Cijntje and Stephen Taken On Day 1 of MLB Draft

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State pitchers Jurrangelo Cijntje and Khal Stephen heard their names called on the opening day of the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft, held on Sunday (July 14) in Fort Worth, Texas. This marks the fifth-straight season that MSU has had a student-athlete taken in the first two rounds.

Cijntje was the 15th-overall pick by the Seattle Mariners, while Stephen was the No. 59 overall pick in the second round by the Toronto Blue Jays.

In the MLB Draft, Mississippi State has heard 191 student-athletes names called at the event for a total of 232 draft picks overall.

Under head coach Chris Lemonis, Mississippi State has seen 31 student-athletes drafted in the MLB Draft, including six going in the first round. Lemonis also has 14 draft picks in the first five rounds during his MSU tenure.

Cijntje is the third Mississippi State player to be drafted by Seattle Mariners and the first since left-handed pitcher Tyler Whitney in 2010. Stephen is the sixth Mississippi State player to be drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays and the first since left-handed pitcher Chad Girodo in 2013.

Jurrangelo Cijntje | BHP | Pembroke Pines, Fla.
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 first season with the Diamond Dawgs in 2023, Cijntje appeared in 14 games while making 13 starts. He led the pitching staff in innings pitched (50.0) and strikeouts (63). He made his MSU debut against VMI when he pitched one inning of relief. He made his first start against ULM and recorded seven strikeouts in four innings of play. He tallied a season-best nine strikeouts against South Carolina (March 30). Following the season, Cijntje was named to the 2023 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll.

In his two seasons in the Maroon and White, Cijntje collected 11 wins and made 30 appearances on the mound. He pitched 140.2 innings on the in his career and tallied 176 punchouts. Opponents were limited to .221 batting average off Cijntje.

Prior to coming Starkville, Cijntje was drafted in the 18th round of the 2023 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers as a shortstop. He was a two-year letterman at Champagnat Catholic High School in Miami where he worked 81 innings for his high school career and posted a 2.32 ERA and struck out 166 batters. He was ranked as the best switch pitcher in the nation and the 34th overall prospect in the nation.

Khal Stephen | RHP | Williamsport, Ind.
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 D1 Baseball, 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 his first outing as a Diamond Dawg, Stephen was outstanding against Air Force. He punched out a career-high 11 and for that performance, his outing was selected as the Golden Spikes Award Week 1 Performance of the Week.

Following the 2023 season at Purdue, Stephen was named Third Team All-Big Ten after being the ace of the staff. He started Purdue's season, home and Big Ten openers and was recognized as the team's Pitcher of the Year. In his two years at Purdue, he appeared in 37 games and posted 10 wins. He pitched 109.2 innings and had 104 strikeouts.

Playing for Seeger High School, Stephen was named All-State in both football and baseball. He was a two-way standout and hit .541 with 26 extra-base hits and 40 RBIs while compiling a 1.35 ERA as a senior. He earned 11 varsity letters at Seeger High School.

The 2024 MLB Draft continues Monday (July 15) with rounds 3-10 starting at 1 p.m. CT on MLB.com.

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Mississippi State University Athletics

Cijntje and Stephen Taken On Day 1 of MLB Draft

Players Mentioned

Jurrangelo Cijntje

Khal Stephen

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