STARKVILLE — Mississippi State baseball coach Chris Lemonis has added some more pitching help from the transfer portal to his roster.
Khal Stephen, a rising junior from Purdue, announced his intentions to join Mississippi State for next baseball season.
Stephen, an Indiana native, spent his first two college seasons with the Boilermakers, spending his freshman season as a reliever and then being named to the All-Big Ten Third Team as a starter last season.
In 14 appearances, Stephen pitched 76 innings,allowing 44 earned runs, 72 hits, 30 walks and striking out 66 batters to finish with a 5.21 earned run average, down from 8.29 his freshman year.
Stephen became the third starting pitching that MSU has added from the portal this season in an effort to improve the Southeastern Conference’s worst pitching staff, headlined by new pitching coach Justin Parker, who was hired away from South Carolina.
The Bulldogs have also brought in left-handed arm, Nate Lamb (Young Harris College) and Miami’s Karsonn Ligon. The Bulldogs have also added a pair of bats, including Pittsburgh catcher Johnny Long and Memphis third baseman Logan Kohler.
MSU saw a pair of pitchers leave its program this offseason in reliever Graham Yntema, who transferred to Mercer and starting pitcher Cade Smith, who was selected by the New York Yankees in this year’s MLB Draft. Shortstop Lane Forsythe (Oklahoma State), catchers Bryce Hubbard and Ryan Williams, infielder Von Seibert and third baseman Slate Alford (Georgia) have also left MSU for the transfer portal this offseason.
Justin Frommer is the Mississippi State sports reporter for The Dispatch.
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