Bulldogs Set Program Record With 11 Total MLB Draftees
June 11, 2016 | Baseball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – On the final day of this year's Major League Baseball Draft, the Mississippi State Bulldogs set another record during their historic 2016 season.
Seven Diamond Dawgs, six juniors and one redshirt sophomore, had their names called on Saturday, upping MSU's 2016 MLB Draft total to a program-record 11 draftees. The original record was nine players drafted in 1966.
MSU's total is also the third most in the NCAA this season, with Texas A&M leading the nation with 13 draft picks and Southern Cal in second with 12.
RHP Zac Houston was the first off the board on Saturday, as he went with the ninth pick of the day in the 11th round to the Detroit Tigers. 1B Nathaniel Lowe (Tampa Bay Rays) and 3B Gavin Collins (Cleveland Indians) followed in the 13th round with the 390th and 392nd picks, respectively.
Lefty Vance Tatum's name was called in the 18th round, as he became the first Bulldog since Jeremy Jackson in 1998 to be selected by the Kansas City Royals. Bulldog RHP Austin Sexton had his name called three picks later by St. Louis, joining fellow RHP Dakota Hudson, who was picked in the first round by the Cardinals on Thursday.
Jack Kruger and Brent Rooker rounded out the 2016 MLB Draft for the Bulldogs. MSU's starting catcher, Kruger was selected in the 20th round by the Los Angeles Angels, while DH/OF Rooker went to the Minnesota Twins in the 38th round.
Houston posted a spotless 6-0 record and owns a team-best 1.63 ERA in 2016. His emergence down the stretch has played a crucial part in MSU's postseason success, with a 2-0 record in 14 2/3 innings. Over that span the junior only allowed six hits and one run, while striking out 15.
Lowe led Mississippi State with 86 hits in 2016 and owned the team's second-best batting average at .354. The first-team All-SEC 1B drove in the second most runs on the team with 49 RBIs and also blasted a team-best 20 doubles. Lowe joins his brother Joshua in the Tampa Bay organization.
The driving force behind MSU's power in 2016, Collins was the Bulldogs' leading home run threat with 10 dingers. He rode an 18-game hit streak to the 2016 SEC Tournament, where he went 4 for 4 with a home run in the opening round to help the Bulldogs defeat Alabama. Collins was one of an impressive seven Diamond Dawgs to have a season batting average of .300 or better.
Tatum made 17 appearances for the Bulldogs, picking up 23 strikeouts while only walking seven. The southpaw picked up a save against No. 10 Oregon after recording two strikeouts.
One of State's aces for the 2016 season, Sexton started 16 games and posted an 8-3 record and a 3.67 ERA. Sexton helped guide the Bulldogs to a 2016 regular season SEC Championship with wins against No. 10 Oregon, No. 11 Ole Miss, No. 7 LSU and No. 24 Cal State Fullerton. He finished second on the team with 92 strikeouts.
Kruger led the 2016 Diamond Dawgs with a .558 slugging percentage, while his .350 batting average and 19 doubles were both good for second on the team. The junior college transfer picked up first-team All-SEC honors after a breakout 2016 campaign, and was named Louisville Slugger's National Player of the Week in February.
Rooker helped pave the way for State's explosive offense in 2016, leading the squad with 51 RBIs, 14 multi-RBI games and standing second with a .545 slugging percentage. Rooker has been one of State's top power hitters, as he's second on the team with nine homers. Rooker was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2016 Starkville Regional, as he batted .375, drove in four runs and hit two home runs, both in game one against Southeast Missouri.
The Bulldogs' seven draftees on Saturday comes a day after MSU had a trio of players taken on Friday, as Reid Humphreys (Colorado Rockies), Daniel Brown (Milwaukee Brewers) and Jacob Robson (Detroit Tigers) had their names called.
