After making the NCAA Tournament for the first time since winning the 2021 national championship, Mississippi State fell to Virginia in the Charlottesville Regional final.
The Bulldogs will need to replace most of their starting lineup and much of their pitching staff, making the transfer portal a key priority for head coach Chris Lemonis and company. The portal opened on June 3, the day after MSU’s season ended, and players must notify their school of their intention to enter the portal by July 2.
The Dispatch is tracking MSU players who have chosen to enter the portal as well as players the Bulldogs have added in the portal here.
Players joining Mississippi State in transfer portal
Gehrig Frei, infielder, North Alabama
Frei was the driving force in the Lions’ lineup in 2024, batting .320 with 15 home runs. He was 1-for-4 with a run scored during a game at Dudy Noble Field on May 14. A switch hitter, Frei was a redshirt sophomore this spring and has two years of eligibility remaining. He should be an impact bat for the Bulldogs.
Sawyer Reeves, shortstop, The Citadel
At The Citadel — Lemonis’ alma mater — Reeves batted .299 over three seasons and struck out just 22 times in 191 at-bats in 2024. The power numbers are nothing special (just nine career home runs), but Reeves was 10-for-11 on stolen base attempts. He should be another immediate impact bat in his long year of remaining eligibility.
Noah Sullivan, pitcher/infielder, South Carolina Upstate
The 2022 Big South Conference Freshman of the Year, Sullivan was a true two-way player in 2024. On the mound, he started 12 games with two relief appearances, compiling an impressive 8-1 record with a 4.88 ERA across 75 2/3 innings pitched. He also put up a .324/.453/.613 triple slash with 17 home runs and 56 RBI while walking more than he struck out.
Ace Reese, designated hitter, Houston
A member of the Big 12 All-Freshman Team in 2024, Reese slashed .278/.395/.506 with seven home runs and 34 RBI. He started the season strong, with an 11-game hitting streak that began in his third collegiate game, and has three years of eligibility remaining.
Jacob Pruitt, RHP, Indiana State
Pruitt started five games and pitched in relief eight times in 2024 for the Sycamores, going 3-2 with a 3.02 ERA in 41 2/3 innings. He was outstanding in his season debut against a good UConn team, pitching six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts, then struck out 11 in each of his next two outings. Pruitt will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Travis Smith, RHP, Kentucky
The Wildcats’ midweek starter for most of 2024, Smith did not pitch much down the stretch — just three one-inning appearances in May and June. He was solid as a redshirt freshman starter in 2023, with a 4.84 ERA in 48 1/3 innings, but tumbled to a 6.21 ERA this past spring. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
Chase Hungate, RHP, Virginia
Hungate spent his freshman year at Virginia Commonwealth before playing the last two seasons for the Cavaliers. He was one of Virginia’s more reliable relievers in 2024, with a 3.74 ERA in 30 appearances covering 53 innings. Hungate will not rack up huge strikeout totals but gets a lot of his outs on the ground.
Players leaving Mississippi State in transfer portal
Cole Cheatham, junior LHP
Cheatham was used almost exclusively for specific left-on-left matchups out of the bullpen this year, making nine appearances but pitching just 7 2/3 innings. He was unable to record an out in three of his outings but was called upon for more extended duty on May 5 against Alabama and on May 24 in the Southeastern Conference Tournament against Tennessee. Cheatham, a product of Ardmore, Alabama, finished 2024 with a 4.70 ERA and has one year of eligibility remaining.
Logan Forsythe, sophomore RHP
Forsythe appeared in seven games as a freshman and just six this past year, and did not pitch after April 16 in a midweek game against Alcorn State. His rough inning on April 2 against Central Arkansas, in which he allowed five runs, inflated his season ERA to 10.13, though he did strike out 11 batters in just 5 1/3 innings. Forsythe is from D’Iberville, Mississippi and has two years of eligibility remaining.
Jackson McKenzie, freshman UT
A two-way player, McKenzie appeared in 11 games as a freshman this spring with three starts, his last appearance coming on April 16. He tallied three hits, all singles, in 16 at-bats. The product of Pace, Florida, just outside of Pensacola, has three years of eligibility remaining.
Max Miller, sophomore LHP
Miller did not see any action as a freshman in 2023 and faced one batter in 2024, walking Evansville’s Mark Shallenberger on four pitches in the seventh inning on Mar. 10. Miller is from Vancleave, Mississippi — just off the Gulf coast — and has three years of eligibility remaining.
Jace Norton, freshman IF
Norton, from Auburn, Alabama, did not see the field in 2024 and thus still has all four years of eligibility remaining. Coming out of high school, he was the No. 4 shortstop and the No. 11 overall player in his class from Alabama.
Colby Holcombe, junior RHP
Holcombe was thought to be a candidate for the Friday starter role entering the 2024 season, but instead he made 12 appearances all in relief and had a 10.38 ERA. Opponents batted .302 against him, compared with .228 the year before, and he allowed seven home runs in just 21 2/3 innings. Holcombe appeared in just one game in conference play, a blowout loss at Ole Miss on Apr. 14.
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