
Diamond Dawgs Place Three on Academic All-District Team
May 16, 2023 | Baseball
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State baseball placed three student-athletes on the Collegiate Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team, which was announced Tuesday (May 16). Â
Â
The Diamond Dawgs are represented by Kellum Clark (OF), Bryce Chance (OF) and Cade Smith (P).
Â
Clark, an outfielder majoring in Kinesiology, earned 2022 SEC Academic Honor Roll last year. This season, he has appeared in 49 games while making 48 starts. Clark has the second-best batting average on the team, hitting .303 this season. His batting average jumps to .344 when playing Southeastern Conference opponents. He ranks third on the team in home runs (11) and hits (53). He is perfect on stolen bases this season with six and has driven in 28 runs. Â
Â
Chance, an outfielder majoring in Kinesiology, earned his first CSC Academic District honors. He has played 34 games for the Dawgs, making 27 starts. Chance is hitting .327 (32-for-98) on the season, with two home runs and 21 RBIs. Besides picking up hits, Chance has drawn 19 walks and holds an on-base percentage of .438. Over the first weekend of the year, Chance batted 7-for-12 (.583).
Â
Smith, a pitcher for the Dawgs, is majoring in Kinesiology and earned 2022 SEC Academic Honor Roll last season. He has pitched 38 innings, the fourth most on the team, making nine appearances with eight starts. He set his career-high in strikeouts on May 5 against Arkansas when he punched out eight. In his next outing, he limited the LSU Tigers to four hits while striking out seven. He is one of seven pitchers this season with 40 or more strikeouts.
Â
Mississippi State has seen 18 student-athletes earn 23 Academic All-American honors. Most recently, RJ Yeager was named First Team Academic All-American in 2022.
Â
The three athletes will now move on to a national vote to select three Academic All-America teams, which will be announced on June 7.
 Â
Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the baseball program. Fans can also follow the program on social media by searching 'HailStateBB' on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Â
Â
The Diamond Dawgs are represented by Kellum Clark (OF), Bryce Chance (OF) and Cade Smith (P).
Â
Clark, an outfielder majoring in Kinesiology, earned 2022 SEC Academic Honor Roll last year. This season, he has appeared in 49 games while making 48 starts. Clark has the second-best batting average on the team, hitting .303 this season. His batting average jumps to .344 when playing Southeastern Conference opponents. He ranks third on the team in home runs (11) and hits (53). He is perfect on stolen bases this season with six and has driven in 28 runs. Â
Â
Chance, an outfielder majoring in Kinesiology, earned his first CSC Academic District honors. He has played 34 games for the Dawgs, making 27 starts. Chance is hitting .327 (32-for-98) on the season, with two home runs and 21 RBIs. Besides picking up hits, Chance has drawn 19 walks and holds an on-base percentage of .438. Over the first weekend of the year, Chance batted 7-for-12 (.583).
Â
Smith, a pitcher for the Dawgs, is majoring in Kinesiology and earned 2022 SEC Academic Honor Roll last season. He has pitched 38 innings, the fourth most on the team, making nine appearances with eight starts. He set his career-high in strikeouts on May 5 against Arkansas when he punched out eight. In his next outing, he limited the LSU Tigers to four hits while striking out seven. He is one of seven pitchers this season with 40 or more strikeouts.
Â
Mississippi State has seen 18 student-athletes earn 23 Academic All-American honors. Most recently, RJ Yeager was named First Team Academic All-American in 2022.
Â
The three athletes will now move on to a national vote to select three Academic All-America teams, which will be announced on June 7.
 Â
Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the baseball program. Fans can also follow the program on social media by searching 'HailStateBB' on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Â
Players Mentioned
Dear Ol' State | Assistant Baseball Coach Matt Kirby | 9/2/2025
Tuesday, September 02
BASEBALL | Head Coach Brian O'Connor Welcome Event
Friday, June 06
BASEBALL | Mississippi State Head Coach Brian O'Connor Introductory Press Conference
Thursday, June 05
BASEBALL | Mississippi State AD Zac Selmon Meets Media After Introducing New Head Baseball Coach Brian O'Connor
Thursday, June 05