Five Diamond Dawgs Selected On The Final Day of MLB Draft

STARKVILLE – The Mississippi State Diamond Dawgs' saw five players get drafted on the final day of the 2024 Major League Draft, held on Tuesday (July 16). Over the three days of the 2024 MLB Draft, the Diamond Dawgs saw 11 players get selected, which was the most of any program this year and tied for the most picks in program history.

The first Diamond Dawg off the board on the final day was Tyson Hardin in the 12th round when the Milwaukee Brewers selected him. In the next round (13th), the Tampa Bay Rays drafted Connor Hujsak. Tyler Davis was the third MSU player off the board on the day when he went to the Kansas City Royals in the 15th round.

David Mershon and Cam Schuelke were the final two picks for the Diamond Dawgs. Mershon was an 18th-round draft pick by the Los Angeles Angels, while Schuelke was a 19th-round pick by the Cleveland Guardians.

The eight Bulldog pitchers selected in the 2024 MLB Draft are the most selected since 2019 when the Diamond Dawgs had seven selected in the single draft. The 11 players selected in this year's draft tie the most the program has had drafted in a draft. MSU also selected 11 players in 2016 and 2019.

On day one of the 2024 MLB Draft, Jurrangelo Cijntje was the No. 15 overall pick by the Seattle Mariners, and Khal Stephen was the No. 59 overall pick in the second round by the Toronto Blue Jays. Day two saw four Diamond Dawgs selected as Nate Dohm (3rd, pick 82), Dakota Jordan (4th, pick 116), Brooks Auger (6th, pick 190), and Colby Holcombe (9th, pick 277) were selected.

In the MLB Draft, Mississippi State has heard 200 student-athletes' names called at the event, for a total of 241 draft picks.

Under head coach Chris Lemonis, Mississippi State has seen 38 student-athletes drafted in the MLB Draft, including six first-rounders. Lemonis also has 16 draft picks in the first five rounds during his MSU tenure.

Hardin was the seventh Mississippi State player to be drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers and the first since 2019 when left-handed pitcher Ethan Small was selected. Hujsak was the eighth MSU player to be drafted by the Tampa Rays and the first since last season when they drafted Colton Ledbetter. Davis became the sixth Bulldog to be selected by the Kansas City Royals and the first since Eric Cerantola in 2021. Mershon is the fifth State player the Los Angeles Angels drafted and the first since Jack Kruger in 2016. Schuelke became the ninth Diamond Dawg selected by the Cleveland Guardians and the first since 2016 when they selected Gavin Collins.

Tyson Hardin | RHP | Dover, Fla.
One of the key arms for the Diamond Dawgs in 2024, Hardin made 25 appearances with two starts. His 25 appearances were the third most on the team. He posted three wins and the second most saves on the team with two. He pitched 36.1 innings and posted a 3.22 ERA with 36 strikeouts. Against Auburn on April 21, Hardin earned a win in the first game of the doubleheader before claiming his first career save in game two. In game two, he tallied a season-best five strikeouts.

In his first year as a Dawg, Hardin was a First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll honoree. He made 15 appearances for MSU, all of which came out of the bullpen. He pitched 19.2 innings on the season and tallied 25 strikeouts.

Over his two seasons in the Maroon and White, Hardin pitched in 40 games. He tallied 56 innings pitched and 61 strikeouts. Over those two years, he had three wins.

Prior to coming to Starkville, Hardin pitched two years at Daytona State College. He pitched a team-high 51.2 innings and 56 strikeouts as a sophomore. During the 2021 season, he was a NJCAA Third Team Academic All-American and the Team Pitcher of the Year. He played two seasons at Strawberry Crest HS and was a member of the 2019 State Championship Runner-up team.

Connor Hujsak | IF/OF | Goffstown, N.H.
During the 2024 season, Hujsak was named to the SEC All-Tournament team. He helped guide the Dawgs to two wins in Hoover, as he hit the walk-off homer to defeat Ole Miss and a go ahead single the next night to defeat Texas A&M.

Hujsak finished with the third best batting average on the team, hitting .325 on the season. His averaged jumped up to .387 in SEC games, the highest on the team. He finished third on the Diamond Dawgs in homers (9) and RBIs (49). Hujsak posted a .992 fielding percentage as he patrolled centerfield.

In his first season in Starkville, Hujsak appeared in 25 games while making six starts for the Dawgs. Hujsak came away with his first hit as a Dawg on Feb. 22 when he picked up an RBI double against ULM. He picked up ten hits on the season with five hits going for extra bases. Once he was on base, Hujsak stole five bases on the season.

Over his two years in Starkville, Hujsak appeared in 81 games, while making 59 starts, all coming in the outfield. He had a career batting average of .310 (75-for-242) with 30 hits going for extra bases. He drove in 58 runs, while scoring 58 runs.

Prior to joining the Diamond Dawgs, Hujsak was a member of VCU baseball program for two years. During the 2022 season, he was named to the Chapel Hill Regional All-Tournament Team, where he hit four home runs and helped VCU beat Georgia and No. 10 North Carolina. Hujsak helped guide VCU to an Atlantic 10 Championship. He appeared in 62 games, while making 61 starts and hit .289 on the season, while driving in 55 runs.

During his freshman season, Hujsak was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team as he appeared in 49 games. He led the team in triples with three and had 42 hits, 25 walks, 12 doubles, seven home runs and 35 RBIs.

Hujsak was named the New Hampshire Gatorade Player of the Year in 2020 when he played for Adam Lawrence at Goffstown High School.

Tyler Davis | LHP | Newport News, Va.
In his second season with the Diamond Dawgs, Davis posted career numbers. He made 28 appearances, all out of the pen. The 28 appearances were the second most for MSU this season. He pitched 35.1 innings on the season, while posting six wins. His sixth wins were the third most on the team. He also led the team with five saves. He had 41 strikeouts on the season and limited opponents to a .211 batting average.

In 2023, Davis made 14 appearances for the Dawgs, all coming out of the pen. He pitched 22.2 innings on the season, while posting a 1-0 record. He tallied 21 strikeouts on the season. He made his MSU debut on Feb. 18 against VMI. Over his 14 appearances, Davis limited opponents to two or less hits in ten games.

Over his two years in the Maroon and White, Davis appeared in 42 games, all out of the bullpen while posting a 7-1 record with five saves. He had an ERA of 5.28 in 58 innings pitched while striking out 62 batters.

Prior to joining the Diamond Dawgs, Davis played two years at VCU. He helped guide the Rams to an Atlantic 10 Championship in 2022. He appeared in 17 games, including 15 starts and compiled a record of 5-3 with an ERA of 3.60. Over the 60 innings he pitched, he had 63 strikeouts and limited hitters to a .210 average.

During his freshman season, Davis was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team. Coming out of the pen, Davis made 21 appearances and had a 9-2 record. He led VCU with nine wins and ranked second on the team with five saves. He pitched 53.2 innings, the most of any VCU reliever.

David Mershon | IF | Taylors, S.C.
Over his sophomore season as a Diamond Dawg, Mershon was a key piece for State at the plate and in the field, as he helped guide the Maroon and White back to the NCAA Tournament. The infielder made 58 starts - 43 at shortstop, 11 at second base and four at DH - while posting a .979 fielding percentage for the season.

Mershon led the team in stolen bases with 27 for the season, the fourth most in a single season in program history for Mississippi State. His 27 stolen bases were the second most in the SEC. At the plate, Mershon had 77 hits and 41 RBIs with a .347 batting average. He finished second on the team with 23 multi-hit games. He led the team in runs scored (60) and finished second in batting average and hits for the Diamond Dawgs in 2024.

He was a First Team All-SEC selection following the regular season. In the postseason, Mershon was named to the Charlottesville All-Regional Team.

Through his two years in the Maroon and White, Mershon has seen the plate 304 times and grabbed 100 hits, 61 walks and 46 RBIs for a .329 career batting average and has stolen 39 bases.

Before his time at MSU, Mershon helped guide Eastside High School to a state title in 2019 and 2022 and was named All-State in 2019, 2021 and 2022. He was a Diamond Prospect 4A Player of the Year and hit over .400 every year in high school.

Cam Schuelke | RHP | Dorr, Mich.
In his lone season at Mississippi State, Schuelke lead the team and the SEC in appearances with 32. In those 32 appearances, Schulke picked up five wins and pitched 47 innings. He tallied a strikeout per inning and limited opponents to hit .243. Besides picking up five wins, Schuelke picked up two saves, the second most on the team.

He pitched a season-high 4.2 innings against St. John's in the NCAA Charlottesville Regional. Against Memphis on April 23, he pitched four innings and struck out a season-best seven. Schuelke did not allow a run in 21 of his 32 appearances this season.

Prior to joining the Dawgs in 2024, Schuelke pitched for the College of Central Florida, and he helped lead the team to a 56-7 record and to the NJCAA Division I National Championship. He appeared in 32 games as a Patriot and had a 9-1 record with eight saves. He only allowed 34 hits in 60 innings pitched. He spent the 2022 season with Northwood University in Michigan and appeared in 19 games. He redshirted his first year of college at FGCU.

He played high school ball at Bryon Center and held numerous baseball honors, which included a selection to the West All-Star Team, a pair of All-Conference selections, an All-District nod and All-Region.

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.

Mississippi State University Athletics

Five Diamond Dawgs Selected On The Final Day of MLB Draft

Players Mentioned

Brooks Auger

Jurrangelo Cijntje

Tyler Davis

Nate Dohm

Tyson Hardin

Colby Holcombe

Connor Hujsak

Dakota Jordan

Colton Ledbetter

David Mershon

Cam Schuelke

Khal Stephen

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