Mangum, Small Tabbed Ferriss Trophy Finalists
May 13, 2019 | Baseball
Bulldog duo has helped the program to a 42-10 overall record and an 18-9 mark in SEC play entering the final week of the regular season
STARKVILLE – With just four games remaining in the 2019 regular season, Mississippi State baseball student-athletes senior Jake Mangum and redshirt-junior Ethan Small were each tabbed as finalists for the C Spire Ferriss Trophy, which is presented annually to the top collegiate baseball player in the state of Mississippi.
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The Ferriss Trophy, first awarded in 2004, will be presented at a luncheon on Monday, May 20. The award is named after former Mississippi State and Boston Red Sox pitching great David M. "Boo" Ferriss. Former Mississippi State student-athlete and long-time Major League Baseball manager Buck Showalter will be the guest speaker at this year's event, hosted by the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.
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For more information or to purchase tickets, call the MSHOF offices at 601.982.8264, stop by at 1152 Lakeland Drive in Jackson or go online at http://msfame.com/c-spire-ferriss-trophy/.
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Major League scouts who cover Mississippi and Mississippi's college coaches, whose votes count for 90 percent of the total, will make their choice this week from the five finalists. Fan voting begins Tuesday at www.cspire.com/ferriss and concludes on Saturday and will account for a weighted 10 percent of the final tally. The winner will be announced at the luncheon.
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Mangum, a three-time finalist and 2016 award winner, is working on one of the finest seasons in MSU history to cap a historic career for the Maroon and White. Currently, he is No. 2 nationally with 93 hits, while he sits among the top 20 in the NCAA in batting average (16th; .401), doubles (13th; 20), runs scored (20th; 60) and toughest to strike out (5th; 15.5).
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With 93 hits on the season, Mangum has moved his career total to 368 hits over his 247 games played, which make him the Mississippi State and Southeastern Conference hits leader. In 2019, the Jackson, Mississippi native passed Jeffery Rae (335; 2004-07) for the MSU record and LSU's Eddy Furniss (352; 1995-97) for the SEC career record. He currently ranks tied for No. 8 on the NCAA's all-time list with 368 career hits, equaling the total of Stanford's John Gall (1997-2000), and is on pace to become the first MSU baseball student-athlete to post multiple 100-hit seasons.
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Small is enjoying his best season on the mound for Mississippi State, as he owns a 7-1 record and 1.73 ERA in 13 starts. His 132 strikeouts rank No. 2 nationally and are No. 6 on the MSU single-season list. His ERA ranks No. 12 nationally, while his 6.95 strikeout-to-walk ratio is No. 11 among Division I pitchers. The left-hander owns a 0.78 WHIP (Walks and hits per innings pitched), which sits No. 2 in the NCAA.
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On MSU's career charts, Small has pushed his name into the top 10 on the strikeouts list and is one of just six MSU pitchers to post multiple 100-plus strikeout seasons. With 274 career strikeouts, the Lexington, Tennessee native is No. 4 all-time and just 26 shy of becoming the third pitcher in school history to eclipse the 300-strikeout mark (Eric Dubose & Jeff Brantley).
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In the 15-year history of the award, six Diamond Dawgs have earned the C Spire Ferriss Trophy. Brent Rooker (2017), Mangum (2016), Hunter Renfroe (2012), Chris Stratton (2012), Ed Easley (2007) and Thomas Berkery (2006) have each walked away as Ferriss Trophy winners.
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The 2019 event marks just the third time in the history of the award that State has had multiple finalists. In 2014, Jacob Lindgren and Ross Mitchell were both finalists, while in 2016 the trio of Dakota Hudson, Reid Humphreys and Mangum all earned finalist honors.
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The Diamond Dawgs will close the regular season with four-straight home games at Dudy Noble Field, beginning with a midweek contest versus Louisiana Tech on Tuesday, May 14 at 6:30 p.m. Admission to the midweek contest of free, with the Salvation Army accepting donations to support the Ruston, Louisiana community to aid in recovery from the recent tornados that touched down in the area.
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The final weekend of the regular season will have the Diamond Dawgs hosting South Carolina in a three-game series that begins on Thursday, May 16. The series opener on Thursday, as well as the Friday, May 17 contest will begin at 6:30 p.m., while the series finale is slated for 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 18. On Thursday, the program will honor its graduates and Friday evening will be Senior Night for the six Bulldog seniors.
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The Ferriss Trophy, first awarded in 2004, will be presented at a luncheon on Monday, May 20. The award is named after former Mississippi State and Boston Red Sox pitching great David M. "Boo" Ferriss. Former Mississippi State student-athlete and long-time Major League Baseball manager Buck Showalter will be the guest speaker at this year's event, hosted by the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.
Â
For more information or to purchase tickets, call the MSHOF offices at 601.982.8264, stop by at 1152 Lakeland Drive in Jackson or go online at http://msfame.com/c-spire-ferriss-trophy/.
Â
Major League scouts who cover Mississippi and Mississippi's college coaches, whose votes count for 90 percent of the total, will make their choice this week from the five finalists. Fan voting begins Tuesday at www.cspire.com/ferriss and concludes on Saturday and will account for a weighted 10 percent of the final tally. The winner will be announced at the luncheon.
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Mangum, a three-time finalist and 2016 award winner, is working on one of the finest seasons in MSU history to cap a historic career for the Maroon and White. Currently, he is No. 2 nationally with 93 hits, while he sits among the top 20 in the NCAA in batting average (16th; .401), doubles (13th; 20), runs scored (20th; 60) and toughest to strike out (5th; 15.5).
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With 93 hits on the season, Mangum has moved his career total to 368 hits over his 247 games played, which make him the Mississippi State and Southeastern Conference hits leader. In 2019, the Jackson, Mississippi native passed Jeffery Rae (335; 2004-07) for the MSU record and LSU's Eddy Furniss (352; 1995-97) for the SEC career record. He currently ranks tied for No. 8 on the NCAA's all-time list with 368 career hits, equaling the total of Stanford's John Gall (1997-2000), and is on pace to become the first MSU baseball student-athlete to post multiple 100-hit seasons.
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Small is enjoying his best season on the mound for Mississippi State, as he owns a 7-1 record and 1.73 ERA in 13 starts. His 132 strikeouts rank No. 2 nationally and are No. 6 on the MSU single-season list. His ERA ranks No. 12 nationally, while his 6.95 strikeout-to-walk ratio is No. 11 among Division I pitchers. The left-hander owns a 0.78 WHIP (Walks and hits per innings pitched), which sits No. 2 in the NCAA.
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On MSU's career charts, Small has pushed his name into the top 10 on the strikeouts list and is one of just six MSU pitchers to post multiple 100-plus strikeout seasons. With 274 career strikeouts, the Lexington, Tennessee native is No. 4 all-time and just 26 shy of becoming the third pitcher in school history to eclipse the 300-strikeout mark (Eric Dubose & Jeff Brantley).
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In the 15-year history of the award, six Diamond Dawgs have earned the C Spire Ferriss Trophy. Brent Rooker (2017), Mangum (2016), Hunter Renfroe (2012), Chris Stratton (2012), Ed Easley (2007) and Thomas Berkery (2006) have each walked away as Ferriss Trophy winners.
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The 2019 event marks just the third time in the history of the award that State has had multiple finalists. In 2014, Jacob Lindgren and Ross Mitchell were both finalists, while in 2016 the trio of Dakota Hudson, Reid Humphreys and Mangum all earned finalist honors.
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The Diamond Dawgs will close the regular season with four-straight home games at Dudy Noble Field, beginning with a midweek contest versus Louisiana Tech on Tuesday, May 14 at 6:30 p.m. Admission to the midweek contest of free, with the Salvation Army accepting donations to support the Ruston, Louisiana community to aid in recovery from the recent tornados that touched down in the area.
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The final weekend of the regular season will have the Diamond Dawgs hosting South Carolina in a three-game series that begins on Thursday, May 16. The series opener on Thursday, as well as the Friday, May 17 contest will begin at 6:30 p.m., while the series finale is slated for 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 18. On Thursday, the program will honor its graduates and Friday evening will be Senior Night for the six Bulldog seniors.
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