Mississippi State Baseball's Colton Ledbetter and Slate Alford Receive Awards from New England Collegiate Baseball League

The Diamond Dawgs saw a pair of rising stars honored in big ways at the end of the NECBL's 2022 season.

Colton Ledbetter and Slate Alford have had an impressive offseason representing Mississippi State in the New England Collegiate Baseball League. 

Both Ledbetter and Alford played for the Newport Gulls in the NECBL, one of the top amateur summer leagues in the nation. Although the pair did not help lead their team to a championship title in early August, each player received some of the league's highest honors and greatly improved many skills heading into the upcoming slate of fall practices. 

Outfielder Ledbetter was named the Rick Ligi Most Valuable Player and the Stephen Strasburg Top Pro Prospect as the season came to an end last week. The transfer out of Samford led the entire league with 47 RBI and 51 hits, and he finished tied for first in total home runs with 11 in the regular season. Ledbetter's batting average of .365 was fourth-best in the NECBL and he also recorded 30 walks and 11 stolen bases in just 44 games. 

Despite entering the NECBL with just one collegiate season under his belt, Alford was a shining star in the infield for the Gulls. He was recognized as the Rookie of the Year after finishing among the best in the league in multiple offensive categories. Through 42 games, Alford posted a .346 batting average with 53 hits, 40 RBI, 15 doubles and nine home runs. 

Both players have greatly improved their skills over the summer, and the work that the pair has put in will go on to benefit Mississippi State baseball as a whole. The program lost some of its biggest stars in the 2022 MLB Draft, including one key outfielder and two starting infielders who were strong at the plate. Ledbetter and Alford will likely move into those starting spots and have shown that they can contribute significantly to the Diamond Dawgs' success in 2023.