When Mississippi State hosts Missouri this Saturday in Starkville, Kosciusko sports fans will have a massive SEC footprint to follow both on and off the field. With both teams entering the matchup undefeated and ranked in the latest Top 25 polls, a big weekend at Davis Wade Stadium gets even bigger as Kosciusko sports history takes center stage.
Ted Milton: MSU Hall of Fame Induction
The festivities begin Friday, Sept. 25, at the M-Club Sports Hall of Fame Gala, where former Whippets baseball coach Ted Milton will be formally inducted into the Class of 2026.
A Diamond Dawgs standout from 1969–72, Milton hit .311 with 23 home runs and 96 RBIs while helping lead MSU to its first College World Series appearance in 1971. He also earned honors as the baseball program’s first Academic All-American. Following his time in Starkville, Milton came to Kosciusko as baseball coach, where he guided the 1974 Kosciusko Whippets to a state baseball championship.
Jacob Peeler: SEC Sideline Return
Also this weekend, 2002 Kosciusko graduate Jacob Peeler will be on the visitor’s sideline as wide receivers coach for the Missouri Tigers.
Before building a coaching career with stops at Cal, Ole Miss, Texas State, and Missouri, Peeler was an offensive line standout at Holmes Community College. He played every offensive snap across the 2002 and 2003 seasons, earning All-America, First-Team All-NJCAA Region 23, and First-Team All-State honors while helping lead the Bulldogs to a 2002 MACJC State Championship.
Peeler, who was inducted into the Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame in 2023, completed his playing career at Louisiana Tech and later earned a master’s degree from Mississippi State, making Saturday’s SEC matchup a homecoming in more than one way.
Adding even more local flavor to Saturday’s action, Mississippi State safety Dre Riley, who has emerged as a key defensive contributor for the Bulldogs, played his sophomore season in Kosciusko. He currently ranks among the top 10 on the team in total tackles (9 tackles, 7 solo) while sharing the team lead in interceptions, highlighted by his clutch fourth-quarter pick against South Carolina last weekend that helped seal the win for State.
Kickoff between Mississippi State and Missouri is set for 6:45 p.m. Saturday night at Davis Wade Stadium, with live television coverage on the SEC Network.
