Four baseball Bulldogs enter transfer portal

Four MSU players have decided to explore their options outside of Mississippi State

Four Mississippi State baseball players appear to be moving on.

Sports Illustrated's Cowbell Corner has confirmed outfielders Bryce Brock and Hunter French, as well as catcher Austin Kelly and pitcher Josh Hill, have all entered the transfer portal this week. The news was first reported by 247Sports.

Brock was in the midst of his sophomore year with the Bulldogs when the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic shut down the season. French, Kelly and Hill were all freshmen in 2020. The four players become the first Diamond Dogs to hit the transfer portal since the NCAA granted all spring-sport athletes an extra year of eligibility after seasons were cancelled.

Brock saw action in 18 games over his Mississippi State career. He started out primarily as a pitcher in 2019. In his freshman year, Brock worked 8.1 innings from the mound and sported an earned run average of 7.56. Opponents hit .390 against him.

Going into 2020, Brock was strictly an outfielder. He competed for a starting job, but ended up playing sparingly. He got three at-bats this past season and didn’t record a hit.

Likewise, French went hitless in 2020. The first-year player got in two games, had two at-bats and struck out twice.

Kelly didn’t see any action this past season and was expected to redshirt. He was competing against a pair of highly-thought-of catchers in sophomore Luke Hancock and freshman Logan Tanner.

Meanwhile Hill wasn’t on MSU’s final roster in 2020.

The pending departures of Brock, French, Kelly and Hill are likely just the beginning of what might be an active offseason for the Bulldogs. The extra year of eligibility for spring-sport athletes has potentially crowded baseball rosters and could lead to more players looking for opportunities elsewhere. 

Also, the MLB Draft is still upcoming. Though the specifics have yet to be ironed out, the event is still expected to take place at some point this summer. That could poach some players away from the Bulldogs, with second baseman Justin Foscue and shortstop Jordan Westburg standing as a pair of players expected to be taken highly in the draft whenever it occurs.