Mississippi State Pitcher Khal Stephen Makes ABCA/Rawlings All-American Third Team

Stephen is the only Bulldog that was named an ABCA/Rawlings All-American.

Mississippi State pitcher Khal Stephen / Obtained from Khal Stephen's X/Twitter

Mississippi State junior right-handed pitcher Khal Stephen earned a spot on the ABCA/Rawlings All-American Third Team on Friday. This is Stephen's second All-America honor of the season as he was also named a Third Team member by the NCBWA on Wednesday.

Stephen led the Bulldogs in wins (eight--tied with Jurrangelo Cjintje), innings pitched (96.0) and ERA (3.28). His 3.28 ERA is the fifth-best ERA in the SEC this season. He finished second on the team with 107 strikeouts and was also named First Team All-SEC and a Charlottesville All-Regional Team member. He tied a career-high with an eight-inning outing against St. John's in the Charlottesville Regional.

Stephen found himself ranked in the top 10 in multiple SEC pitching categories this season as he pitched the most innings, had the fifth-best ERA, had the sixth most strikeouts and the eighth most wins by an SEC pitcher this season.

In his first outing as a Diamond Dawg, Stephen was outstanding against Air Force. He punched out a career-high 11 in that performance, and he was later selected as the Golden Spikes Award Week 1 Performance of the Week for it.

Sophomore outfielder Dakota Jordan and sophomore pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje, who were each named NCBWA Second Team All-Americans while Stephen landed on the NCBWA Third Team, didn't make the cut for Friday's list by ABCA/Rawlings. Additionally, Jordan, Stephen and Cijntje were named to the ABCA/Rawlings South All-Region First Team on Tuesday and sophomore shortstop David Mershon made the Second Team.

The finalists for the ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. I Gold Glove team will be announced via X (formerly known as Twitter) by Rawlings Sporting Goods (@RawlingsSports) on Tuesday, June 18. The Gold Glove winners in all divisions will be announced on Wednesday, June 19.

In all divisions, the ABCA/Rawlings National Pitchers and Position Players of the Year will be announced on Monday, June 24.