Mississippi State baseball will be in search of a new starting third baseman next season after sophomore Slate Alford entered the transfer portal Monday night, according to D1baseball.com.
Alford, who played two years at MSU, started 40 games in 2023 for the Bulldogs and appeared in five more, batting .248 with 39 hits, nine home runs and 36 RBIs, all of which are career highs. He took a step back in the field, however, committing 13 errors, up from just one his freshman season. His fielding percentage slumped to .835, prompting head coach Chris Lemonis to look for an upgrade at the hot corner.
Alford became the sixth Bulldog to enter the portal since MSU’s season came to an end with a 15-10 loss to Texas A&M May 20 at Dudy Noble Field, which clinched the program’s second consecutive missed postseason.
Along with Alford, shortstop Lane Forsythe, backup catchers Bryce Hubbard and Ryan Williams, first baseman Von Seibert and reliever Graham Yntema have also departed the program.
Forysthe, who started 130 games in three seasons at MSU, is the only other major contributor to leave the program.
Hubbard and Williams, true freshmen, and Yntema, a transfer from Lawson State Community College, spent one year with MSU, while Seibert, a transfer from Pearl River Community College, made just six at-bats in his second season with the program.
MSU has grabbed one player out of the portal in left-handed Division II pitcher Nate Lamb, out of Young Harris College. Lamb posted a 3.53 ERA over 89 1/3 innings last season.
Justin Frommer is the Mississippi State sports reporter for The Dispatch.
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