One of five finalists will receive the 15th annual C Spire Ferriss Trophy.
Named in honor of the late MSU/Boston Red Sox star and Delta State coach Boo Ferriss, the award is presented to Mississippi’s top college baseball player each year. This year’s nominees are going to make it difficult for judges to choose only one.
“This year may be the toughest choices in the history of the event,” said Hall of Fame Executive Director Bill Blackwell. “With so many schools ranked nationally at all levels you know there must be great players throughout the state.”
Leading the way with two finalists is Southern Miss, and the full list of finalists can be seen below:
- Southern Miss RHP Nick Sandlin – the junior is undefeated with a 7-0 record on the season and holds a 1.15 ERA after 78.1 innings of work. He’s thrown two complete games and batters are hitting a lowly .148 against him. Sandlin has tossed 114 strikeouts and walked just 14 batters while only allowing 10 earned runs.
- Southern Miss 3B Luke Reynolds – the Golden Eagle offense leads C-USA and Reynolds is their best hitter. The junior is tied for the team lead in HRs (13), leads them in hits (68) and is second in RBIs (52).
- Delta State 1B Zack Shannon – Shannon has been nominated for the second straight year and the slugger has hit 29 home runs, which is good not only a school record but a Mississippi record for a single season – tied with MSU’s Rafael Palmeiro.
- Mississippi State OF Jake Mangum – The junior won the award in 2016 and hasn’t slowed down since. Mangum leads the Bulldogs in several offensive categories including a .342 batting average, and he leads the SEC with 76 hits and 19 doubles.
- Ole Miss OF Ryan Olenek – A model of consistency, the junior had a 23-game hitting streak that was recently snapped. During the 49-day span, Olenek hit .517 and struck out just 5 times, all while playing through a partially torn labrum. On the year, Olenek holds a .392 batting average.
Fans can help select the winner of the prestigious award by voting at www.csopavoting.com through noon on Saturday, May, 19th.
“This is a great opportunity for fans of each player to have a chance to influence the outcome of the vote,” Blackwell said. “C Spire gives everyone the opportunity to vote just like MLB does for their All-Star game.”
Tickets for the luncheon are on sale now online or at their offices located at 1152 Lakeland Drive in Jackson. Tables, half tables and individual tickets are available for the event that begins at 11:30. Mississippi Sports Hall of Famer, Jay Powell will be the guest speaker at the event.
