Jay Powell
Powell, Polk Honored By Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame
August 06, 2017 | Baseball
JACKSON, Miss. – On Saturday night at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame Induction banquet, former Mississippi State pitcher Jay Powell was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and former Diamond Dawg head coach Ron Polk was awarded with the "Rube Award" on Saturday night at the Jackson Convention Complex.
Powell is the 15th Diamond Dawg to join the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and is joined in the 2017 class by NFL coach Leslie Frazier, decorated sports writer Rick Cleveland, JSU Athletic Director Bob Braddy, Sr., running back Marcus Dupree and Ole Miss basketball player Eugenia Conner.
"I'd like to thank all of the staff and faculty at Mississippi State University and Ron Polk," Powell said during his induction speech. "He helped me mature not just as a baseball player, but as a young man and I'll always be grateful."
The sixth recipient of the "Rube", Polk joins previous winners Dave "Boo" Ferriss, Ben Puckett, Archie Manning, George Bryan and Governor William Winter.
"What an honor it is for me to be this year's recipient of The Rube Award," Polk said after receiving the honor. "I still consider Mississippi State my school and I still consider Starkville my home."
Powell played three seasons for the Bulldogs from 1991-93 and was a part of three 40-win NCAA Regional teams. In 1991, his first season at MSU, Powell earned Freshman All-America and All-Southeastern Conference honors after leading the team with a 1.28 ERA and 10 saves. Over his three years in Starkville, Powell notched 17 career saves, which is currently sixth all time in program history.
Following his stellar college career as a Diamond Dawg, Powell was selected 19th overall in the 1993 draft by the Baltimore Orioles. He went on to pitch 11 seasons, playing for five different teams from 1995-2005. Over those 11 years, Powell appeared in 512 games out of the bullpen and owned a 36-23 record with a 4.17 ERA and 22 saves. He also struck out 423 batters over 542.1 career innings pitched.
Polk was the head man 29 seasons in Starkville, completing two different stints of duty with the Maroon and White. Polk finishes a 35-year head coaching career with an overall record of 1,373-700-2 - good for 12th all-time on the NCAA Division I list for all-time victories. Polk led MSU to six of its seven College World Series appearances - the final of which came after the 2007 regular season.
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."
Powell is the 15th Diamond Dawg to join the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and is joined in the 2017 class by NFL coach Leslie Frazier, decorated sports writer Rick Cleveland, JSU Athletic Director Bob Braddy, Sr., running back Marcus Dupree and Ole Miss basketball player Eugenia Conner.
"I'd like to thank all of the staff and faculty at Mississippi State University and Ron Polk," Powell said during his induction speech. "He helped me mature not just as a baseball player, but as a young man and I'll always be grateful."
The sixth recipient of the "Rube", Polk joins previous winners Dave "Boo" Ferriss, Ben Puckett, Archie Manning, George Bryan and Governor William Winter.
"What an honor it is for me to be this year's recipient of The Rube Award," Polk said after receiving the honor. "I still consider Mississippi State my school and I still consider Starkville my home."
Powell played three seasons for the Bulldogs from 1991-93 and was a part of three 40-win NCAA Regional teams. In 1991, his first season at MSU, Powell earned Freshman All-America and All-Southeastern Conference honors after leading the team with a 1.28 ERA and 10 saves. Over his three years in Starkville, Powell notched 17 career saves, which is currently sixth all time in program history.
Following his stellar college career as a Diamond Dawg, Powell was selected 19th overall in the 1993 draft by the Baltimore Orioles. He went on to pitch 11 seasons, playing for five different teams from 1995-2005. Over those 11 years, Powell appeared in 512 games out of the bullpen and owned a 36-23 record with a 4.17 ERA and 22 saves. He also struck out 423 batters over 542.1 career innings pitched.
Polk was the head man 29 seasons in Starkville, completing two different stints of duty with the Maroon and White. Polk finishes a 35-year head coaching career with an overall record of 1,373-700-2 - good for 12th all-time on the NCAA Division I list for all-time victories. Polk led MSU to six of its seven College World Series appearances - the final of which came after the 2007 regular season.
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."
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