Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Diamond Dawgs Send Five to MLB Draft Combine
June 17, 2024 | Baseball
STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State University baseball team will be represented at the fourth annual MLB Draft Combine by pitchers Khal Stephen, Jurrangelo Cijntje and Nate Dohm, outfielder Dakota Jordan and infielder Hunter Hines. The event will be held from June 18-23 at Chase Field in Phoenix, the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
A total of 319 prospects have accepted invitations to the event, including 171 members of MLB Pipeline's Draft Top 200 and 22 of the first 30 prospects on that list. Among the 171 prospects ranked in the MLB Pipeline's Top 200 Draft prospect list, 82 of the top 100, 38 of the top 50, 13 of the top 20 and four of the top 10.
MLB Network will broadcast live from 1-6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, the first of two days of pro-style workouts. The telecast will include batting practice and infield/outfield drills for position players and bullpen sessions for pitchers, as well as analysis of the prospects and interviews with players and team executives.
In the Maroon and White, Stephen led the MSU pitching staff in wins (eight), innings pitched (96.0) and ERA (3.28). His 3.28 ERA is the fifth-best ERA in the SEC this season. He tied a career-high with an eight-inning outing against St. John's in the Charlottesville Regional. He finished second on the team with 107 strikeouts and was named First Team All-SEC and a Charlottesville All-Regional Team member. Along with being named to the All-SEC and All-Regional Teams, Stephen has been named Third Team All-American by the NCBWA and the ABCA/Rawlings.
Stephen was ranked in the top 10 in multiple SEC pitching categories this season. He pitched the most innings, had the fifth-best ERA, the sixth-most strikeouts, and the eighth-most wins by an SEC pitcher.
In 2024, Cijntje was dominating on the mound for the Diamond Dawgs. He was tied for the team lead in wins with eight and led the team in strikeouts with 113. He had four games this season in which he tallied double-digit strikeouts. He had a career-high 11 strikeouts at Vanderbilt. In the NCAA Tournament, he pitched a career-high seven innings against Virginia. In 90.2 innings, opponents hit .211 off Cijntje and posted an ERA of 3.67, the ninth-best ERA in the SEC.
Cijntje was named Second Team All-American by Perfect Game and NCBWA following the season.
During his junior season, Dohm was the Dawgs' opening-night starter and led the Diamond Dawgs' pitching throughout the non-conference slate. Dohm made eight appearances for the Maroon and White, six of which were starts. He pitched 29.1 innings and tallied 37 punchouts to only four walks.
During the 2024 season, he posted a 1.23 ERA and a 4-0 record while limiting opponents to only 23 hits. In his second start of the season, Dohm tallied ten strikeouts in 6.2 innings. Two starts later, he matched his strikeout total with another ten against Evansville.
Awards and honors followed Jordan throughout the 2024 season. He won the Ferriss Trophy for being the best collegiate player in the state of Mississippi, was a second-team All-SEC outfielder, was a 2024 Golden Spikes Award semifinalist, and was a 2024 Charlottesville All-Regional Team member. He was also named ABCA All-South Region and an NCBWA Second Team All-American.
Over the 2024 season at MSU, Jordan excelled for the Diamond Dawgs as he led the team in home runs (20) and RBIs (72). Jordan has the seventh-best batting average in the SEC, hitting .354. His 20 home runs are the eighth most in a single season at Mississippi State. He led the team with 26 multi-hit games and 21 multi-RBI games. He was the only Dawg to pick up a five-hit game this season. Jordan also led the team with a .671 slugging percentage and 85 hits.
In his third season in the Maroon and White, Hines started and played 63 games at first base. He finished second on the team with 16 home runs, his third straight season with 15 or more home runs. He drove in 56 runs, the second most on the team, and posted a .257 batting average. During the Charlottesville Regional, he hit .438 with one home run and seven RBIs and was named to the 2024 Charlottesville All-Regional Team.
During the 2023 season, Hines hit 22 home runs and was the first Diamond Dawg since Brent Rooker in 2017 to hit 20 or more homers in a single season. The 22 home runs during the 2023 season were the sixth most in a single season. He was a first Team All-SEC DH following the season and was a Ferriss Trophy Finalist. He finished hitting .297 on the season with 61 RBIs.
The Combine is less than a month before the 2024 MLB Draft, which is scheduled for July 14-16 in Fort Worth.
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 X, Facebook and Instagram.
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A total of 319 prospects have accepted invitations to the event, including 171 members of MLB Pipeline's Draft Top 200 and 22 of the first 30 prospects on that list. Among the 171 prospects ranked in the MLB Pipeline's Top 200 Draft prospect list, 82 of the top 100, 38 of the top 50, 13 of the top 20 and four of the top 10.
MLB Network will broadcast live from 1-6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, the first of two days of pro-style workouts. The telecast will include batting practice and infield/outfield drills for position players and bullpen sessions for pitchers, as well as analysis of the prospects and interviews with players and team executives.
In the Maroon and White, Stephen led the MSU pitching staff in wins (eight), innings pitched (96.0) and ERA (3.28). His 3.28 ERA is the fifth-best ERA in the SEC this season. He tied a career-high with an eight-inning outing against St. John's in the Charlottesville Regional. He finished second on the team with 107 strikeouts and was named First Team All-SEC and a Charlottesville All-Regional Team member. Along with being named to the All-SEC and All-Regional Teams, Stephen has been named Third Team All-American by the NCBWA and the ABCA/Rawlings.
Stephen was ranked in the top 10 in multiple SEC pitching categories this season. He pitched the most innings, had the fifth-best ERA, the sixth-most strikeouts, and the eighth-most wins by an SEC pitcher.
In 2024, Cijntje was dominating on the mound for the Diamond Dawgs. He was tied for the team lead in wins with eight and led the team in strikeouts with 113. He had four games this season in which he tallied double-digit strikeouts. He had a career-high 11 strikeouts at Vanderbilt. In the NCAA Tournament, he pitched a career-high seven innings against Virginia. In 90.2 innings, opponents hit .211 off Cijntje and posted an ERA of 3.67, the ninth-best ERA in the SEC.
Cijntje was named Second Team All-American by Perfect Game and NCBWA following the season.
During his junior season, Dohm was the Dawgs' opening-night starter and led the Diamond Dawgs' pitching throughout the non-conference slate. Dohm made eight appearances for the Maroon and White, six of which were starts. He pitched 29.1 innings and tallied 37 punchouts to only four walks.
During the 2024 season, he posted a 1.23 ERA and a 4-0 record while limiting opponents to only 23 hits. In his second start of the season, Dohm tallied ten strikeouts in 6.2 innings. Two starts later, he matched his strikeout total with another ten against Evansville.
Awards and honors followed Jordan throughout the 2024 season. He won the Ferriss Trophy for being the best collegiate player in the state of Mississippi, was a second-team All-SEC outfielder, was a 2024 Golden Spikes Award semifinalist, and was a 2024 Charlottesville All-Regional Team member. He was also named ABCA All-South Region and an NCBWA Second Team All-American.
Over the 2024 season at MSU, Jordan excelled for the Diamond Dawgs as he led the team in home runs (20) and RBIs (72). Jordan has the seventh-best batting average in the SEC, hitting .354. His 20 home runs are the eighth most in a single season at Mississippi State. He led the team with 26 multi-hit games and 21 multi-RBI games. He was the only Dawg to pick up a five-hit game this season. Jordan also led the team with a .671 slugging percentage and 85 hits.
In his third season in the Maroon and White, Hines started and played 63 games at first base. He finished second on the team with 16 home runs, his third straight season with 15 or more home runs. He drove in 56 runs, the second most on the team, and posted a .257 batting average. During the Charlottesville Regional, he hit .438 with one home run and seven RBIs and was named to the 2024 Charlottesville All-Regional Team.
During the 2023 season, Hines hit 22 home runs and was the first Diamond Dawg since Brent Rooker in 2017 to hit 20 or more homers in a single season. The 22 home runs during the 2023 season were the sixth most in a single season. He was a first Team All-SEC DH following the season and was a Ferriss Trophy Finalist. He finished hitting .297 on the season with 61 RBIs.
The Combine is less than a month before the 2024 MLB Draft, which is scheduled for July 14-16 in Fort Worth.
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 X, Facebook and Instagram.
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