FILE - Mississippi State coach Zach Arnett protests an official's call during the second half of the team's NCAA college football game against Kentucky in Starkville, Miss., Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. Mississippi State fired coach Zach Arnett on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023, just 10 games into his first season on the job as the late Mike Leach's replacement.(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State had three players selected as All-Americans by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association on Wednesday.
Ambidextrous pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje and outfielder Dakota Jordan were tabbed as second team selections while righthander Khal Stephen was a third team player.
Jordan adds to a decorated trophy case in his two-year career at Mississippi State. As a sophomore this season, the Canton, Mississippi, product hit .354 with 20 home runs and 72 runs batted in. He broke out of a late-season slump to be the Bulldogs’ top hitter in the Charlottesville Regional.
Across two games against St. John’s and another two contests against host Virginia, Jordan collected three home runs and 10 hits. He is the No. 29 overall prospect in the upcoming MLB Draft, according to MLB.com.
The postseason honors for Cijntje and Stephen highlight an impressive improvement for MSU’s pitching staff in 2024. After owning the SEC’s worst ERA in 2023, the Bulldogs fired former pitching coach Scott Foxhall and hired Justin Parker as his replacement.
Mississippi State owned the SEC’s fourth-best ERA this year. Cijntje and Stephen were the main reason why.
Cijntje had a 3.67 ERA this season after owning an 8.10 ERA last year. He struck out 113 batters while walking 30 and had eight outings of at least six innings. Cijntje is the No. 31 prospect in the MLB Draft.
