News

Mississippi State’s Jake Mangum wins 2019 Senior CLASS Award® in Baseball

June 14, 2019

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (June 14, 2019) – All-American Mississippi State outfielder Jake Mangum has been selected as the 2019 Senior CLASS Award® winner in baseball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

“Winning the Senior CLASS Award means a lot to me, because coming back for my senior season was a hard decision. This just proves that it was the right one,” said Mangum, who became the SEC’s all-time hits leader this season, breaking LSU’s Eddy Furniss’ 21-year-old record of 352. “My four years at Mississippi State have been special to me. When I arrived, I didn’t really know how to handle all of the things that being a student-athlete throws at you, but I was lucky to be surrounded by great teammates and coaches. Our fan base, the university and our program have meant so much to me. I have tried my hardest to represent my family and Mississippi State the best I can.”

Leading the Bulldogs to the College World Series this season, Mangum earned second-team All-America honors from Baseball America. Also earning his third first-team All-SEC selection, he became the first MSU baseball student-athlete ever to earn three first-team All-SEC honors and the only one to notch four selections to the All-SEC team. With the All-America honors in 2019, Mangum joined four-time MLB All-Star Rafael Palmeiro as MSU’s only three-time All-American and became one of just seven Diamond Dawgs to earn multiple All-America honors from the major reporting publications of college baseball. While setting the Mississippi State and SEC all-time hits record, Mangum currently ranks No. 5 all-time in NCAA history with 378 hits heading into the College World Series. He also is the only baseball player in MSU history to record multiple 100-hit seasons.

“We are excited for Jake to win the Senior CLASS Award,” said Head Coach Chris Lemonis. “He is a great representative of our program and Mississippi State University. Even with the demands of being a student-athlete, he continues to spend a lot of time with our fans and with community outreach in our area. He made a decision to come back for his senior year because of his love for this program and his love for the Mississippi State community.”

As dedicated as he was to making an impact on the field throughout his time at Mississippi State, Mangum also displayed a drive for excellence in both the classroom and community. Despite being selected in the MLB Draft in both 2017 and 2018, Mangum returned to MSU for his senior season to complete his degree in business administration. During his time at MSU, he also earned Dean’s Scholar, SEC Academic Honor Roll and SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll honors for his work in the classroom.

A mentor to the younger players and a team leader, Mangum also took the opportunity to contribute to the program’s community service efforts, including its events with the Challenger League—a baseball league for kids and adults with special needs.

“We’re thrilled that Jake Mangum was voted as our baseball Senior CLASS Award this season,” said Erik Miner, executive director for the Senior CLASS Award. “What he has accomplished on the field is incredible, and he’s done it while also working hard in the classroom and community and maintaining his outstanding character. It’s not often that players of his caliber choose to complete a senior collegiate season, so we tip our hats to Jake and offer our congratulations to him, his team and to Mississippi State University.”

Baseball 2019 Winner

First Team

Second Team