Ferriss Trophy goes to Rooker of the Bulldogs

JACKSON — Mississippi State's Brent Rooker has dominated the Southeastern Conference in a way that few hitters have ever done.

He hasn't always made hitting look this easy.

Two years ago, Rooker was an average SEC hitter who only played in about half of the Bulldogs' games. On Monday, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound junior first baseman won the Ferriss Trophy, which is given to the state's top college baseball player.

The Germantown, Tennessee, native said his progression from part-time player to the top of the SEC didn't easily happen.

"It was a lot of time spent in the cage, a lot of time spent with the bat, a lot of time spent watching film," Rooker said. "Just a lot of dedication, hard work and a lot of help from outside people like coaches and teammates."

A few hours after winning the Ferriss Trophy, Rooker was also selected the SEC player of the year by the league. Both honors came as no real surprise after an impressive season that helped Mississippi State finish with a 34-22 regular season record, including a 17-13 mark in league play.

Rooker leads the league in almost every meaningful offensive category. Going into this week's SEC Tournament, he has a .415 batting average, 20 homers, 28 doubles, 73 RBIs, .873 slugging percentage and 18 stolen bases.

Mississippi State first-year coach Andy Cannizaro said Rooker's ability to adjust quickly has allowed him to have sustained success.

"You just have a feeling he's going to do something big every time he walks

into the box, and a lot of times he does," Cannizaro said. "He has gigantic hits, he has gigantic

home runs, he hits in clutch and pressure situations and he's a guy who has been great since day one of the season this year."

Rooker's biggest game was in April against Kentucky when he hit three homers, including

a grand slam, to lead the Bulldogs over Kentucky 10-6.

Rooker won the award over four other finalists, including Southern Mississippi's Taylor Braley, Matt Wallner and Dylan Burdeaux

and Delta State's Zack Shannon.

He's the fourth Mississippi State player to win the Ferriss Trophy in the past six seasons, joining Hunter Renfroe, Chris Stratton and Jake Mangum.

(Photo by Nicole Reighter, MSU athletic media relations, for Starkville Daily News) Mississippi State's Brent Rooker, left, holds the C Spire Ferriss Trophy on Monday, while his coach Andy Cannizaro shows his support.