By Robert Wilson
Riley Maddox and Mason Nichols are used to being around winning baseball and championships.
The talented pitching duo were a part of three state championships for Jackson Prep from 2018, 2019 and 2021 and then were freshmen when Ole Miss won the national title in 2022.
Now, the seniors want to be a part of something special again as No. 10 national seed Ole Miss plays host to the Oxford Regional, which begins Friday at Swayze Field. It is first time Ole Miss has hosted a regional since 2021.
Ole Miss, the No. 1 seed in the regional, plays No. 4 Murray State Friday at 7 p.m. in the first round on ESPN plus.
Maddox and Nichols have been major parts of Ole Miss success this year, being the Nos. 2 and 3 starters on the weekend.
Maddox, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound right-hander, has been the Saturday starter and is tied with Hunter Elliott for most starts with 15. He is second in innings pitched (65) and second in wins (six) to Elliott.
Maddox made 14 relief appearances as a freshman, sat out most of his sophomore season with an elbow injury and led Ole Miss in starts and innings pitched and second in strikeouts last season as a junior with his biggest highlight pitching seven scoreless innings with seven strikeouts against Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament.
Ole Miss announced Thursday that Maddox is the scheduled starter instead of Elliott in the first game against Murray State.
“it is really big to bring postseason back to Swayze. We deserve it,” Maddox said. “This is one of the goals we wanted when we started the season and to finally accomplish it feels pretty good, but we aren’t done yet. We want to win this weekend and then worry about the next one. For us to not only get in this season, but also to host is really cool. I hope we can win the national championship again. Credit to (first-year Ole Miss pitching coach) Joel (Mangrum) and his routine he has given us. His ability to manage us has been the difference this year. We have remained healthy except for one injury (Madison-Ridgeland Academy alumnus Brayden Jones had an elbow injury). We are an old team and old teams win in college baseball. I think we have only one underclassman starting. We were confident in the fall and early spring. Once we got the season going, we won 13 games in a row at one point, we were really confident and knew we could beat anybody and play with anybody.”
Nichols, a 6-5, 220-pound right-hander, has 14 starts and has the third most innings pitched and was the Sunday starter before he missed the last two weeks with an oblique injury but is expected to pitch this weekend.
As a freshman, Nichols was a star in the postseason. He had 2 1/3 hitless innings against Arizona in the regional, 1 2/3 hitless innings against Arkansas in Game 2 of the College World Series and 2 hitless innings with five strikeouts against Oklahoma in Game 1 of the championship series.
He had a team-high 23 appearances and led the team with four saves and second with four wins as a sophomore and had 17 appearances, including six starts, and led the team with four wins.
Maddox and Nichols are two of the best pitchers in the history of the Prep baseball program, which has won a MAIS record 23 state championships, been nationally ranked several years and produced many players who went on the play college and pro baseball.
“There’s been a lot of debate over the years who is the best one-two punch Riley Maddox and Mason Nichols or Noah Hughes and Parker Caracci (2015 graduates),” said Prep coach Brent Heavener, who coached Maddox and Nichols and led Prep to seven consecutive MAIS state titles. “It’s a debate that’s been a lot of fun to talk about over the years. Riley and Mason are a fun agreement. They’re two of the best pitchers we’ve had on campus and were both true aces. But they were very different. Riley was a very high motion guy, threw hard, great off speed and sinker and wore his emotions on his sleeves. Mason was a very low-key high competitor do whatever it takes to win. Though they were very different, there are a lot alike in the fact they didn’t lose much in both and through in the low to mid 80s. They have both been a lot of fun to watch over the years at Ole Miss and we are so proud of what they have accomplished. They both decided to come back together for their senior season and so far, it’s been worth it. We are pulling for them this week and however far they make it in the postseason. Either way, Riley and Mason have been great ambassadors for Jackson Prep and our baseball program during their time at Ole Miss. They represent themselves, their families, and our program very well. We are very proud of all their accomplishments and while they may be different pitchers on the mound, one thing is for sure. They have the same goal in mind, and they want to win. They are great teammates and great competitors and have been great friends for a long time.”
Prep associate head coach Jay Powell, a 12-year major league pitching veteran and winning pitcher in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series, is proud of Maddox and Nichols and how they have become SEC level starting pitchers.
“Both were high end, talented pitchers at Prep,” Powell said. “Riley was a fire and brimstone type of guy. Mason was quiet and more of a thinking type of guy. You knew that both had bright futures. Riley’s injury slowed him down some, but he has developed into an SEC pitcher. I’ve seen him pitch in person twice (Powell is a radio analyst for MSU) and he’s been great. He has improved his velocity and he is a competitor on the mound. They both are. Mason had a great freshman year, especially in the postseason, and between the fall and spring of his sophomore year, developed a slider while working at Prep. Mason picked it up and developed a breaking ball where it was a plus pitch for him. He has gotten stronger and is a really good SEC starting pitcher. And you’ve got to be a good baseball player to pitch at that level and they both are.”
Maddox and Nichols – who have been close friends since they were 11 years old – also played football, Maddox at quarterback and Nichols at wide receiver. Although Nichols didn’t play football as a senior to concentrate on baseball, he and Maddox get high praise from their football coach at Prep, Ricky Black, the second winningest football coach in Mississippi history.
“Both Riley and Mason are outstanding gentlemen and pride themselves and achieving whatever their team goal,” Black said. “They are very unselfish and goal-oriented individuals. Riley developed mental toughness in athletics as a senior and was more focused and determined. Mason has always been highly academic gifted and has great athletic ability. I’ve continued to watch them improve themselves and their team playing baseball at Ole Miss.”
