Hattiesburg American from Hattiesburg, Mississippi • 7

TUESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2013 SPORTS DEPARTMENT: (601) 584-3136, sportshattiesburgamerican.com IB SOUTHERN MISS FOOTBALL BEN SUTTON "He's an awesome kid, and he ought to fit right in. We run exactly what they run there." CHIP LINDSEY. Spain Park coach gles apparently added his replacement. Nick Mullens, Alabama's 2012 Gatorade Player of the Year, intends to sign a letter-of-intent with the Golden Eagles on National Signing Day on Feb. 6, Spain Park coach Chip Lind-sey Mullens, who threw for 3,649 yards and 40 touchdowns with seven interceptions this fall for the high school in Hoover, had committed to Alabama-Bir Spain Park QB commits in wake of Rummers swap By Tim Doherty American Sports Writer On the same weekend that Southern Miss appeared to have lost the lone confirmed quarterback commitment in its football recruiting class, the Golden Ea mingham earlier this month, but switched after visiting USM over the weekend.

"He's an awesome kid, and he ought to fit right in," Lindsey said. "We run exactly what they run there. In fact, we learned it from those guys out at Oklahoma State." The 6-foot-l, 187-pound Mullens appears to be USM's lone quarterback verbal after Arch-See MULLENS, Page 3B American Sports Writer Who's ready for baseball season? HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL mm FOR THE GAME Petal teammates, friends feed off each other Petal's Russell Thompson attempts to break away from Oak Grove's Rashad Arbuthnot. ryan MOOREHATTIESBURG By Jason Munz American Sports Writer PETAL Cannon Edwards and Russell Thompson haven't always been close. In fact, the Petal High standout tandem made each others' acquaintances as rivals.

Opponents on the basketball court some five or six years ago. AMERICAN i I Thompson, a junior, said he remembers it like it was yesterday. "He hit the game-winning shot on me," he said. "I knew I had to be friends with him after that." Friends first, and now teammates, Edwards and Thompson have formed quite the formidable duo for the Pan thers. Even though their personal success hasn't translated into tremendous team suc ty -a, cess thus far in 2013, they're hopeful their best games are ahead of them.

Petal has completed the Region S-6A portion of its regular-season schedule, going 0-6. But Edwards and Thompson are banking on the fact that all bets will be off when the region tournament begins on Feb. 12. "We're just focusing on that one date," Edwards, a senior, said. "That's all that really matters (at this point)." In talking to the Panther pair, to see that basketball See PETAL, Page 3B As of this writing, it's a pleasantly warm 78 degrees outside in January.

Having grown up in South Mississippi, it's nothing I'm not used to. In fact, I welcome the warm weather, because those first few warm days inevitably remind me of one thing: baseball. Specifically, my mind turns to the start of the season, which is rapidly approaching for both college and the Major Leagues. Growing up in a family of baseball lovers certainly has something to do with my yearly anticipation. Like one of Pavlov's dogs, I've been conditioned to think of the great American pastime with the return of warm weather each year.

America's game And what a pastime it is. There's nothing quite like the feeling of catching a baseball in a well-worn glove broken in with time and care, or of connecting with a fastball on the sweet spot of the bat and lining it into an outfield gap. There's a whole different kind of thrill that comes along with watching baseball the anticipation on that crucial three-two pitch, or the tension when the bases are loaded with two outs and a team's slugger steps up to the plate followed by the payoff, which leaves you either elated or despondent depending on which team comes out on top. And it's been that way for well over a century. Professional baseball began in 1869, over 140 years ago, with the creation of the Cincinnati Red Stockings.

The scenery surrounding the game has changed quite a bit since then; there are more teams now, the players are paid in millions of dollars, and the equipment has improved over time. But the core of the game is still there: one batter, nine men in the field, four bases, and one ball. The one constant through all the years' I find myself amazed that after nearly a century and a half of tumultuous American history, baseball is still going strong. Through wars, economic crises and civil unrest, baseball continues to entertain and excite as it always has. And more than that, baseball brings people together in the love of a sport that is distinctly American by origin, but enjoyed the world over.

Perhaps the best summary of what baseball means to me and its thousands (if not millions) of other fans comes from a speech in the film Field of Dreams: "The one constant through all the years has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game it's a part of our past It reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again." And with that, I'll sit back with the rest of the fans and wait to hear the phrase we've all been waiting for: "Play ball." Contact Ben Sutton at americyi.com.

QO UJ )(fi 3 aM I SJtM lin limn in niii HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER Crusader boys and girls take aim at South State qr i-r mtfif MHHiMHin nnnii ii i i innwim I By Jason Munz American Sports Writer Today could be a red-letter day for Sacred Heart's girls and boys soccer programs, as both the Lady Crusaders and Crusaders are vying for their respective 1A2A3A South State titles. The girls will travel to Our Lady Academy, while the boys host St. Andrew's at San Antonio Field in Hattiesburg. Both matches are set to begin at 6 p.m. Crusaders head coach Joe Falla said he's expecting a tough, hard-nosed matchup against the Saints today, especially given that it was his team that eliminated St.

Andrew's in the South State Championship a year ago. "They've got a chip on their shoulder," he said. "They're ready for a little revenge. We've actually eliminated them See CRITiADER. Page 3B oo Sacred Heart's Lillian Rowell heads down field Saturday, Jan.

26, as the Lady Crusaders take on St Andrew's, ryan moorfhattiesburg American 9.