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Former VCU Pitcher Tyler Davis Announces Commitment to Mississippi State

Left-handed pitcher Tyler Davis has committed to Mississippi State out of the NCAA transfer portal.

Mississippi State baseball picked up left-handed pitcher Tyler Davis from the NCAA transfer portal on Sunday evening.

Davis, a rising junior out of Virginia Commonwealth University, was a solid arm for the Rams in 2022. The southpaw posted a 5-3 overall record in 17 appearances on the mound -- 15 of which were starts. Davis totaled a 3.60 earned run average through 60.0 innings pitched and struck out 63 batters while walking just 21. He limited opponents to a .210 batting average and gave up just 14 extra-base hits on the season. 

VCU made it to the NCAA Postseason after posting a 36-18 regular-season record and winning the Atlantic-10 Tournament Championship. The Rams advanced to the Chapel Hill Regional, where they picked up victories against Georgia and North Carolina before ultimately running out of gas in the final two games of the regional. Davis made two appearances and pitched 4.2 innings total in Chapel Hill. 

Mississippi State now has a few big names returning to the mound. Sunday starter Cade Smith will be back for the Bulldogs in 2023, as will a few younger pitchers who saw playing time as true freshmen last season. KC Hunt and Jackson Fristoe were both selected in the later rounds of the 2022 MLB Draft but can choose to come back for at least another season. The team will even feature an ambidextrous pitcher in signee Jurrangelo Cijntje. 

Davis could be the weekend starter that the Diamond Dawgs need, but he might also make significant contributions in the bullpen when it matters most. No matter his spot in the pitching rotation, he will soon be able to play against formidable opponents in a conference that has dominated college baseball over the last few years.