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Postseason honors filing in for Mississippi State Baseball

After taking a big step forward from the last two seasons, some of Mississippi State baseball's best are earning recognition.

By Andrew Miller

Mississippi State outfielder Dakota Jordan (42) hits a two run home run against Ole Miss in the 6th
Mississippi State outfielder Dakota Jordan (42) hits a two run home run against Ole Miss in the 6th / Bruce Newman/Special to the Clarion
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Mississippi State baseball has seen an impressive turn-around this season. After failing to even reach the SEC Tournament the last two years, the Diamond Dawgs have turned in a 36-19 record, including a 17-13 mark in conference play. In a year where they were picked13th in the league in the preseason, Mississippi State ending up finishing 5th in the conference standings.

A turnaround like that can't be orchestrated without several players having breakthrough seasons. That's what happened for the Bulldogs, and some of those players are now being recognized for their performance this year.

Three Diamond Dawgs earn All-SEC honors

The SEC announced their 2024 baseball awards on Monday, and three Mississippi State Bulldogs were recognized. Ace pitcher Khal Stephen and shortstop David Mershon were named 1st Team All-SEC while centerfielder Dakota Jordan was named 2nd Team All-SEC.

No transfer addition has proven more vital to MSU than Khal Stephen. The former Purdue Boilermaker has become a certified Friday night stud in the SEC. The 6'4" right-hander is 8-3 with a 3.25 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. He's thrown 93 strikeouts to just 19 walks.

Since taking over as a starter midway through his true freshman season last year, David Mershon has quickly become one of State's most consistent players. This year he's batting .326 with 36 RBI. He has a .430 on-base percentage and has stolen 36 bases along with being a strong glove at short.

No bat has been bigger than Dakota Jordan. The centerfielder is hitting .363 with 61 RBI and 17 homers. He's slugging at .691 with an OPS of 1.169. And along with being named 2nd Team All-SEC, Jordan was named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award. Also, he took home some hardware on Monday.

Dakota Jordan wins 2024 Ferris Trophy

Dakota Jordan was announced as the winner of the Ferris Trophy on Monday, given to the best college baseball player in the state of Mississippi.

Jordan became Mississippi State's first Ferris Trophy winner since Tanner Allen won in 2021. This is the ninth time a Diamond Dawg has taken home the award, the most of any program in the state. Jordan specifically became the eight Bulldog to win, as the great Jake Mangum won twice.

State's award-winning trio will now head to Hoover, hoping to play their way into a regional host spot. They'll take on rival Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament Tuesday night.

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