Trio of Diamond Dawgs Up For Multiple Honors
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Three Mississippi State baseball seniors have been named finalists for various national and statewide awards.
Fifth-year senior first baseman Wes Rea was named one of five finalists for the 12th annual C Spire Ferriss Trophy, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum announced Monday. In 27 Southeastern Conference games, Rea is hitting .315 with 20 RBIs, ranking in the top five in league-games only in walks (20) and on-base percentage (.456). Defensively, Rea has made just one error in 301 chances in conference games, recording an impressive .997 fielding percentage.
The award, which four other Bulldogs have won, is presented yearly to the most outstanding college baseball player in Mississippi. Rea was named a finalist in a decision made by pro scouts and college coaches, who comprise 90 percent of the final vote. Fan voting, which begins at 9 a.m. CT Tuesday at csopavoting.com, accounts for the remaining 10 percent. The winner will be announced May 18 in Jackson, Miss.
Off the field, redshirt senior left-handed pitcher Ross Mitchell was named a finalist for the 2015 Senior CLASS Award, Premier Sports Management announced recently. Mitchell is the first finalist in MSU baseball history for the national award, which recognizes those with notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. One of 10 finalists nationwide, Bulldog fans can vote once per day for Mitchell at seniorclassaward.com/vote.
In the classroom, senior infielder Seth Heck was named to the Capital One Academic All-District first team for District 6, the College Sports Information Directors of America announced this past Thursday. The reigning Southeastern Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year received his degree in business administration this past weekend and has earned a perfect 4.0 GPA every semester since arriving in Starkville. As a result of being named to the first team, Heck will now be added to the CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-American ballot.
The trio of seniors return to the diamond Thursday as they wrap up the regular season with a three-game series at Tennessee. For all-access coverage of the road trip, follow the team on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for “HailStateBB.” You can also find all-access coverage of the program on SnapChat by searching for “HailStateSnap.”