Last season, Brent Rooker was a Golden Spikes Award Finalist.
Mangum, Pilkington Placed On USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List
February 08, 2018 | Baseball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Having been named to multiple Preseason All-America teams thus far, Mississippi State juniors Jake Mangum and Konnor Pilkington also find themselves on the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List, USA Baseball announced Friday morning.
The preseason watch list features 55 of the nation's top amateur players, from high school and college baseball. The Golden Spikes Award Advisory Board will maintain a rolling list of players, allowing athletes to play themselves into consideration for the award throughout the season.
The duo have combined for a total of seven Preseason All-American honors heading into Opening Day (Pilkington with five and Mangum with three), while State as a whole has amassed eight.
The Diamond Dawgs have so for been ranked in all six major preseason top 25 polls. MSU is ranked No. 12 by D1 Baseball, No. 13 by Collegiate Baseball, No. 15 by USA Today, No. 17 by NCBWA, No. 23 by Baseball America and No. 25 by Perfect Game.
Ranked the No. 12 overall prospect for the 2018 MLB Draft, Pilkington is coming off a sophomore season in which he posted a 3.08 ERA and an 8-5 record in a team-high 17 starts and 108.0 innings pitched. This summer, the Hurley, Miss. native pitched for the USA Collegiate National Team, where he collected a 2.65 ERA and held opponents to a .183 batting average in five appearances.
A 2017 MLB Draft pick, Mangum elected to return to MSU for another year in the Maroon and White. Mangum received SEC All-Defensive Team and All-SEC Second Team honors following his sophomore season in 2017. Having notched 174 hits through his first two seasons, Mangum only trails Rafael Palmeiro (193) for the most hits in program history through the first two seasons of a career.
Starting on March 26 and ending April 1, fans will be able to nominate their favorite players for the Golden Spikes Award prior to the reveal of the midseason watch list on April 10. The semifinalists list will be sent to a voting body consisting baseball media members, select professional baseball personnel, current USA Baseball staff and the 40 previous winners of the award, representing a group of more than 200 voters.
Fans can meet Mangum, Pilkington and the rest of the 2018 Diamond Dawgs prior to Opening Day at a pair of free events on MSU's campus. Fan Day is set for Sunday, Feb. 11, while Cowbell Yell will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 13.
For more information on the Diamond Dawg 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."
2018 Mississippi State Preseason Honors
Jake Mangum – OF
- Third Team Preseason All-American (D1 Baseball, NCBWA, Perfect Game)
- First Team Preseason All-SEC
- USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List
Konnor Pilkington – SP
- Second Team Preseason All-American (Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA, Perfect Game)
- Third Team Preseason All-American (D1 Baseball)
- USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List
Spencer Price – RP
- Third Team Preseason All-American (Collegiate Baseball)
The preseason watch list features 55 of the nation's top amateur players, from high school and college baseball. The Golden Spikes Award Advisory Board will maintain a rolling list of players, allowing athletes to play themselves into consideration for the award throughout the season.
The duo have combined for a total of seven Preseason All-American honors heading into Opening Day (Pilkington with five and Mangum with three), while State as a whole has amassed eight.
The Diamond Dawgs have so for been ranked in all six major preseason top 25 polls. MSU is ranked No. 12 by D1 Baseball, No. 13 by Collegiate Baseball, No. 15 by USA Today, No. 17 by NCBWA, No. 23 by Baseball America and No. 25 by Perfect Game.
Ranked the No. 12 overall prospect for the 2018 MLB Draft, Pilkington is coming off a sophomore season in which he posted a 3.08 ERA and an 8-5 record in a team-high 17 starts and 108.0 innings pitched. This summer, the Hurley, Miss. native pitched for the USA Collegiate National Team, where he collected a 2.65 ERA and held opponents to a .183 batting average in five appearances.
A 2017 MLB Draft pick, Mangum elected to return to MSU for another year in the Maroon and White. Mangum received SEC All-Defensive Team and All-SEC Second Team honors following his sophomore season in 2017. Having notched 174 hits through his first two seasons, Mangum only trails Rafael Palmeiro (193) for the most hits in program history through the first two seasons of a career.
Starting on March 26 and ending April 1, fans will be able to nominate their favorite players for the Golden Spikes Award prior to the reveal of the midseason watch list on April 10. The semifinalists list will be sent to a voting body consisting baseball media members, select professional baseball personnel, current USA Baseball staff and the 40 previous winners of the award, representing a group of more than 200 voters.
Fans can meet Mangum, Pilkington and the rest of the 2018 Diamond Dawgs prior to Opening Day at a pair of free events on MSU's campus. Fan Day is set for Sunday, Feb. 11, while Cowbell Yell will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 13.
For more information on the Diamond Dawg 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."
2018 Mississippi State Preseason Honors
Jake Mangum – OF
- Third Team Preseason All-American (D1 Baseball, NCBWA, Perfect Game)
- First Team Preseason All-SEC
- USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List
Konnor Pilkington – SP
- Second Team Preseason All-American (Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA, Perfect Game)
- Third Team Preseason All-American (D1 Baseball)
- USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List
Spencer Price – RP
- Third Team Preseason All-American (Collegiate Baseball)
Players Mentioned
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