STARKVILLE — It was arguably the biggest day in in the young life of Jake Mangum. But you wouldn’t know it by looking at him.
He sat patiently in the Mississippi State baseball office Monday afternoon waiting for media to trickle in to talk to him after picking up several prestigious awards. He was fresh out of practice and sat in a t-shirt, shorts and socks, a far cry from the suit and tie he wore at the Cleveland Country Club earlier in the day. After looking at his phone, he engaged with a few of the media members on hand to shoot the breeze.
When he was finally thrust in front of the cameras and asked about the awards, the first seven words out of his mouth summed up his entire attitude.
“We’ve got a game to worry about,” Mangum said.
In the morning, Mangum won the 2016 C Spire Ferriss Trophy, given to the best college baseball player in the state of Mississippi. In the afternoon, he was named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year, earned All-SEC first team honors and All-SEC Freshman honors. Mangum and No. 2 MSU (40-14-1) plays the winner of eighth-seeded Kentucky (32-24) and ninth-seeded Alabama (31-24) at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday (SEC Network) at the SEC tournament in Hoover, Alabama.
MSU is the top seed in the 12-team tournament, which begins with four games today.
Mangum, who began his career 0-for-8, doesn’t look at his individual accomplishments as an individual honor. Instead, he believes it’s the ones around him that deserve all the credit, an example of his humility.
“The award, I would have never have gotten if it wasn’t for my teammates,” Mangum said. “It never would have happened if it weren’t for the veterans on the team that helped me prepare to where I am today.”
Mangum, who becomes the first Bulldog to win the SEC Freshman of the Year and the first freshman to win the Ferriss Trophy, leads the SEC and is third nationally with a .427 batting average. The outfielder is second on the team with 73 hits.
Although the Pearl native just finished his first year of college, he seems to be wise beyond his years. Assistant coach Nick Mingione said that is a product of Mangum’s National Football League-playing father, John, and the way he was raised.
But the selfless attitude Mangum has every day, has impressed the coaches.
“I know how much he cares about Mississippi State in general and he really cares about our team,” Mingione said, who recruited Mangum. “That’s exciting. I know where his heart is. There’s no doubt he’s a guy that cares about Mississippi State first.”
Although he didn’t show much emotion talking to reporters, you can sense a passion for the sport of baseball and for the MSU program. He shows that every day on the field.
While helping the Bulldogs win an outright SEC regular season championship Saturday with a 9-4 victory over Arkansas, Mangum showed all sorts of emotion. Scoring on a Jacob Robson sacrifice fly out to center field to tie the game at 2 in the second inning, the former Jackson Prep standout crossed home plate clapping his hands and eventually gave a fist pump as the Bulldog fans came to life.
Mingione, the coaching staff and the team have come to accept that as normal from Mangum.
“Being able to compete is something that’s really important and that’s just who he is,” Mingione said. “Early in the year he gets on first baseman and he’s jumping up in the air. Most people are like, ‘Dude, you’re just safe on a single.’ But that’s who he is, he’s being Jake Mangum.”
Junior right-handed pitcher Dakota Hudson said they feed off of Mangum’s “youthful energy” and it has made the team that much better.
Mangum beat out teammates Hudson and Reid Humphreys and Ole Miss’ J.B. Woodman and Delta State’s Will Robertson to win the Ferriss Trophy, which is named after former Bulldog pitcher Dave M. “Boo” Ferriss. Hudson was happy to see Mangum win and respects the humility that Mangum has shown.
“I feel like it’s an internal confidence. He’s not going to tell you about it but he’s going to do it and be himself,” Hudson said.
Winning the SEC championship was just the first of many accomplishments that Mangum wants to see happen this season for MSU. With Mangum leading the way, MSU has a chance to accomplish those goals.
But Mangum feels like the altruistic trait extends even further than him.
“There is not one selfish person on this team,” Mangum said. “It really is a group of selfless guys who would do anything for each other and that aren’t worried about themselves.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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