Three Mississippi State Bulldogs have been announced as finalist for the C Spire Ferriss Trophy.
The Ferriss Trophy is an award given to the best college baseball player at any university in Mississippi. The trophy is named after legendary baseball coach Dave “Boo” Ferris. Since it’s creation in 2003, four Bulldogs have one the award, Thomas Berkery, Ed Easley, Chris Stratton, and Hunter Renfroe. Now let’s take a look at the season stats for the Ferris Trophy finalists.
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Dakota Hudson, Pitcher, Mississippi State:
Hudson has been MSU’s ace all season. He has a 8-3 record in 13 starts. Dakota has pitched 89.1 innings accumulating a 2.52 ERA and 91 strikeouts while only walking 27. He is tied for the team lead in complete games with 2 and has 1 shutout. Hudson was name Mid-Season Pitcher of the Year by Perfect Game and put on the Golden Spikes Award watch list. The buzz around him fell off a bit when Hudson struggled during a four week span, but he has resumed his dominance of late.
Jake Mangum, OF Mississippi State:
Jake has been the biggest surprise for MSU fans this year. He had barely risen to the top of a outfield platoon when an injury to fellow OF Jacob Robson forced Mangum into an everyday starters role. Mangum has since become the teams leading hitter and has the second best average in the SEC at .405. Jake has a slugging percentage of 519 and gets on base at a 460 clip. Amazingly, he has struck out just 11 times in 158 at bats. No doubt about it Mangum is the catalyst behind the Mississippi State offense.
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Reid Humphreys, OF/P, Mississippi State:
Humphreys has a very interesting case because he is not only MSU’s left fielder but also the teams closer. Reid is a must have bat in the lineup, batting .333 with 5 homers and 44 RBIs, good for 3rd and 2nd on the team. Humphreys has been equally as crucial out of the bullpen. In 15 appearances, he as thrown 19.1 innings 15 runs on 23 hits and striking our 25. While his ERA is pretty high, Reid has converted 6 saves and pitched out of some pretty tight jams.
J.B. Woodman, OF, Ole Miss:
If OM was going to have a finalist this year, I think Woodman was a no-brainer. Although, he is third on the team in batting average at .327, he is definitely their best hitter. J.B. is first on the team in home runs (13), RBIs (49), runs (44), and slugging percentage (.582). His on base percentage is .415 and he leads the team with 10 stolen bases.
Will Robertson, OF, Delta State:
A quick glance at the stat sheet and you realize Will Robertson is everything to the Delta State offense. He is their leading hitter with a average of .426 and slugging percentage of .676. Robertson is also first on the team in hits(87), doubles(27), RBIs(71), and on base percentage(.492). His hitting has lead DSU to a very good 38-15 record.
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For my money, this year’s award should go to Jake Mangum. He has been the best player on the best team in the state. I don’t, however, think the voters will agree with me and my prediction is Dakota Hudson (who is totally deserving as well) goes home with the trophy. The trophy will be handed out on Monday, May 23 in Clevleand, MS. Be sure to go to our twitter page @mwnbaseball to vote on who you think will win.