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Players from three different schools bid to be Magnolia State’s top college baseball player; winner will be announced at May 23 Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame awards luncheon

Jackson, Miss., (May 16, 2016) – Three slugging outfielders, one pitcher and another player who pitches, hits and plays a number of positions are among the five finalists for the 2016 C Spire Ferriss Trophy, which honors the top college baseball player in Mississippi. The award will be presented at a luncheon Monday at the Cleveland Country Club.

Chosen by Major League Baseball scouts, who cover Mississippi, and by Mississippi's college baseball coaches, the finalists include three Mississippi State players and one each from Ole Miss and Delta State. The finalist include Delta State's Will Robertson, Ole Miss's J.B. Woodman and Dakota Hudson, Reid Humphreys and Jake Mangum, all of Mississippi State.

The scouts and coaches, whose votes count for 90 percent of the total, will make their choice this week from among the five finalists. Fan voting, which begins tomorrow at www.csopavoting.com and concludes on Sunday, will account for a weighted 10 percent of the final tally. The winner will be announced at the luncheon.

Southern Miss pitcher James McMahon won the 2015 C Spire Ferriss Trophy, which is named for Magnolia State baseball legend Boo Ferriss, a Boston Red Sox Hall of Famer and former Delta State coach.

The Ferriss Trophy will be a celebration of an amazing season of Mississippi baseball. Ole Miss, State and USM are all nationally ranked and in the running to host an NCAA Tournament Regional. Delta State won the Gulf South Conference championship and begins play this week in the NCAA Division II tournament.

Former Ole Miss standout and coach Jake Gibbs, who played for the New York Yankees, will be the featured speaker at the C Spire Ferriss Trophy luncheon.

The finalists, in alphabetical order, are:

• Dakota Hudson, Mississippi State pitcher, Jr., Dunlap, Tenn.: Friday night starter has an 8-3 record with an earned run average of 2.52. Struck out 91 batters and walked 27 over 89.1 innings. Opponents hit .240 against him.
• Reid Humphreys, Mississippi State OF, INF, P, Jr. Brandon: Hit .333 with 15 doubles, two triples, five home runs and 44 runs batted in. Had .547 slugging percentage and .419 on base percentage. Out of the bullpen, he was 0-1 in 15 appearances with 6.05 ERA. Struck out 25 and walked six over 19.1 innings.
• Jake Mangum, Mississippi State OF, Fr., Pearl: Ranks second in SEC with a .405 batting average with nine doubles, three triples and a home run. Slugging percentage of .519 and on base percentage of .460.
• Will Robertson, Delta State OF, Sr., Falkner: Hits for Gulf South Conference-leading.426 average with 27 doubles and eight home runs. Batted in 71 runs. Sports a .676 slugging percentage and a .492 on base percentage.
• J.B. Woodman, Ole Miss OF, Jr., Orlando, Fla.: Hits for .325 average with 11 doubles, and a team-leading 12 home runs and 47 runs batted in. Slugging percentage of .466. Nine assists from the outfield.

Tickets are $40 each and available by calling the MSHOF offices at 601.982.8264 or by going online at http://msfame.com/c-spire-ferriss-trophy/.

2016 marks the 21st anniversary of the Outstanding Player Awards Program. C Spire has served as title sponsor for 19 of those years since 1998. The Conerly Trophy in college football, the Howell Trophy in men’s college basketball, the Gillom Trophy in in women’s college basketball and the Ferriss Trophy in college baseball comprise the four elements of the C Spire Outstanding Player Award series jointly presented by the company and the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.