SL Mississippi Braves

Friday, May 7 vs. Pensacola Blue Wahoos: 6:35 PM: Trustmark Park

May 7, 2021 - Southern League (SL)
Mississippi Braves News Release


Mississippi Braves (0-3) vs. Pensacola Blue Wahoos (3-0)

Starting Pitchers: RHP Odalvi Javier (0-0, --) vs. LHP Brandon Leibrandt (0-0, --)

Radio: 103.9 FM WYAB and on ONLINE HERE

Gameday Stats: LINK

TV: MiLB.TV

Today's Promotions:

M-Braves Sport Socks Giveaway - Early arriving fans will receive a pair of Mississippi Braves Sport (Tube) Socks presented by Farm Bureau.

Kids Run The Bases - Kids 14-and-under will have the opportunity to run the bases after every Friday and Sunday home game at Trustmark Park, presented by Game on Wheels. M-Braves Kids Club members will be first in line. To become a Kids Club member, click here.

Trustmark $10,000 Dash For Cash - Each Friday home game, fans can register during the game for the chance to snag cold hard Cash. Then, ten lucky fans will have 30 seconds to snag as much of the $10K spread out all over the outfield. Dash for Cash is presented by Trustmark.

Current Standings | League Leaders | Roster | M-Braves Media Center | 2021 Schedule |

Top 30 Prospects | Upcoming Promotions | Braves' 40-man Roster | M-Braves News

Today's Roster Moves: N/A

Today's Game: The M-Braves take on the Pensacola Blue Wahoos at 6:35 pm tonight, in game four of the opening six-game homestand.

- Mississippi is still in search of their first win of 2021, trailing Pensacola by three games in the South Division of the Double-A South. The M-Braves are the lone team in the league without a win.

- Greyson Jenista ranks 3rd in the Double-A South in slugging (.714) and 4th in OPS (1.159) to begin the season, going 2-for-7 with a home run and pair of walks. Jenista's first home run of 2021 traveled 417 fee to right-center in game one of Thursday's doubleheader.

- Jalen Miller is T-4th in the league in slugging (.667) and sixth in OPS (1.111).

- The M-Braves bullpen is off to a solid start in 2021, posting a 0.82 ERA (1ER/11.0IP) with 10 walks and 14 strikeouts. The bullpen is holding the Wahoos to a .118 batting average.

MILLER TIME: INF Jalen Miller hit his 37th career home run on Opening Night, May 5th, in the sixth inning, and first as a member of the Atlanta Braves organization. His homer traveled 404 feet to left field. Miller, an Atlanta native, attended Riverwood International Charter School in Sandy Springs, Ga, which is just 3.9 miles from Truist Park. His family had season tickets at Turner Field.

WELCOME BACK MATT: 27-year-old RHP Matt Withrow made his first appearance as an M-Brave in 1,440 days, May 26, 2017, on Opening Night, May 5th. Withrow struck out five over 2.0 innings.

FIRST ROUND PICKS & PROSPECTS: The squad features both of Atlanta's first-round selections from the 2019 draft in catcher Shea Langeliers (#9) and shortstop Braden Shewmake (#21). They represent the third and fourth-ranked prospects in the organization, according to MLB.com and Langeliers is #64 on the MLB.com Top 100 and sixth-ranked catching prospect in baseball.

- Overall, the M-Braves feature seven of the Braves' Top 30 prospects. After Langeliers and Shewmake, OF Trey Harris (#14), RHP Victor Vodnik (#15), INF Greyson Jenista (#19), INF C.J. Alexander (#20) and OF Justin Dean (#26) are among the Top 30.

- Returning M-Braves pitchers include RHP Josh Graham, RHP Kurt Hoekstra, RHP Nolan Kingham, RHP Sean McLaughlin, RHP Brandon White and RHP Matt Withrow.

BRAND NEW COACHING STAFF: The 17 newcomers on the 28-man roster join an entirely new coaching staff, all having major league experience. The M-Braves are led by manager Wyatt Toregas and are joined by hitting coach Einar Diaz, pitching coach Dan Meyer and coach Devon Travis.

- Toregas, 38, is a former catcher who played in 22 major-league games across two seasons with Cleveland (2009) and Pittsburgh (2011). After spending the previous five minor-league seasons managing in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, the upcoming campaign will be his first with the Braves, including most recently with High-A Bradenton in 2019. in fives seasons, Toregas holds a 293-263 (.527) record as a skipper entering the 2021 season.

150 major league debuts: Despite no season in 2020, the M-Braves saw their 150th player make their major league debut. Starting in 2005, the 150 include 32 All-Star Game appearances, 11 Silver Sluggers, 12 Gold Gloves, 11 World Series champs, two Rookies of the Year, and one MVP.

- In 2020, William Contreras, Joe Odom (SEA), Ricardo Sanchez (STL), Cristian Pache, Ian Anderson, Patrick Weigel, Bruce Zimmermann and Tucker Davidson. The first was Brian McCann back in June 2005.

WELCOME TO THE DOUBLE-A SOUTH: In MLB's new structure for the 2021 season, the M-Braves will be part of the Double-A South. The eight-team circuit consists of eight former members of the Southern League, split into two divisions. Mississippi will be in the South Division along with the Biloxi Shuckers (Milwaukee Brewers), Montgomery Biscuits (Tampa Bay Rays), and Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Miami Marlins). The North Division will consist of the Birmingham Barons (Chicago White Sox), Chattanooga Lookouts (Cincinnati Reds), Rocket City Trash Pandas (LA Angels), and Tennessee Smokies (Chicago Cubs).

- The M-Braves will play the South Division in 80 of the 120 games this season. In a schedule quirk, the M-Braves will not play the new Rocket City Trash Pandas this season. The clubs were scheduled to meet during the first series of the 2020 season.

2019 SEASON IN REVIEW: The Mississippi Braves concluded their 15th anniversary season in Central Mississippi with a 64-75 overall record, finishing fourth in the Southern League South Division. While the club missed out on the postseason for the third-straight season, the 2019 campaign saw the 3 millionth fan enter Trustmark Park, 1,000th franchise win, third no-hitter in club history, record three postseason All-Stars and the first Southern League Most Valuable Player.

- Despite finishing 11-games below .500, the M-Braves only had a -8 run differential this season (491-483). The club went 10-13 in April, 14-15 in May, 15-13 in June, 14-14 in July, 9-20 in August and was the only Southern League team to go 2-0 in September. The M-Braves were 33-37 at Trustmark Park, 31-38 on the road, 19-27 in one-run games, 13-15 in day games, 51-60 in night games, 16-15 in shutout games and 7-7 in extra-inning games.

- OF Drew Waters was named the league's Most Valuable Player after leading the Southern League in several offensive categories, despite a promotion to Triple-A Gwinnett on Aug. 5. In 108 M-Braves games, the 20-year-old finished the season by leading the league in batting average (.319), hits (134), doubles (35), triples (9) and extra-base hits (49). He finished among the top 10 in slugging (2nd, .481), OPS (2nd, .847), total bases (3rd, 202), runs (T-5th, 63) and OBP (8th, .366).

Check out the Mississippi Braves Statistics



Southern League Stories from May 7, 2021


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central