Samford Outfielder Colton Ledbetter Commits to Mississippi State

Ledbetter was one of Samford's most talented offensive players in 2022 and is a huge pickup for MSU.

Mississippi State baseball picked up a key transfer player in Samford Bulldogs slugger Colton Ledbetter.

The sophomore outfielder was an offensive powerhouse for the Bulldogs in his 2022 season. Ledbetter started all 57 games for Samford and posted a .318 batting average with 57 RBI on 67 hits with 51 runs scored. He had a slugging percentage of .640 and an on-base percentage of .407, making his on-base plus slugging a whopping 1.047. Of his nearly six dozen hits, Ledbetter slammed 16 home runs, 16 doubles and two triples. He was even productive when he wasn't swinging the bat with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 28 to 30 and 14 stolen bases. 

Despite being one of the younger members of the team, Ledbetter was the team leader in most offensive categories. He had six more homers on the season than any of his teammates and recorded a team-high in hits, total runs scored, RBI, total bases, slugging percentage, on-base plus slugging percentage and sacrifice flies. He was tied for most on the team in doubles and triples. 

Ledbetter faced Mississippi State twice during his time with Samford. His first time facing the eventual National Champions was in March of 2021. As a freshman, he went 1-for-2 with an RBI but did not walk away with a victory. That changed in the 2022 season: Ledbetter's team pulled out a huge win against an SEC opponent, and he was a major part in giving MSU all it could handle. He went 2-for-3 at the plate with one walk and two runs scored in the team's 8-6 victory. 

Mississippi State has seen its fair share of outfielders leave in the offseason. Star left fielder Brad Cumbest is expected to be picked in the 2022 MLB Draft, and graduate transfer Jess Davis has no more eligibility. Brayland Skinner and Matt Corder both entered the transfer portal. With the large turnover of players, Ledbetter is a much-needed transfer for the program and could step up hugely as he makes his maroon and white debut.