Brent Rooker is the first MSU player to ever be named SEC Player of the Year
Rooker Named SEC Player Of The Year, Gridley And Mangum Also Honored
May 22, 2017 | Baseball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – A trio of Mississippi State baseball players earned All-Southeastern Conference honors on Monday.
Having produced one of the most impressive offensive regular seasons in Southeastern Conference history, MSU's Brent Rooker was named SEC Player of the Year in addition to being named First Team All-SEC. Ryan Gridley joined Rooker as a first-team selection.
Jake Mangum was voted Second Team All-SEC in addition to finding his name on the All-Defensive Team.
Rooker is the first MSU player to ever be named SEC Player of the Year, while he is the second Diamond Dawg first baseman in as many seasons to be named First Team All-SEC after Nathaniel Lowe earned the honor in 2016.
The junior from Germantown, Tennessee has hit at a .415 clip with 85 hits, a school-record and NCAA-leading 28 doubles, 20 home runs and 73 RBIs. He leads the conference in 10 offensive categories and his batting average currently ranks second in the nation.
Gridley became the first Bulldog shortstop since Thomas Berkery in 2006 to be named First Team All-SEC and the third shortstop to be named to the first team under Andy Cannnizaro in as many seasons.
The Milton, Georgia native has tallied career-best numbers in his junior season for the Bulldogs, hitting .326 at the plate with 73 hits, 12 doubles, six homers and 38 RBIs.
Mangum has now been named All-SEC for the second time in as many seasons (First Team in 2016), along with being the first Diamond Dawg named to the SEC All-Defensive Team since Brett Pirtle in 2014. Mangum also became the first MSU outfielder to be named to the All-Defensive Team since Hunter Renfroe in 2013.
After winning the SEC batting title as a true freshman in 2016, Mangum's season has hardly been a sophomore slump. The Pearl, Mississippi product is second on the team with a .330 average at the dish with 77 hits, 15 of those hits being doubles, to go along with 23 RBIs. Mangum has anchored the center field spot for the Diamond Dawgs with a .984 fielding percentage and only two errors on the year.
Gridley, Mangum, Rooker and the rest of the Diamond Dawgs will be back in action on Tuesday to open their SEC Tournament run with an 8 p.m. CT first pitch vs. Georgia on SEC Network.
For more information on the MSU baseball program, follow the program on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateBB." You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap."
Having produced one of the most impressive offensive regular seasons in Southeastern Conference history, MSU's Brent Rooker was named SEC Player of the Year in addition to being named First Team All-SEC. Ryan Gridley joined Rooker as a first-team selection.
Jake Mangum was voted Second Team All-SEC in addition to finding his name on the All-Defensive Team.
Rooker is the first MSU player to ever be named SEC Player of the Year, while he is the second Diamond Dawg first baseman in as many seasons to be named First Team All-SEC after Nathaniel Lowe earned the honor in 2016.
The junior from Germantown, Tennessee has hit at a .415 clip with 85 hits, a school-record and NCAA-leading 28 doubles, 20 home runs and 73 RBIs. He leads the conference in 10 offensive categories and his batting average currently ranks second in the nation.
Gridley became the first Bulldog shortstop since Thomas Berkery in 2006 to be named First Team All-SEC and the third shortstop to be named to the first team under Andy Cannnizaro in as many seasons.
The Milton, Georgia native has tallied career-best numbers in his junior season for the Bulldogs, hitting .326 at the plate with 73 hits, 12 doubles, six homers and 38 RBIs.
Mangum has now been named All-SEC for the second time in as many seasons (First Team in 2016), along with being the first Diamond Dawg named to the SEC All-Defensive Team since Brett Pirtle in 2014. Mangum also became the first MSU outfielder to be named to the All-Defensive Team since Hunter Renfroe in 2013.
After winning the SEC batting title as a true freshman in 2016, Mangum's season has hardly been a sophomore slump. The Pearl, Mississippi product is second on the team with a .330 average at the dish with 77 hits, 15 of those hits being doubles, to go along with 23 RBIs. Mangum has anchored the center field spot for the Diamond Dawgs with a .984 fielding percentage and only two errors on the year.
Gridley, Mangum, Rooker and the rest of the Diamond Dawgs will be back in action on Tuesday to open their SEC Tournament run with an 8 p.m. CT first pitch vs. Georgia on SEC Network.
For more information on the MSU baseball program, follow the program on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateBB." You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for "HailStateSnap."
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