North Alabama Third Baseman Commits to Mississippi State

The Bulldogs have their first transfer portal commitment.

Mississippi State head coach Chris Lemonis watches from the dugout against Ole Miss at Swayze Field in Oxford, Miss., on Friday, Apr. 12, 2024. / Bruce Newman/Special to the Clarion

STARKVILLE, Miss.— Mississippi State's season ended in Charlottesville in the regional final. It was an impressive turnaround for MSU head coach Chris Lemonis and his staff, but now he must build a roster to compete next year.

State will lose most of its starting lineup due to the MLB draft and a slew of veterans. One of those veterans who will move on to professional baseball is third baseman Logan Kohler.

In 2023, the hot corner position was a struggle for State both offensively and defensively. Improving that position was a priority during the transfer portal cycle a year ago, and now it is once again.

Lemonis got to watch Kohler in person as Memphis and MSU annually play a mid-week against each other. Once again, the former Indiana head coach got a player who he played against. Gehrig Frei is the newest member of the Mississippi State roster.

The Alpharetta, GA. native has played a pair of seasons at North Alabama after redshirting in 2022 and has been productive both years. Frei batted .293 with seven home runs and 31 RBIs in his rookie season.

However, he improved those numbers this past season by batting .320 with 15 home runs and 49 RBIs. The switch hitter went 1-4 as MSU defeated North Alabama 8-4 on May 14th.

The number of strikeouts stands out most when looking at his stats. The rising junior struck out 26 times compared to 25 walks in 2024.

It is a worry when a guy jumps to SEC baseball, but there is not a lot of swing-and-miss with Frei, which will make the transition much smoother. This is a solid start for the Bulldogs portal class, but Lemonis still has work to do to build a postseason-caliber roster.