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11/30/00 - Mississippi State University has signed right-handed pitcher Jacob Blakeney of Magee, Miss., to a national letter of intent in baseball, MSU head baseball coach Pat McMahon announced this week.

Blakeney is a 6-1, 190-pound, pitcher at Copiah-Lincoln (Miss.) Community College, where he helped guide coach Keith Case's Wolves baseball team to a school-best 47-17 record and No. 4 finish in the 2000 NJCAA Division II World Series in Millington, Tenn. Blakeney posted a 12-3 record with a 4.13 earned run average, earning All-Region 23 and MACJC All-State honors.

"We are very excited that Jacob is joining the Mississippi State baseball program," said MSU assistant coach Jim Case. "He has received excellent training at Co-Lin under Keith Case and assistant coach Pete Young, and that training will enable him to be a major contributor early in his career at Mississippi State."

Blakeney was a four-year starter as a pitcher during his prep career (1995 to 1998) playing for coach Winston Mullins at Simpson Academy. He posted an 11-3 record as a senior, earning all-division honors and helping lead SA to a 31-4 record and a Class 3A state title.

"I am delighted to have an opportunity to play baseball in such a great program," said Blakeney, who signed with Delta State University and sat out the 1999 campaign as a redshirt.

Blakeney is the son of Ted and Gladys Blakeney of Magee, Miss..

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

11/29/00 - Mississippi State University has signed catcher Thomas Berkery of Sarasota, Fla., to a national letter of intent in baseball, MSU head baseball coach Pat McMahon announced this week.

Berkery is a 6-1, 180-pound two-sport standout at Sarasota High School, starring as a catcher in baseball and as a quarterback in football. He hit .326 in helping lead coach Clyde Metcalf's SHS Sailors to a 26-7 record and a runnerup finish in the 5A state playoffs.

"Thomas is blessed with great athletic ability and versatility," said MSU assistant coach Jim Case. "He made a smooth transition when he moved from a starting position at third base to catcher and brings great leadership qualities to his team. We believe he will be a great asset to the Mississippi State program."

The MSU baseball signee posted a team-leading .500 batting average in leading Sarasota High School's junior varsity team to an unblemished 25-0 record in 1999.

"It is a dream come true to be joining a program of Mississippi State's caliber," said Berkery. "I'm looking forward to becoming a part of the MSU baseball family."

Berkery is the son of Peter and Karon Berkery of Sarasota, Fla.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

11/28/00 - Mississippi State University has signed left-handed hitting first baseman/outfielder Brad Jones of Sarasota, Fla., to a national letter of intent in baseball, MSU head baseball coach Pat McMahon announced this week.

Jones is a 6-2, 195-pound standout infielder from Sarasota High School, where he compiled a .321 batting average and helped lead coach Clyde Metcalf's SHS baseball team to a 26-7 record and a runnerup finish in the 5A state playoffs. He started 32 of his team's 33 games, driving in 20 runs and earning Honorable Mention Sarasota Herald Tribune All-Area Team honors.

"We are very excited to have Brad join our Bulldog Baseball family," said assistant coach Jim Case. "He is a tremendous athlete with the skills to play first base or the corner outfield positions. In addition to his defensive skills, Brad is also a very good hitter who we believe will hit with power. He's had outstanding training playing for Coach Metcalf at Sarasota High School, a program where winning is expected every year."

As a sophomore Jones started all 25 games, hitting .438 with 23 RBI and leading the SHS junior varsity team to a perfect 25-0 mark.

A National Honor Society member, Jones is a Wendy's Heisman Award nominee.

Last summer he compiled a .385 batting average with five home runs in American Legion Baseball and participated in the Team One Nationals in Tempe, Ariz., and the East Coast Professional Showcase in Wilmington, N.C.

The Bulldog signee is the son of Diane and Greg Jones of Sarasota, Fla. He is the grandson and great nephew of two of Mississippi State football's all-time standouts. Art Davis, his grandfather, earned All-America honors in 1955 while Davis' brother, Harper Davis, was a four-time All-SEC football standout from 1945 to 1948 at MSU. Both have been inducted into the MSU and Mississippi Sports Halls of Fame.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

11/27/00 - Mississippi State University has signed left-handed pitcher Jacob Ociesa of Englewood, Fla., to a national letter of intent in baseball, MSU head baseball coach Pat McMahon announced this week.

Ociesa is a 6-5, 225-pound right-handed hitting, left-handed throwing pitcher from Lemon Bay High School, where he helped lead coach Cary Humphrey's club to a 27-6 mark last season. In his first season of varsity baseball he posted a 4-1 record with a 3.87 record and 40 strikeouts in 34 innings pitching, earning team honors as the most improved pitcher for the 2000 season.

"Jacob is an outstanding left-handed pitcher who we have watched develop through our baseball camps," said MSU assistant coach Jim Case. "He has great size, presence on the mound and work ethic that will enable him to compete successfully in the Southeastern Conference. Jacob is a quality athlete and a quality person, and we're excited that he will be a part of the Mississippi State baseball program."

The Bulldog signee compiled a 5-2 record with two saves and a 2.90 earned run average starring on the LBHS junior varsity team as a sophomore and turned in an 8-1 worksheet with a miniscule 0.66 ERA and 69 strikeouts pitching in 1999 AAU baseball for the Manatee Titans, coached by Don Robinson. He also lettered as a member of the Lemon Bay golf team as a junior and was a member of the school's junior varsity soccer team as a freshman.

"It is a great honor to be selected to play for a baseball program with such a strong tradition and standard of excellence," said Ociesa. "I'm grateful for all of my coaches from T-ball to Little League to my high school and AAU team coaches whose instruction and support have prepared me for this opportunity. Most of all, I'm thankful for my parents for their love, support and always being there for me."

Ociesa is the son of Dana and Leslie Ociesa of Englewood, Fla.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

11/21/00
Baseball - Mississippi State University has signed pitcher/position player Brett Cleveland of Independence, Miss., to a national letter of intent in baseball, MSU head baseball coach Pat McMahon announced this week.

Cleveland is a 6-2, 205-pound right-handed pitcher/shortstop from Independence High School, where he is a three-year starter and three-time team batting champion for coach Greg Patterson's IHS baseball team. Cleveland has hit .500 or better in each of his three seasons as a varsity starter, including a sizzling .573 mark with 15 doubles, six triples and seven home runs as a junior.

The three-time team MVP posted a 5-2 record with 63 strikeouts in helping lead the Wildcats to a 22-10 mark last spring. In addition to pitching, the MSU signee has also seen playing time at first base, third base and as a catcher.

"Brett is a tremendously talented you man who loves to compete," said MSU assistant coach Jim Case. "Playing for Coach Patterson at Independence High School and in summer league baseball for Coach Keith Hagan with the Memphis Tigers has helped Brett develop into a player capable of stepping in and competing immediately at Mississippi State."

A member of the Beta Club and Mu Alpha Theta, Cleveland has also lettered two seasons in basketball and earned one letter in football during his high school career.

"It has been a dream of mine to play baseball at Mississippi State," said Cleveland. "I'm excited about getting that opportunity and looking forward to helping Mississippi State get back to Omaha and compete for a national championship."

Cleveland is the son of Roger and Beverly Cleveland of Coldwater, Miss.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

Bailey comes to Starkville after a very impressive prep and club career in the Roanoke area where she is considered to be the "best area high school softball player ever."

"We are very excited about Brandy Bailey's decision to attend Mississippi State," Arendsen said. "Brandy is a very talented power pitcher who has the potential to step in and contribute immediately. She has excellent velocity, throwing as high as 64 mph, and has developed all of the breaking pitches. She is a fierce competitor with great work ethic, and will fit well in our program."

Bailey's prep and club success is highlighted by the 1999 season in which the sophomore sensation finished with a 22-3 record and a 0.16 ERA to go along with her 350 strikeouts in 172 innings of work. She collected nine no-hitters that season, including four-in-a-row at one point, and put an exclamation point on her season, barely missing a perfect game by striking out 20 of 21 batters. At season's end, she held six Virginia state records including single-game strikeouts, single season strikeouts, single season no-hitters, consecutive no-hitters, single season ERA and consecutive innings pitched without an earned run (106.1).

A varsity starter since her freshman season at Northside High School, she was named to the all-district first team following her freshman season and also earned a spot on the Region III squad as a second-teamer. After an impeccable season as a tenth-grader, she, again, was named a first team all-district pitcher, but also earned Blue Ridge District Player of the Year honors and garnered a spot on the Region III first team as well as a spot on the first team all-state squad.

Last season, Bailey earned NFCA all-South Region honors as well as Gatorade State Player of the Year accolades. She has also been named Timesland Player of the Year and appeared in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" on July 26, 1999.

"Brandy's established new norms for pitching," said Bailey's high school coach Lynn Richmond. "I've watched her since she was eight or nine playing rec league. She made the Northside junior varsity as an eighth-grader and that team went undefeated. By tournament time of her freshman year, she had earned the (varsity) starting pitcher's spot. Since then, her composure, arm speed, ability to locate pitches - everything had matured. Her mound presence is simply wonderful."

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

11/18/00 - Mississippi State University has signed pitcher/position player Jamie Gant of Winona, Miss., to a national letter of intent in baseball, MSU head baseball coach Pat McMahon announced this week.

Gant is a 6-2, 185-pound right-handed pitcher/shortstop from Winona High School, where he is a three-year starter and three-time all-district standout for coach Greg Perry's Tigers. As a junior last spring Gant earned all-state honors, led WHS with a .420 batting average, 46 hits, 35 RBI, seven home runs and 20 stolen bases. On the mound he posted a 5-4 record with three saves and a staff-best 1.91 earned run average over 55 innings pitched.

"Jamie is a tremendous athlete who certainly has the ability to compete at the collegiate level both as a pitcher and as a position player," said MSU assistant coach Tommy Raffo. "He has a sound delivery with a good lively fastball, and we believe he will continue to get better and better."

A starter in all 89 WHS games the past three seasons, Gant has compiled a .412 career batting average with 86 RBI, 17 home runs, 51 extra-base hits and 56 stolen bases. He owns a 19-8 career record with eight saves, earning the team pitching award as a freshman with an 8-1 record, three saves and a miniscule 0.91 earned run average.

"Playing baseball at Mississippi State has been a goal of mine since I started playing minor league baseball," said Gant, who has played in the State Games of Mississippi the past three years and participated in the 2000 East Coast Professional Baseball Showcase in Wilmington, N.C.

A Beta Club officer and four-year honor roll student at WHS, Gant is the son of James and Debbie Gant of Winona, Miss. His father and his uncle, Joe Lynn Gant, are former Mississippi State track athletes.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

11/17/00
Baseball - Mississippi State University has signed outfielder Brian Johnson of Madison, Miss., to a national letter of intent in baseball, MSU head baseball coach Pat McMahon announced this week.

Johnson is a 6-1, 190-pound right-handed hitting outfielder from Madison Central High School, where he helped lead the MCHS Jaguars, coached by Mike Rosamond, to a 29-10 record during the 2000 season. Johnson started 38 of his team's 39 games, compiling a .300 batting average with 10 home runs and 29 RBI. The fleet-footed Johnson also legged out seven doubles and was successful in all 11 stolen base attempts.

"We are very excited to have a young man of Brian's ability and character join the Mississippi State baseball program," said MSU assistant coach Tommy Raffo. "He is blessed with tremendous speed which will make him a great asset both as an outfielder and on the basepaths. Brian is another outstanding baseball talent from Coach Rosamond's fine Madison Central program, and we're looking forward to his arrival at Mississippi State next fall."

At Mississippi State Johnson will be reunited with former MCHS teammate and current freshman outfielder Brad Hutto.

Johnson was named to the 2000 Mid-Mississippi Classic All-Tournament Team, competed in the State Games of Mississippi, and participated in the 2000 East Coast Professional Baseball Showcase in Wilmington, N.C.

"I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of the Mississippi State baseball program. My decision was based on the high quality of the program and its focus on academics," said Johnson. "I'm also thankful to my parents and high school coaches for preparing me to achieve at the next level."

The Bulldog signee is the son of Kenneth and Gloria Johnson of Madison, Miss.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

(Editor's Note - Brian, based primarily on his tremendous footspeed, is a possible draft selection in next summer's Major League Baseball Draft. He is not a Baseball America preseason top-200 player nationally, although that could possibly change depending on what kind of season he has this coming spring.)

Patterson shined with the Mississippi Wrecking Crew this past summer and turned heads with her great coverage range in the outfield and awesome power at the plate.

"All of my visits were good, but I felt most comfortable at Mississippi State," Patterson said. "I'm ready for the challenge of playing in college."

The daughter of Tyrone and Dianne Patterson, Tyeah is an accomplished student as well at Pascagoula High School, having turned in a perfect 4.0 GPA last grading period. She is expected to contribute immediately with the softball program at Mississippi State. She is the oldest of four children in the Patterson household with two younger sisters, Tara and Tandra, and a younger brother, Tyrone.

"We are very proud of Tyeah's decision to attend Mississippi State," Arendsen said. "Without a doubt, she is one of the finest high school softball players ever produced in the state of Mississippi. She is a product of a premier summer club program - the Mississippi Wrecking Crew as well as an outstanding high school program at Pascagoula."

"Tyeah is a solid outfielder with a strong arm and good speed. Offensively she has shown impressive power as well as the ability to hit for a high average. Her commitment to academics fits well with our program's priorities. Tyeah is an excellent addition to our team."

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

11/15/00 - MSU has recently signed Independence HS's outstanding baseball player Brett Cleveland to a scholarship. Here are some things that were mentioned in his local newspaper about his signing with MSU.

Brett, who is the son of Roger and Beverly Cleveland, had a signing party held in his honor at the Independence High School library.

Brett, who will have lettered in baseball for four years after his upcoming senior year, has won numerous awards including the Triple Crown, MVP, and Batting Champion with an average of .583 (junior year); MVP, Batting Champion with an average of .563, and Team Captain (sophomore year); Rookie of the Year, Golden Glove, Batting Champion with an average of .520, and MVP (freshman year).

Brett was part of the Memphis Tigers team, a summer baseball team located in Memphis, Tennessee, that won the 1997 and 1998 AABC World Series. This past summer, he was picked for the AABC National Team and played in the Tournament of Stars in Cooperstown, NY.

Brett chose Mississippi State over Ole Miss, Auburn, Arkansas, Baylor University, and the University of Memphis.

Tatum is a 6-1, 205-pound right-handed pitcher/catcher and three-year starter at Hattiesburg High School. He hit a team-leading .411 with 44 RBI and 21 extra-base hits in helping lead coach Larry Knight's Hattiesburg High School Tigers to a 17-8 mark. In 34.1 innings of pitching the MSU signee posted a 6-1 record with two saves, a 2.85 earned run average and 53 strikeouts.

"Craig is definitely one of the best athletes coming out of our state this year," said MSU assistant coach Jim Case. "He has proven himself as an outstanding defensive catcher and shows tremendous promise on the mound. He is a certain two-way player for us, and to back it up is a quality young man."

Tatum, a three-year varsity letter-winner at Hattiesburg High School, posted a .353 batting average and drove in 31 runs as a sophomore, helping lead the Tigers to a 33-4 record.

"I am excited to be given the opportunity to play for a school with such a fine baseball tradition," said Tatum. "Once I met the coaches I knew Mississippi State was the place for me."

During the summer Tatum participated in the 2000 East Coast Professional Baseball Showcase in Wilmington, N.C.

The Bulldog signee is the son of Robert and Kimberly Tatum of Hattiesburg, Miss.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

11/14/00 - Although only one baseball signee has been officially released by MSU, according to my sources MSU has signed at least five of the top high school seniors in Mississippi with the signing of Craig Tatum (Catcher/Pitcher from Hattiesburg HS), Brian Johnson (Outfielder from Madison Central HS), Les Dykes (LHP from Parklane Academy. Has been officially announced) and Brett Cleveland (Multi-position player from Independence HS) and Jamie Gant (RHP/Infielder from Winona, MS.).

The 6-5, 205-pound left-handed pitcher has been a member of coach Ken Jackson's Parklane Academy baseball team the past three seasons. He posted an 8-2 record with a save, a 1.55 earned run average and a team-leading 92 strikeouts en route to USA Today honorable mention all-America honors and Jackson Clarion-Ledger all-state status as a junior. When he wasn't pitching the 2000 Pike County Player of the Year also started in the outfield, compiling a .394 batting average with 13 doubles and a team-high 10 home runs in helping lead the PA Pioneers to a 29-9 record.

"Les is an outstanding lefthander who has the ability to step in and contribute to our pitching staff in a big way," said MSU assistant coach Jim Case. "We have seen Les mature through our baseball camps and are excited to have such a fine athlete and person join our Bulldog family."

Dykes, a four-year member of the National Honor Society and a class officer as both a junior and senior, participated in the 2000 East Coast Professional Baseball Showcase in Wilmington, N.C. He has also lettered in basketball at Parklane Academy.

The Bulldog signee is the son of Jim and Jan Dykes of McComb, Miss.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

11/10/00 - Just thought you guys would like to know that Hattiesburg HS's outstanding catcher Craig Tatum has officially signed with MSU. Craig, who is one of the top catching prospects in the country, turned down offers from such programs as LSU, Ole Miss and Southern Miss to sign with MSU. According to my source, the MSU coaches and the MSU tradition were the deciding factors. Let's welcome the Tatums to the MSU family by posting our thanks to them on the free site message board.

11/03/00 - Adam Larson, a junior from Germantown, Tenn., was named to the second team of the second annual preseason National Collegiate Baseball Writers All-America team announced this week in Chicago. The Bulldog relief ace compiled a 3-3 record with a 4.17 earned run average and 12 saves, one shy of tying the Mississippi State single season record for saves. Larson, one of 10 pitchers returning from MSU's 2000 NCAA Super Regional team, enters the 2001 campaign with a two-year 6-3 record, 14 saves and a 3.67 career earned run average.

Reprinted with the permission of the MSU Athletic Department

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