BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Ole Miss baseball senior Mason Nichols has been named the 2024-25 Southeastern Conference Male H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the conference office.
He is the first Ole Miss baseball player in program history and the seventh Rebel athlete overall to win the award. Nichols is the first SEC baseball player since 2012 and just the seventh all-time to win the award.
Nichols has now been awarded the highest academic honor by the NCAA, the SEC, and the University of Mississippi after winning the university’s Taylor Medal and the NCAA’s Walter Byers Graduate Scholarship earlier this month.
Nichols has been a mainstay in the Rebels’ starting rotation this season, making a start in every weekend series so far. In 11 starts, he has posted a record of 3-1 while striking out 44 batters over 41.2 innings of work. On March 2, in a start against Wright State Nichols struck out a career-high 10 hitters and is one of only two Rebel pitchers to reach double-digit strikeouts in a game this season.
The Mississippi native has been with the Rebels for all four seasons of his career, appearing in 72 games to date, more than any other pitcher on staff. He was a key contributor for Ole Miss in 2022 when they won the College World Series, making 21 appearances as a freshman.
Nichols will graduate with a degree in biological sciences in May. A three-year team representative on Ole Miss’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Nichols’ community involvement has included volunteering at events for individuals with special needs, church activities for the elderly and team projects to give back to low-income families.
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