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SL Mississippi Braves

Game Info: Wednesday, May 15 vs. BIloxi Shuckers: 5:05 PM CT Doubleheader: Trustmark Park

May 15, 2024 - Southern League (SL)
Mississippi Braves News Release


Mississippi Braves (12-21) vs. Biloxi Shuckers (16-17)

Wednesday, May 15, 2024 - 5:05 PM CT - Trustmark Park - Pearl, MS

Game 34/35 of 138 - Home Game 13/14 of 69 - 102.1 The Box - Bally Live - MiLB.tv

Starting Pitchers:

Game 1: RHP Hurston Waldrep (1-3, 3.90 ERA) vs. RHP Bradley Blalock (3-1, 2.43)

Game 2: RHP Spencer Schwellenbach (0-0, --) vs. LHP Nate Peterson (1-1, 3.90)

Watch Live: Bally Live / MiLB.TV / MLB At Bat

Listen Live: 102.1 The Box

Today's Roster Move

N/A

TODAY'S GAME: The Mississippi Braves and Biloxi Shuckers play a doubleheader to begin a six-game series at Trustmark Park, the second series so far between the two teams in Pearl. This is the seventh of 30 meetings between the Mississippi rivals in 2024. The two will play next at MGM Park, July 1-3, with the series shifting to Trustmark Park, July 4-6.

ABOUT SUNDAY: The M-Braves closed out their final trip to Madison, AL, on Sunday with a 3-1 victory over the Rocket City Trash Pandas at Toyota Field. Drew Parrish tossed 5.0 shutout innings to earn the win, and the M-Braves left town with a split of the six-game series. Parrish, making his second start of the series, retired the first nine batters to begin the outing. Over 5.0 innings, the left-hander out of Florida State ceded just two hits, walking none and striking out three. The M-Braves handed Parrish a 2-0 lead in the second inning and, up 2-1, in the eighth, tacked on another to make it 3-1. Eight different M-Braves had one hit, with Drake Baldwin, Justin Dean, and Geraldo Quintero collecting RBIs. Cade Bunnell was 1-for-3 with a double.

MAGNOLIA STATE RIVALRY: The two Southern League clubs from the state of Mississippi began their rivalry in 2015 and have played 203 times since then. Biloxi leads the all-time series 109-94. Biloxi has taken the season series over Mississippi in six of the previous eight years.

SCHWELL IN THE HOUSE: Atlanta Braves No. 2 overall prospect Spencer Schwellenbach was promoted to Mississippi on Tuesday from High-A Rome. The right-hander was Atlanta's second-round pick in 2021, out of Nebraska. In six starts for the Emperors, the Saginaw, MI native is 2-1 with a 2.53 ERA (9 ER/32.0 IP), nine walks, 33 strikeouts, and a 1.09 WHIP.

THE MEJIA MAGIC: When RHP Ian Mejia takes the mound, the Mississippi Braves are 6-1 in his seven starts. Mississippi's opening-day starter ranks fifth in the Southern League with a 2.02 ERA, leading the league with 43 strikeouts. He also ranks among the league leaders in innings pitched (T-4th, 35.2), WHIP (9th, 1.07), and opponent's batting average (5th, .187). The 24-year-old has not allowed a run over his last two starts and 13.2 innings with 16 strikeouts to three walks. Mejia tossed 7.0 shutout innings, on two hits with one walk, and seven strikeouts on May 4 to earn Southern League Pitcher of the Week.

PRIME TIME PITCHING: The Mississippi pitching staff ranks second in the Southern League and ninth in Double-A with 309 strikeouts. The Braves rank eighth in Double-A with a 3.52 ERA.

WINNING WALDREP: RHP Hurston Waldrep, the Atlanta Braves' first-round pick in 2023 (24th overall), earned his first professional win on Thursday night. Over his last four starts, Waldrep has a 1.17 ERA, giving up just three earned runs in 23.0 innings.

HAYDEN HARRIS ON A ROLL: LHP Hayden Harris has a 0.71 ERA over 10 relief outings and 12.2 IP, five walks, and 20 strikeouts. The Augusta, GA native is 1-0 with four holds and 1-for-1 in save opportunities.

NEED FOR SPEED: The M-Braves lead Double-A in stolen bases with 67 (67-for-75) through 33 games. The club has five players who have reached double-digit steals. Geraldo Quintero and Cody Milligan lead the club and rank T-3rd with 13. Justin Dean is T-7th with 12, Nacho Alvarez Jr. is T-10th with 11, and Cal Conley has 10 ... The M-Braves logged a stolen base in each of the first 14 games of the season. Mississippi had 157 stolen bases last season and is on pace for 280 (2.0 per game) in 2024. The most by an M-Braves team was 159 in 2007.

"NACHO" AVERAGE SHORT STOP: Atlanta's top-ranked position player prospect, Nacho Alvarez Jr., went on a 13-game on-base streak from April 13 to May 1, the longest by a Mississippi player this season. The 21-year-old leads the club and ranks seventh in the Southern League with a .388 OBP ... He ranks among the circuit leaders in walks (4th, 18), hits (T-7th, 30), and stolen bases (T-10th, 11).

THE DEAN OF THE CLASS: Justin Dean's nine-game hitting streak from April 21 to May 2 was the longest by an M-Braves player this season. Dean ranks among the league leaders in batting average (12th, .277), OBP (12th, .367), and stolen bases (T-7th, 12). Since 2021, Dean has played in 259 games for the M-Braves.

TOP PROSPECTS: According to MLB Pipeline, the M-Braves have six of Atlanta's Top 30 prospects. RHP Hurston Waldrep (No. 2), RHP Spencer Schwellenbach (No.3), SS Nacho Alvarez Jr. (No. 6), C Drake Baldwin (No. 11), LHP Luis De Avila (No. 20), and INF/OF Geraldo Quintero (No. 28) are included. In Baseball America's Top 30, OF Cody Milligan (No. 27), RHP Ian Mejia (No. 28), and INF Keshawn Ogans (No. 30) are included.

COACHING STAFF WITH A NEW FLO: After spending one season as manager of the Braves High-A affiliate Rome Braves (Emperors), Angel Flores will take the reins for the first time at the Double-A level, succeeding Kanekoa Texeira. Texeira was promoted to manager of the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers after Matt Tuiasosopo was named to the Braves' Major League coaching staff for 2024. Flores returns to Mississippi, where he served as bench coach in 2022. Flores took over as interim manager from April 26 to May 15, 2022, while Bruce Crabbe took a leave of absence from the club. During the 18-game stretch, the M-Braves went 10-8. During his first season as a full-time manager last year, Flores led the R-Braves to a 34-32 record in the second half and an overall 64-68 mark. Rome closed the year with a 21-15 record in August and September. Overall, he holds a 74-76 record as a manager.

MISSISSIPPI MADE: M-Braves outfielder Brandon Parker, a native of Saucier, MS, on the Gulf Coast and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College product, became the first player to prep in Mississippi and play for the M-Braves since Austin Riley in 2017. Riley prepped at Desoto Central in North Mississippi ... Parker was a two-time All-American at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. Parker attended West Harrison High School.

FINAL SEASON IN MISSISSIPPI: On January 9, it was announced that after 20 years, 2024 will be the M-Braves' final season in Pearl, MS. As of the start of the 2025 season, the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves will be relocating to Columbus, GA.

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