STARKVILLE — After a standout first season on the mound for the Mississippi State baseball program, freshman JT Ginn was named co-National Freshman Pitcher of the Year and a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball Magazine on Wednesday.
Ginn is the first MSU player to be honored with a national freshman of the year honor, and the36th Freshman All-American in program history. Rafael Palmeiro was the first MSU rookie to earn the honor in 1983.
Ginn joins teammates Tanner Allen (2018), Rowdey Jordan (2018), Jake Mangum (2016), and Riley Self (2017) as Freshman All-Americans.
With a Freshman All-American in each of the last four seasons, this is the third time in program history that MSU has enjoyed a stretch of four-straight years with one of the nation’s top rookies. The program also had an honoree from 1986-89 and 2000-2003.
Ginn is the second player in program history to earn the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year award after posting an 8-4 record in the regular season. He joined Mangum as the only two MSU student-athletes to win the award, which was first handed out in 2000.
An SEC All-Freshman Team selection as well, Ginn has tied the MSU freshman record for victories in a season entering the NCAA tournament’s Starkville Super Regional. His total equals that of Paul Maholm (2001). In 80 1/3 innings, he has walked 18. Only 12 of the 69 hits he has allowed have gone for extra bases. He also has limited opponents to a .223 batting average.
Ginn is the second MSU freshman to eclipse the 100-strikeout mark. He accomplished the feat in his start versus LSU at the SEC tournament to join Eric DuBose (109; 1995) as the only rookies to reach the century mark. His 103 strikeouts ranks No. 18 overall on the program’s single-season charts.
Ole Miss’ Doug Nikhazy and Kevin Graham joined Ginn as Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-Americans.
For Nikhazy, the All-America nod adds to a growing list of accolades earned by the rookie out of Windermere, Florida. Nikhazy also was named Freshman All-SEC.
Graham, who is from O’Fallon, Missouri, enters the NCAA tournament’s Fayetteville Super Regional with 10 home runs and a .531 slugging percentage, which is good for second on the team.
Graham enters the super regionals with five home runs in his last 17 games, including one in the SEC tournament win victory against Arkansas and a pinch-hit home run in a victory against Clemson in the NCAA tournament’s Oxford Regional.
Ole Miss has had 22 Freshman All-Americans, including 10 in the last four seasons.
No. 12 national seed Ole Miss will take on No. 5 national seed Arkansas this weekend in the NCAA tournament’s Super Regionals in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
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