STARKVILLE — Dakota Hudson and Jake Mangum are competing against each other even though they play for the same team.
The Mississippi State standouts are finalists for the Ferriss Trophy, which is given to the top college baseball player in the state of Mississippi. On Thursday, they had performances worthy of winning the award.
Hudson threw a complete-game shutout, while Mangum went 5-for-5 — his first five-hit game — in No. 3 MSU’s 7-0 victory against Arkansas in Game 1 of the three-game Southeastern Conference series at Dudy Noble Field.
“I don’t even know who I’m going to vote for because there are good candidates,” MSU coach John Cohen said.
Major League Baseball scouts and Mississippi college coaches will make up 90 percent of the final vote, while fans can vote online for the other 10 percent. Named for former Bulldog pitcher David M. “Boo” Ferriss, the trophy will be presented Monday at a luncheon at the Cleveland Country Club. MSU junior outfielder Reid Humphreys, Ole Miss junior outfielder J.B. Woodman, and Delta State senior outfielder Will Robertson also are up for the award.
The finalists were announced Monday, but Hudson learned Thursday he was one of the finalists after receiving a group text message.
Mangum raised his batting average 18 points to a lead-leading .423 to help MSU (38-14-1, 19-9) keep pace with No. 2 Texas A&M atop the SEC’s Western Division. Texas A&M defeated No. 6 Ole Miss 6-1 on Thursday night in College Station, Texas.
While Mangum bolstered his batting average and closed Nathaniel Lowe’s lead on hits on the team to 76-69, Hudson lowered his ERA from 2.52 to 2.29. He allowed only five hits and two walks in a 120-pitch outing.
Mangum said Hudson is focused with the Bulldogs in search of a SEC championship and with the postseason looming.
“Dakota’s one of the best about not worrying about his surroundings,” Mangum said. “He’s worried about getting on the mound and having a quality start for us to let us win a ballgame. That’s why he’s Dakota Hudson.”
Hudson, Mangum, and Humphreys have played big roles in the Bulldogs’ maturation from a team that finished last in the league in 2015 to one that is fighting for a regular-season title with two games remaining before the SEC tournament next week in Hoover, Alabama. Hudson enjoys the competition and feels like that dynamic has made the team better.
“I feel like iron sharpens iron, so I feel like as we go, I feel like everybody’s trying to one up them,” Hudson said. “Just having that competitive nature between our team as well as just having fun with the game, I feel like is what’s making this team so good right now.”
Hudson (9-3) threw a complete-game shutout last Friday in a 4-0 victory against Auburn 4-0. He earned his third complete game of the season against Arkansas (26-27, 7-21) thanks in part of a 10-strikeout effort that raised his season total to 101, the most since Chris Stratton had 127 in 2012.
Hudson allowed a leadoff infield single to Carson Shaddy in the first inning, but Jack Kruger cut Shaddy down trying to steal second. Hudson induced a 6-4-3 double play to get out of the frame. His stretch of nine straight retired ended with a two-out infield single by Luke Bonfield in the fourth.
After getting two quick outs in the seventh, Hudson allowed a single to Clint Eagan, who moved to second on a wild pitch, and a single to Chad Spanberger. Humphreys hesitated throwing the ball back to the infield. When he did throw the ball, it skipped past third baseman Gavin Collins and Eagan broke for the plate. Kruger was there to collect it and throw to Hudson at home for the out.
After giving up a two-out walk to Bonfield in the ninth, Hudson knew Grant Koch was his last batter. He and Kruger talked about that fact when he fell behind Koch 2-0. Hudson regrouped to strike out Koch to seal the victory.
“He really just took the mound and took control of the ballgame,” Cohen said. “At the end, you start getting a little nervous about him being at 120 pitches because we’re going to need him down the stretch in postseason. But boy, he really wanted it. He was touching 94, 96 (mph) at the end, so we didn’t feel like he had lost anything.”
All five of Mangum’s hits were singles. The freshman received a standing ovation when he reached first base after his final hit in the eighth and when Michael Smith came in to run for him.
Mangum, who leads the SEC in batting average, said his approach is simple: see ball, hit ball.
“What Mangum does is pretty remarkable because his whole thing is he just doesn’t hit average fly balls and he doesn’t swing and miss,” Cohen said. “When you do those two things and you can really run and you’re always pressuring the defense, good things are going to happen.”
The Bulldogs, who have won nine in a row and 14 of their last 16, scored in the first when Brent Rooker drove home Mangum with a sacrifice fly out. They added three more in the third, highlighted by a Jacob Robson RBI infield single. MSU scored once in the fifth and twice in the sixth. Kruger and first baseman Nathaniel Lowe had two hits.
MSU will look to clinch the series at 6:30 p.m. today (SEC Network+). Junior right-hander Austin Sexton (6-2, 3.69 ERA) will get the start. Arkansas hadn’t announced a starter at press time.
Mangum said he, Hudson, and Humphreys aren’t worried about who will win the Ferriss Trophy. Instead, they are focused on doing what they can to help the Bulldogs win a championship. But the Pearl native is honored and humbled to be a finalist for the award, especially with the way MSU, Ole Miss, and Southern Mississippi have played. All three are in line to play host to a regional in the NCAA tournament.
“There’s so many people in this state that can make an argument to win it,” Mangum said. “There’s so many people who deserve that award. We have more than three that deserve the award. There are a lot of guys on this team who could easily be nominated, a lot of guys on other teams in the state.”
n In related news, Lowe, a junior first baseman, earned a spot Wednesday on the SEC Baseball Community Service Team.
In November, Lowe took part in the United We Feed food drive, helping gather food for those in need in the Starkville area.
The Marietta, Georgia, native also took part in the Eleuthera Mission Trip, in which he spent part of his Christmas break helping build houses for those in need. Lowe also shared his love for the game of baseball, teaching the sport to youth in the area.
Lowe, who is an active member of MSU’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes, has also been key in giving back to those who support Bulldog baseball. Lowe joined a number of his Diamond Dawg teammates in early February to deliver season tickets to MSU season ticket holders in the Starkville area. Lowe and his teammates also spent time meeting with MSU students prior to the start of the season during MSU Baseball’s annual Cowbell Yell.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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