STARKVILLE — Redshirt junior Ethan Small was named the National Pitcher of the Year by the College Baseball Foundation as a number of awards were shelled out to varying Mississippi State players Wednesday.
Small is the first Bulldog to receive the honor since its inception in 2009.
The SEC Pitcher of the Year, he is 10-2 with a 1.76 ERA in 17 starts and 102 innings this season.
Small boasted a 6-2 record and a 1.48 ERA in 10 starts against ranked opponents. He also sits No. 1 nationally with 168 strikeouts on the year — good for the No. 2 mark in MSU single-season history.
A first-round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers, Small became the 15th player in MSU history to be taken in the opening round of the MLB Draft earlier this month. He was the third MSU first round selection in the past four years — joining Brent Rooker (2017) and Dakota Hudson (2016).
Bulldogs coach Chris Lemonis said Tuesday Small will start the MSU’s College World Series opener against Auburn at 6:30 p.m. Sunday in Omaha, Nebraska.
Perfect Game also honored a number of MSU players Wednesday. The publication named Small a first team All-American, while senior Jake Mangum and sophomore Justin Foscue earned second and third team accolades, respectively.
Baseball America and the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper previously named the trio All-Americans as well.
In addition, Small, Mangum, Foscue and sophomore Tanner Allen earned American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings South All-Region first team status.
Junior Dustin Skelton was named to the second team.
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
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