2018 MSU Sports Hall Of Fame Class: Paul Maholm Honored

by Austin Coats, Student Assistant/Communications

Note: Every day this week, HailState.com will recognize a member of the 2018 Mississippi State Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2018. The class will be formally inducted at a gala Friday (Sept. 28) night at the The Mill Conference Center and recognized during the MSU-Florida football game Saturday (Sept. 29) in Davis Wade Stadium. Festivities get underway at 7 p.m. Friday and will include a cocktail reception, private autograph signing, seated dinner and awards ceremony. Tickets are available for purchase at msumclub.org for $100 per person. Proceeds benefit the MSU M-Club Alumni Association.

It might be easier to first remember the moments of raw power in Mississippi State baseball lore: Thunder and Lightning, Burke Masters' grand slam, Brent Rooker's triple crown, and, most recently, Elijah MacNamee's postseason walk-offs.

But it would be a shame to forget some of the great pitchers to take the mound at Dudy Noble Field, the guys who consistently set down lineups in a weekend start or came in late into a contest to seal another Bulldog victory.

Jonathan Holder, Jacob Lindgren, Dakota Hudson and Chris Stratton are all fresh in the minds of Bulldog baseball fans, as they have just started their careers in Major League Baseball. So, too, is Konnor Pilkington, who just finished his career ranked 10th among MSU pitchers all-time with 260 strikeouts.

All five pitched for State in at least one of the last seven years and looked up to the hurlers that came before them—the ones who did it all.

The 21st century is still young, but Bulldog baseball has racked up success since the turn of the century with three trips to the College World Series, 13 postseason berths and three SEC Tournament Championships.

In 2000, Paul Maholm declined an opportunity to sign with the Minnesota Twins fresh out of high school. Almost 19 years later, the dynamic southpaw will enter the Mississippi State Sports Hall of Fame after etching his name into the record books and setting the tone for success to come.

The rich tradition of the Diamond Dawgs continues," M-Club President Bill Maxey said. "Paul Maholm was our sole representative on the 2002 All-SEC team. He was All-SEC again in 2003, the same year he was the No. 8 pick in the MLB draft. For 10 years in the "Big Show", he made his living with a sinker, four-seam fastball, cut-fastball and a wicked change-up.

As a freshman, Maholm's 95 strikeouts over 102 innings pitched guided the Bulldogs to their fifth of seven SEC Tournament Championships and an appearance in an NCAA Super Regional.

As a sophomore in 2002, Maholm turned a dominant 10-3 record and 3.43 ERA into All-SEC honors.

In his last season, he became one of a handful of Bulldog pitchers to throw 100-plus strikeouts in a season (101), while boasting a 9-2 record and 2.73 ERA as MSU went 42-20-1.

All combined, Maholm ranks fourth all-time in strikeouts (273), as well as innings pitched (312). He is also tied as the fifth-winningest Mississippi State pitcher, tallying 27 wins in 46 appearances. Maholm led his team in wins and strikeouts all three of his seasons.

His stellar collegiate career caught the attention of the Pittsburgh Pirates, as the organization drafted him with the eighth overall pick in the 2013 MLB Draft. Maholm became the third-highest Bulldog ever drafted of MSU's 197 total selections to this day.

A little more than two years later, on August 30, 2015, Maholm announced himself to the baseball world with a debut that lasted eight shutout innings. He went on to post a 3-1 record in six starts the rest of the season.

Maholm pitched for four teams through 10 seasons in MLB from 2005-14, his best campaign coming in 2012 when he earned 13 wins and a 3.67 ERA with the Pirates and Chicago Cubs. His final MLB appearance came in August 2014 in a relief appearance for the Los Angeles Dodgers, his fourth team.

No, MSU did not make it to Omaha during the three seasons Maholm took the mound for the Maroon and White, so it might be harder to remember the greater highlights of his career. At the end of a season success is, for better or for worse, attributed almost exclusively to Omaha. That standard makes sense with a program as historically prominent as this one.

However, when looking at the players that have come through this storied program, Maholm sets the standard about as well as anyone. He did it all – he earned the conference and national awards, he etched his name high into the record books, he pitched in the big leagues.

For a baseball player, there's not much left to do.

This weekend's enshrinement will affirm Paul Maholm as one of the greatest to toe the rubber at Dudy Noble Field and as a trend-setter for Diamond Dawgs to come.

Mississippi State University Athletics

2018 MSU Sports Hall Of Fame Class: Paul Maholm Honored

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