Mississippi State's Tanner Allen Named 2021 ABCA National Player of the Year
The American Baseball Coaches and Rawlings Sporting Goods have announced the 2021 National Position Players and Pitchers of the Year for all collegiate divisions.
One of the players recognized is none other than Mississippi State's Tanner Allen, who was named the 2021 Division I ABCA National Position Player of the Year this week.
Allen, along with Bulldogs sophomore right-handed pitcher Landon Sims, found a place on the ABCA's All-America Ledger earlier this month.
Allen snagged his fourth first-team honor, while Sims was a second-team selection.
WHAT IS THE ABCA/RAWLINGS NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD?
The ABCA was founded in 1945 and is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level. Its over 13,000 members represent all 50 states and 25 countries.
The ABCA/Rawlings Players of the Year are selected in all nine divisions and are chosen by the ABCA All-America committees for all collegiate divisions: NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA, NJCAA Divisions I, II and III, Pacific Association Division and high school. ABCA/Rawlings First-Team All-America selections are eligible for Player of the Year honors.
THIRD DAWG'S A CHARM
With this award, Allen's name is now placed alongside Bulldog baseball legends Will Clark and Brent Rooker as the third Diamond Dawg to earn National Player of the Year honors in the history of MSU baseball.
For a quick history lesson: Will Clark claimed the Golden Spikes award in 1985 and was a member of the famous 1985 Mississippi State baseball team, which is arguably one of the greatest collections of college baseball players in college baseball history. That team had four major league players on one team, the two stars being Will Clark and Rafael Palmeiro- famously known as "Thunder and Lightning." Will Clark is without a doubt one of the greatest baseball legends to come out of Mississippi State.
Brent Rooker was named the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper National Player of the year in 2017. In 2017, Rooker was drafted to the Minnesota Twins as the 35th overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, making him the 14th Diamond Dawg to ever be selected in the first round of the draft. Both Rooker and Allen were also named SEC Players of the year -- Rooker in 2017, Allen in 2021.
TANNER ALLEN - a true DAWG
On top of being the third Diamond Dawg to win a national award, Allen is the only Power 5 hitter to accumulate 95 hits, 60 runs scored and 60 RBI on the season-- allowing him to led the Diamond Dawgs into the College World Series Championship Finals. He has reached base safely in 62 of 65 starts this season and been on base multiple times in 44 games so far in 2021.
The SEC Player of the Year hit .411 in SEC play to lead all hitters and he was the only SEC hitter to rank among the top 10 in average, hits, runs scored and RBI in conference play. The seventh MSU baseball player to earn All-America honors in multiple years at State and is the first to garner All-America honors at two different positions during his career.
His 96 hits entering Tuesday’s (June 29) game versus Vanderbilt rank tied for No. 10 in a single season at MSU. Allen currently leads the SEC in hits (96), RBIs (66), triples (5) and batting average (.381) and sits among the top 50 nationally in eight offensive categories. He owns three reached base streaks of 15-plus games in 2021 and carried a career-long 22-game hitting streak and 27-game reached base streak during the season.
On the MSU career charts, Allen ranks among the top 10 Diamond Dawgs in triples (No. 3; 12), doubles (No. 4; 61), hits (No. 9; 277), RBIs (No. 9; 182) and total bases (No. 9; 431). He is one of nine MSU hitters to amass 250 hits, 150 runs scored and 150 RBI in a career and is the only Bulldog to ever collect 60 doubles, 20 home runs and 10 triples in the Maroon and White.
HE'S MORE THAN THE NUMBERS
Tanner Allen has is not just a player who catches outfield fly's and hits game-winning bombs into the stands. He is a player of great character and has proven to have a heart of gratitude for his team and fanbase.
Since arriving at Mississippi State as a freshman, Tanner has proven that he is not a self-focused player. In nearly every interview, Allen always brags about his teammates first and is quick to acknowledge their accomplishments, good plays and big hits before he talks about his own, especially when it comes to his best friend and roommate, Rowdey Jordan.
Not only does he brag about his team, he has made it very clear he does not tolerate any harsh comments directed at him or his team. In a recent Instagram comment, Allen defended MSU pitcher Christian MacLeod by replying to a negative comment bashing MacLeod on his performance in Monday night's game versus Vanderbilt.
"He's my teammate... got his back everyday of the week and twice on Sunday...," Allen commented.
With his selfless character, positive attitude and electric energy, Allen has become a fan favorite and not only never fails to express his gratitude towards his teammates, but to the Mississippi State fan base as well.
"We have the best fanbase in the world... there is nothing like playing baseball at Dudy Noble Field... we couldn't do it without our fans." Allen stated in a postgame interview during the regular season.
With all of this being said, from the awards he has received, the numbers on paper and the love from MSU fans, Tanner Allen has written his chapter in the Mississippi State Baseball history books, but his chapter isn't completely over yet.
Allen still has the opportunity to lead his team to a CWS championship. After taking a shattering loss against Vanderbilt last night, the Bulldogs are taking the field again tonight. The Dawgs must win tonight and Wednesday in order to become the first team in Mississippi State history to win a National Championship. If they fall short, they will go home with another second-place trophy. With Tanner Allen and talent the Diamond Dawgs possess, the chance to make history is possible.
In closing, it is only right to give a huge congratulations to a player with so many accomplishments under his belt.
So, congrats to Tanner Allen, your 2021 Division I ABCA/Rawlings National Position Player of the Year.