Mississippi State’s Rooker Named National Player Of The Year

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI/MSU Athletics) – Less than 24 hours removed from being named a USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist, Brent Rooker has now been named a National Player of the Year and First Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.

On May 22, Brent Rooker was named the school’s first-ever Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, in addition to First Team All-SEC accolades.

Rooker’s season has been one of the best in Mississippi State baseball history. The Germantown, Tennessee native has slugged 21 home runs and a program-record 29 doubles in addition to driving in 76 runs so far on the year. He also currently owns a .404 batting average and his 90 hits is the most by a Bulldog since Adam Frazier tallied an NCAA-best and school-record 107 hits in 2013.

In addition to being named a Golden Spikes Semifinalist and Dick Howser Trophy Semifinalist, Rooker was awarded the C Spire Ferriss Trophy as the best player in the state of Mississippi.

Rooker and the rest of the Diamond Dawgs will be back in action in the Hattiesburg Regional in the NCAA Tournament this weekend. MSU will take on third-seeded South Alabama in the opening round of the tournament on Friday at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN3.