P

icayune has, over the past few years, become known as a sort of “Title Town” for the exploits of its graduates on the football field.

But, as of late, former Maroon Tide baseball players have more than made a name for themselves on the diamond.

Today, Picayune’s Braxton Lee leads his Ole Miss Rebels on to the playing surface of Tigue Moore Field in Lafayette, La., as Ole Miss faces host Louisiana-Lafayette in the Super Regional round of the NCAA Baseball Tournament.

The former Maroon Tide and Pearl River Community College standout has batted lead off and manned leftfield all season for head coach Mike Bianco’s Rebels. Lee led the Southeastern Conference in stolen bases this season and is a big reason why Ole Miss is just two wins away from its first trip to the College World Series in 42 years.

Lee followed in the footsteps of former Picayune Dandy Dozen star T. J. House at Picayune.

This weekend, House is in the visitor’s dugout at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas, as the Cleveland Indians face the homestanding Texas Rangers in a four game set. House has made three starts in the past two weeks for the Indians, and is expected to take the hill again on Monday for Cleveland as they wrap up the series.

Both Lee and House’s head coach at Picayune was current Maroon Tide mentor Cayne Stockstill. One week ago Stockstill earned a big honor when he guided the South squad to a win in the prestigious D.M. Howie All-Star Baseball Classic sponsored by The Crossroads Diamond Club at Smith-Wills Stadium in Jackson.

Stockstill was also an assistant coach on the 2002 Maroon Tide team that featured Matt Riser and went on to win the state championship.

Riser, meanwhile, just wrapped up his first season as a collegiate head coach and all he did was lead the University of Southeastern Louisiana to its first win in the NCAA Baseball Tournament in 22 years.

Riser has also been mentioned in conjunction with the open head coaching job at Tulane.

Seems like the rest of the world is taking notice of Picayune baseball as well.