If you’re raised right in south Louisiana, chances are you’ll know there’s much more college baseball out there than what’s under the lights at Alex Box Stadium.

And that’s not a knock, so calm down. The whole point is there was always some team &045; sometimes Tulane, Northwestern or McNeese &045; making a name for itself on the diamond in a state and an entire nation where the Tigers ruled mightily.

So goes its neighboring state of Mississippi.

If you haven’t followed the college baseball season of 2003 in Mississippi and/or Louisiana, get out from under your rock and read a box score for crying out loud.

Even the most regular of clubs at Omaha, the LSU Tigers clinched it Sunday by standards different of their history. You couldn’t find a superstar that stood out in the lineup &045; a Brandon Larson, an Eddy Furniss or a Lyle Mouton &045; but the Tigers hammered opposing teams’ pitching like only a LSU club could.

Perhaps the biggest surprise in either state was Southern Miss, who boasted one of the nation’s best one-two punches in Clint King and Jeff Cook. The Golden Eagles posted their best record in school history, hosted a regional for the first time and nearly punched a ticket to the Super Regional.

Both Cook and King were drafted, but Vidalia native Jarrett Hoffpauir heads up a solid returning core of talent for next year’s squad.

And who can forget Rickie Weeks at Southern University? The guy has the fastest swing I’ve ever seen, and he helped the Jaguars upset USM in the first round of the regional. He showed there his stats weren’t misleading due to the weak pitching of the SWAC and was picked second overall in the MLB draft.

State was solid during the season before getting to host its regional, and Ole Miss got rolling well enough at the end to make a regional. Centreville native Matt Tolbert finished off the season by getting drafted, but he’ll return for his senior season in Oxford.

Delta State had a downright brutal lineup and spent most of the season ranked No. 1 in the nation in Division II before getting upended by Abilene Christian in its regional.

Even Meridian Community College showed up on the radar as the Eagles and Natchez native Christopher Rayborn made the Junior College World Series.

There was also Mississippi Valley State, who for a long time was the laughingstock of college baseball in Division I.

I devoted space once to the Delta Devils earlier in the season, and it was head coach Doug Shanks who left a message on my voicemail last month offering appreciation for the column. Appears his Devils had one of the best turnarounds in all of Division I this season.

His club may be something to watch next year. As will Southern Miss, Ole Miss, State, Delta State, Southern University, McNeese, etc.

You’ve just got to look for them.

Adam Daigle

is sports editor of The Natchez Democrat. You can reach him at (601) 445-3632 or by e-mail at

adam.daigle@natchezdemocrat.com.