Nate Lowe started at first base for the U.S. squad at the MLB All-Star Futures Game on Sunday, and drove in the contest's first run (Photo via Tampa Bay Rays)
#STATEtoTheShow Update - July 17
July 17, 2018 | Baseball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – A total of 33 former Mississippi State baseball players are now contributing as players, coaches and staff in professional baseball, five of which are currently playing in the Big Leagues.
Boston Red Sox first baseman Mitch Moreland is set to make his MLB All-Star game debut Tuesday night as a reserve on the American League roster. Moreland earned the spot after batting .278 with 11 home runs and 48 RBIs in the first half of the season. The Midsummer Classic begins at 7 p.m. CT from Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., and will be televised on FOX.
Former Diamond Dawgs Dakota Hudson and Nate Lowe were part of the All-Star festivities too, as they played as part of the U.S. team in the 2018 MLB All-Star Futures Game on Sunday, among the top talent in Minor League Baseball.
Batting cleanup, Lowe was responsible for the first run of the ballgame as he rocketed a single into center field to bring across a runner in the first inning.
Hudson entered the game as a reliever and tossed a perfect inning of relief, striking out a batter and inducing two groundouts.
With Moreland, Hudson and Lowe all in D.C. for the All-Star festivities, Mississippi State is the only college to produce players in both the 2018 MLB All-Star Game and Futures Game.
The Milwaukee Brewers recalled pitcher Brandon Woodruff on July 13 and he immediately made a difference. That night, Woodruff cranked his first career home run, a solo shot to deep right field at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. On the mound, Woodruff tossed 3.0 innings of shutout relief, striking out three and allowing just one hit.
Hunter Renfroe closed his first half of the season with a home run in each of his last two games. The Padres' right fielder crushed both over the center field wall to bring his season total to seven.
Jonathan Holder continues to dominate in the Yankees bullpen, boasting a 1.85 ERA and 0.82 WHIP over 33 appearances, while only allowing two earned runs since being recalled from Triple-A on April 21.
Two former Bulldogs benefited from recent ranking changes by MLB Pipeline. Lowe is now the No. 14 Tampa Bay Rays prospect, while Brent Rooker jumped to sixth among all first base prospects.
Rooker carried a 42-game on-base streak into Monday's second contest of a doubleheader with the Montgomery Biscuits, but it ended there. The streak was the longest in Minor League Baseball history since at least 2009, according to the Chattanooga Lookouts (Minnesota Twins). Rooker also sits tied for third in the Southern League with 15 home runs, and is tied for fourth with 53 RBIs.
Jacob Robson has not slowed down since joining the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers). Through fifteen games, Robson is batting .414 while collecting six doubles, three home runs and 10 RBIs to go along with a 1.185 OPS.
Reid Humphreys picked up his 20th save for the Single-A Lancaster JetHawks (Colorado Rockies) on Sunday. He leads the California League's next-best reliever by seven saves.
Six of the seven Diamond Dawgs taken in the 2018 MLB Draft have been assigned to their first pro teams, and a couple of them are already making noise.
In his professional debut on July 7, Hunter Stovall hit home runs in each of his first two at-bats to go 3-for-4 on the night with four RBIs. The next day, he collected four more hits and three RBIs. Overall, Stovall is batting .433 through seven games with the Grand Junction Rockies (Rookie-Colorado Rockies).
Meanwhile, Zach Neff has pitched well through five games for the Elizabethton Twins, the Rookie ball affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, allowing just a pair of runs through 7.1 innings and five appearances.
Diamond Dawg Pitchers Playing In MLB
Diamond Dawg Hitters Playing In MLB
Diamond Dawg Coaches In Pro Baseball
The Road To the Show (Hitters)
The Road To the Show (Pitchers)
*- on 60-day DL, MLB 40-man roster
Other Diamond Dawgs In Pro Baseball
Boston Red Sox first baseman Mitch Moreland is set to make his MLB All-Star game debut Tuesday night as a reserve on the American League roster. Moreland earned the spot after batting .278 with 11 home runs and 48 RBIs in the first half of the season. The Midsummer Classic begins at 7 p.m. CT from Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., and will be televised on FOX.
Former Diamond Dawgs Dakota Hudson and Nate Lowe were part of the All-Star festivities too, as they played as part of the U.S. team in the 2018 MLB All-Star Futures Game on Sunday, among the top talent in Minor League Baseball.
Batting cleanup, Lowe was responsible for the first run of the ballgame as he rocketed a single into center field to bring across a runner in the first inning.
Hudson entered the game as a reliever and tossed a perfect inning of relief, striking out a batter and inducing two groundouts.
With Moreland, Hudson and Lowe all in D.C. for the All-Star festivities, Mississippi State is the only college to produce players in both the 2018 MLB All-Star Game and Futures Game.
The Milwaukee Brewers recalled pitcher Brandon Woodruff on July 13 and he immediately made a difference. That night, Woodruff cranked his first career home run, a solo shot to deep right field at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. On the mound, Woodruff tossed 3.0 innings of shutout relief, striking out three and allowing just one hit.
Hunter Renfroe closed his first half of the season with a home run in each of his last two games. The Padres' right fielder crushed both over the center field wall to bring his season total to seven.
Jonathan Holder continues to dominate in the Yankees bullpen, boasting a 1.85 ERA and 0.82 WHIP over 33 appearances, while only allowing two earned runs since being recalled from Triple-A on April 21.
Two former Bulldogs benefited from recent ranking changes by MLB Pipeline. Lowe is now the No. 14 Tampa Bay Rays prospect, while Brent Rooker jumped to sixth among all first base prospects.
Rooker carried a 42-game on-base streak into Monday's second contest of a doubleheader with the Montgomery Biscuits, but it ended there. The streak was the longest in Minor League Baseball history since at least 2009, according to the Chattanooga Lookouts (Minnesota Twins). Rooker also sits tied for third in the Southern League with 15 home runs, and is tied for fourth with 53 RBIs.
Jacob Robson has not slowed down since joining the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens (Detroit Tigers). Through fifteen games, Robson is batting .414 while collecting six doubles, three home runs and 10 RBIs to go along with a 1.185 OPS.
Reid Humphreys picked up his 20th save for the Single-A Lancaster JetHawks (Colorado Rockies) on Sunday. He leads the California League's next-best reliever by seven saves.
Six of the seven Diamond Dawgs taken in the 2018 MLB Draft have been assigned to their first pro teams, and a couple of them are already making noise.
In his professional debut on July 7, Hunter Stovall hit home runs in each of his first two at-bats to go 3-for-4 on the night with four RBIs. The next day, he collected four more hits and three RBIs. Overall, Stovall is batting .433 through seven games with the Grand Junction Rockies (Rookie-Colorado Rockies).
Meanwhile, Zach Neff has pitched well through five games for the Elizabethton Twins, the Rookie ball affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, allowing just a pair of runs through 7.1 innings and five appearances.
Diamond Dawg Pitchers Playing In MLB
| NAME | ORGANIZATION | TEAM | LEVEL |
| Brandon Woodruff (2012-14) | Milwaukee | Brewers | MLB |
| Jonathan Holder (2010-13) | New York (AL) | Yankees | MLB |
| Jacob Lindgren (2012-14)* | Atlanta | Braves | MLB |
Diamond Dawg Hitters Playing In MLB
| NAME | ORGANIZATION | TEAM | LEVEL |
| Mitch Moreland (2005-07) | Boston | Red Sox | MLB |
| Hunter Renfroe (2011-13) | San Diego | Padres | MLB |
Diamond Dawg Coaches In Pro Baseball
| NAME | ORGANIZATION | TEAM | LEVEL |
| Travis Chapman (1997-00) | New York (AL) | Scranton | AAA |
| Buck Showalter (1977) | Baltimore | Orioles | MLB |
| Chris Maloney (1982-83) | Atlanta | Mississippi Braves | AA |
| Chris Young (2000-02) | Philadelphia | Phillies | MLB |
The Road To the Show (Hitters)
The Road To the Show (Pitchers)
| NAME | ORGANIZATION | TEAM | LEVEL |
| Jacob Billingsley (2014-18) | Houston | Tri-City | A |
| Ben Bracewell (2010-14) | Oakland | Nashville | AAA |
| Daniel Brown (2015-16) |
Milwaukee | Carolina | Class A |
| JP France (2018) | Houston | Tri-City | A |
| Kendall Graveman (2010-13) | Oakland | Nashville | AAA |
| Zac Houston (2014-16) | Detroit | Toledo | AAA |
| Dakota Hudson (2014-16) | St. Louis | Memphis | AAA |
| Reid Humphreys (2014-16) | Colorado | Lancaster | Class A |
| Evan Mitchell (2011-13) | Cincinnati | Louisville | AAA |
| Zach Neff (2018) | Minnesota | Elizabethton | Rookie |
| Konnor Pilkington (2016-18) | Chicago (AL) | TBD | TBD |
| Austin Sexton (2014-16) | St. Louis | Springfield | AA |
| Chris Stratton (2010-12) | San Francisco | Sacramento | AAA |
*- on 60-day DL, MLB 40-man roster
Other Diamond Dawgs In Pro Baseball
- Jeff Brantley – Cincinnati Reds Broadcaster
- Will Clark – San Francisco Giants Special Assistant
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
1B
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballBASEBALL | Brian O'Connor, Duke Stone & Vytas Valincius Lipscomb Postgame Press Conference - 5/29/26
Friday, May 29
BASEBALL | Mississippi State NCAA Starkville Regional Press Conference - 5/28/26
Thursday, May 28
BASEBALL | Bryce Chance & Ben Davis NCAA Starkville Regional Selection Press Conference - 5/25/26
Monday, May 25
BASEBALL | Brian O'Connor NCAA Starkville Regional Selection Press Conference - 5/25/26
Monday, May 25