said. “Then Braden, what more do you need to say? A star player in star moments.”

The Texas A&M baseball team earned its first SEC series victory of the season with a 6-1 win versus Mississippi State at Blue Bell Park.

Following the triumph, head coach Jim Schlossnagle spoke about the impact sophomore left-handed pitcher Justin Lamkin and junior outfielder Braden Montgomery made on Saturday’s game.

“Obviously, awesome days for Lamkin and Braden,” Schlossnagle said. “I’m super proud of Justin, he didn’t have the greatest start to the season and then last week was a little bit better.

“The thing that he did for us all last year is have good fastball command and his offspeed pitches were a little short. This year, his offspeed pitches are much better but his fastball command kind of went away from him. Today he had that fastball command, especially in against those good right-handed hitters like Jordan and the other right-handed guy. Kudos to him, he was awesome and I was trying to ride him as much as I could because I felt like he earned it. Sometimes that helps boost a pitcher’s ego when you do that.

“Then Braden, what more do you need to say? A star player in star moments.”

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Texas A&M baseball coach Jim Schlossnagle explains Game 2 loss versus Mississippi State

“You’ve gotta credit Mississippi State, they made pitches,” he said. “Tough league, tough game, tough one to swallow because baseball is hard.”

The Texas A&M baseball team’s offense sputtered on Friday night at Blue Bell Park during a 5-1 loss versus Mississippi State.

After the game, head coach Jim Schlossnagle shared his observations from the game.

“They got the big hit to the right side of the field. On a tough night to hit, Hines, he squared one up to the side of the field where you can leave the park,” Schlossnagle recalled. “They pitch great, we hit 14 or 15 balls 100 miles an hour or more, they didn’t fall in and that’s the game. You’ve gotta credit Mississippi State, they made pitches.

“I thought Weston (Moss) was great and that Jones did OK, that was a step in the right direction for Tanner, for sure. I thought Peyton Smith did a nice job. Tough league, tough game, tough one to swallow because baseball is hard.”

Junior right-handed pitcher Tanner Jones (1-1) took the loss after pitching the first 4.0 innings and allowing 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 hit by pitch and 1 walk with 2 strikeouts on 72 pitches.

“I thought he looked great and pitched well. I thought he had two or three really good pitches going, it took him a while to settle in. It’s good he got out of that first inning. He’s having to grow up in this league, he’s a transfer, but their guy was too. Their transfer pitched better than our transfer, I guess.”

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No. 6 Texas A&M baseball team earns first SEC series victory with Game 3 win vs. Mississippi State

For the first time in the young 2024 season, the Aggies have earned a three-game conference series victory following a 6-1 win on Sunday.

For the first time in the young 2024 season, the Texas A&M baseball team has earned a three-game conference series victory.

The No. 6 Aggies (21-3, 3-3 SEC) beat Mississippi State (17-8, 3-3) by a final score of 6-1 on Saturday at Blue Bell Park to take two out of three games from the Bulldogs. Texas A&M won 6-3 on Friday but its offense fell flat Friday, losing 5-1. The Aggies scored once in the first, fifth, sixth & seventh, respectively, and 2 in the fourth.

Sophomore left-handed pitcher Justin Lamkin (2-0) earned the win by absolutely dominating in the series finale. He tossed 7.1 innings and allowed 2 hits, 1 run & 1 walk with 12 strikeouts on 104 pitches. Senior LHP Evan Aschenbeck pitched the final 1.2 innings and gave up 1 hit with 2 Ks on 19 pitches.

Junior outfielder Braden Montgomery crushed 2 home runs. Freshman OF Caden Sorrell joined him with two extra-base hits, smashing a solo homer and a double.

Texas A&M continues its eight-game homestand at Olsen Field on Tuesday at 6 p.m. against Houston Christian University before hosting Auburn for a three-game set beginning Thursday.

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No. 6 Texas A&M baseball team’s offense stalls in Game 2 loss against Mississippi State

The Aggies suffered their first home loss following a 5-1 defeat. The Bulldogs tallied 5 runs in the fifth, 3 of which came off one swing.

While the Texas A&M men’s and women’s basketball teams respectively battled Nebraska in the NCAA Tournament on Friday, the baseball team dealt with its own version of March Madness as its offense stalled in a loss against Mississippi State.

The No. 6 Aggies (20-3, 2-3) suffered their first home loss of the season following a 5-1 defeat against the Bulldogs (17-7, 3-2) at Blue Bell Park. Mississippi State tallied 5 runs in the fifth frame, with 3 of them coming off one swing from junior first baseman Hunter Hines.

Texas A&M scored its lone run in the second inning on an RBI single by junior shortstop Ali Camarillo, who was the only Aggie to record multiple hits, going 2-for-4. Freshman third baseman Gavin Grahovac has now reached base safely in 12 consecutive contests and has at least 1 hit in 8 straight games.

Junior right-handed pitcher Tanner Jones (1-1) took the loss after pitching the first 4.0 innings and allowing 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 hit by pitch and 1 walk with 2 strikeouts on 72 pitches.

Texas A&M hosts the Bulldogs for a rubber match at Olsen Field on Saturday at 2 p.m. CST.

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