STARKVILLE — This is the month Mississippi State University junior outfielder Hunter Renfroe will begin to accumulate individual honors.
The Bulldogs right fielder, who will be in the running for Southeastern Conference player of the year, was named by the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum as one of five finalists for the 2013 C Spire Ferriss Trophy Monday.
“I’d say Hunter Renfroe is maybe the most talented athlete I’ve ever coached at Mississippi State,” MSU coach John Cohen said. “He’s just one of those kids that if he goes 0 for 3 with three punch outs, he’ll still be in the lineup the next day. You can’t treat every kid like that but with him, it’s the right thing to do.”
The award is presented to the state’s most outstanding collegiate baseball player and named in honor of former Mississippi State and Boston Red Sox hall of fame pitcher and Delta State University coaching legend Dave “Boo” Ferriss.
This year’s recipient will be announced Monday, May 20 in Jackson, during an 11:15 a.m. luncheon at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. The other finalists for the award include Delta State pitcher John Branstetter, University Southern Mississippi pitcher Andrew Pierce and University of Mississippi catcher Stuart Turner and pitcher Bobby Wahl.
Renfroe sports a .390 batting average and leads the Southeastern Conference with 15 home runs (tied for fifth-most in the NCAA) and a .750 slugging percentage. He has compiled the third-highest batting average in the league and ranks third in the SEC with 51 RBI. He is among 60 semi-finalists for the 2013 Golden Spikes Award. Last weekend, Renfroe was ranked No. 13 in Baseball America’s Top 100 list of draft eligible players
“We’re talking about a young man that knows who he is, knows what his weaknesses are and is finally comfortable every single time he goes to the plate,” MSU coach John Cohen said. “When all those things line up, you start to see the kinds of things he’s doing in the best league in America, the Southeastern Conference.”
The Bulldog outfielder becomes the seventh Diamond Dog selected as a Ferriss Trophy finalist since the award’s inception in 2004. Renfroe joins past MSU finalists Brad Corley (2005), Thomas Berkery (2006), Ed Easley (2007), Connor Powers (2010), Jarrod Parks (2011) and Chris Stratton (2012). Berkery, Easley and Stratton won the award.
Renfroe, who is a high 2013 MLB Draft prospect, hit .364 with the Bethesda (Md.) Big Train and set Cal Ripken College Baseball League marks with 19 home runs and 57 RBI, was named by Perfect Game scouting as the top prospect in the Cal Ripken League.
MSU (37-15) hosts Oral Roberts (21-28) at 6:30 tonight.
Bulldogs pitching coach Butch Thompson is expected to turn Tuesday night’s game into a glorified bullpen session, with sophomore right-hander Trevor Fitts (0-0, 1.35) set to make 12th appearance and first career college start. Fitts has never had a relief appearance over two innings and will likely leave the mound tonight to allow for four or five arms to get work before a Southeastern Conference weekend series against the University of South Carolina. ORU is expected to send righty Gavin Glanz (1-3, 7.28) to the hill for his eighth start.
“I think it really hurt us that we didn’t get to play in the middle of the week,” Cohen said after losing a Saturday doubleheader at Ole Miss. “That is something from a preparation standpoint that really helps our kids stay sharp.”
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