C Spire Ferriss Trophy candidates emerge in banner season

The 2016 C Spire Ferriss Trophy will be awarded May 23 at a luncheon at the Cleveland Country Club.
The Ferriss  Trophy, named for Mississippi and Major League baseball legend Boo Ferriss, goes annually to the state’s most outstanding college baseball player. Unlike the other C Spire most outstanding player awards, the media is not involved in the voting, which is done primarily by Major League Baseball scouts and college coaches, with fan voting accounting for 10 percent of the final tally.
In this 2016 season of so much achievement by Mississippi’s college teams, plenty of candidates for the C Spire Ferris have emerged, including these on the Ferriss Trophy watch list compiled by Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame historian Rick Cleveland with help from scouts and coaches.
In alphabetical order:
• Brady Bramlett, Ole Miss, Jr., RHP: Rebels’ Friday night ace has a 6-2 record with 72 strikeouts and 17 walks in 58.2 innings. His earned run average is 2.61 and teams are hitting. 230 against him.
•Adrian Brown, William Carey, JR. OF: Hitting .393 with 15 doubles, two triples, three home runs and 44 runs batted in. Has stolen 24 bases in 27 attempts.
• Cornelius Copeland, Jackson State, Jr. INF: Hitting .450 with 26 doubles and four home runs. Slugging percentage of .650 and five stolen bases.
• Terrell Hodges, Belhaven,Jr., OF: Led the Blazers with a .397 batting average and 30 stolen bases in 37 attempts. Hit four doubles, three triples, seven home runs and had a slugging percentage of .651.
• Dakota Hudson, Mississippi State, Jr. RHP: State’s Friday night ace has a 6-3 record, a 3.00 earned run average and has struck out 74 and walked 26 in 72 innings. Opponents are hitting .247 against him.
• Reid Humphreys, Mississippi State, Jr. OF, INF, RHP: Versatile athlete who hits .336 with 15 doubles, two triples and four homers. Leads the Bulldogs with 39 runs batted in and a slugging percentage of .557. On the mound, he leads ‘Dogs with five saves. Has 19 strikeouts, compared to five walks, in 16.2 innings.
• Tim Lynch, Southern Miss, Sr., 1B: Hits .345 with nine doubles and eight home runs and a team leading 47 runs batted in. Has a slugging percentage of .531.
• Jake Mangum, Mississippi State, Fr. OF: Leads team and ranks second in the SEC in hitting with a .416 average. Has six doubles, three triples and one home run and an on base percentage of .471.
• Will Robertson, Delta State, Sr., OF: Leads Gulf South Conference in hitting at .457 with 27 doubles and eight home runs. Has batted in 69 runs and has a slugging percentage of .729.
• Jake Sandlin, Southern Miss, Sr., OF: Leads Southern Miss in hitting and is fourth in league with a .382 average with 20 doubles, three triples and three home runs. Perfect fielding percentage with three assists from CF.
• Wyatt Short, Ole Miss, Jr. LHP: Rebels’ closer leads the team in saves with seven with a 2.17 ERA. Has struck out 23 and walked five in 29 innings. Opponents batting .239 against him.
• J.B. Woodman, Ole Miss, Jr., OF: Hitting .329 with 11 doubles and a team-leading eight home runs. Has knocked in 38 runs and has a slugging percentage of .543. Has nine assists from the outfield.
Tickets to the awards luncheon are going fast. To order, call 601 982-8264 or click here.