Lindgren and Mitchell Named Finalists For C Spire Ferriss Trophy
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Junior left-handed pitchers Jacob Lindgren and Ross Mitchell have been named two of the five finalists for the 11th annual C Spire Ferriss Trophy, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame announced Monday. The award is presented to the top collegiate baseball player in the state of Mississippi and is chosen by Mississippi college coaches, fans and professional scouts who cover Mississippi.
Fan voting will account for 10 percent of the final tally. Starting Tuesday, May 13 at 9 a.m., all Mississippi State baseball fans are encouraged to vote three times daily for their favorite MSU junior southpaw at csopavoting.com. The voting will end at 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 18.
On Monday, Perfect Game named Lindgren the 45th-best prospect in the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft, the only player from Mississippi in the top 50. The southpaw leads the country with 16.8 strikeouts per nine innings and is the only non-starter in the top 10 in the Southeastern Conference in strikeouts (T-3rd, 82).
Also a candidate for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award, Lindgren leads the team with a 1.02 ERA and a .125 opponent batting average, while owning a 4-1 record on the season. In SEC games only, the lefty ranks first in the SEC in ERA (0.60), opponent batting average (.115), fewest hits allowed (12), fewest runs allowed (4) and fewest earned runs allowed (2).
The Bay St. Louis, Miss., native is currently riding a streak of 14.1-consecutive innings without an earned run allowed, including 5.1 innings of shutout relief Sunday in a 4-3 victory against Tennessee. Lindgren tied a career-high in relief with eight strikeouts and no walks in his fourth victory of the season.
Mitchell joins Lindgren as a finalist one week after becoming one of two SEC pitchers this season (Aaron Nola, LSU) to be named SEC Pitcher of the Week three times in 2014. The Smyrna, Tenn., native currently leads the SEC in innings pitched (95.2), ranks fifth in the SEC in ERA (1.98), is tied for sixth in wins (7) and places 11th in opponent batting average (.215).
A 2014 preseason All-American by Louisville Slugger and the NCBWA, Mitchell has not allowed a run in his last 15.1 innings of work. The 2013 All-American and three-time SEC academic honor roll member enters the final weekend of the 2014 regular season with a 23-4 career record as well as a 1.66 career ERA.
Joining MSU’s southpaw duo are Tyler Akins from Belhaven University, Auston Bousfield from Ole Miss and Chris Ellis from Ole Miss.
State head coach John Cohen, Lindgren and Mitchell will attend the Ferriss Trophy awards luncheon on May 19 at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum beginning at 11:30.
Tickets ($35) to the luncheon are available by calling 601 982-8264 or by clicking HERE. Instead of a speaker, Mississippi State legend Boo Ferriss, the trophy's namesake, will do a Q and A with audience participation.
Previous C Spire Ferriss Trophy Winners
2013 – Hunter Renfroe (OF) Mississippi State
2012 – Chris Stratton (P) Mississippi State
2011 – Tyler Koelling (OF) Southern Miss
2010 – Drew Pomeranz (P) Ole Miss
2009 – Craig Westcott (IF/P) Belhaven University
2008 – Scott Bittle (P) Ole Miss
2007 – Ed Easley (C) Mississippi State
2006 – Thomas Berkery (IF) Mississippi State
2005 – Brian Pettway (OF) Ole Miss
2004 – Stephen Head (IF/P) Ole Miss