Mississippi State Shortstop David Mershon Named a Finalist for Brooks Wallace Award

Mississippi State sophomore shortstop David Mershon was named one of five finalists for the 2024 Brooks Wallace Award on Tuesday. This honor is given annually to the best shortstop in college baseball.

The sophomore is one of just five finalists for the award. The other four are Austin Peay junior Jon Jon Gazdar, Ball State senior Michael Hallquist, Rutgers junior Josh Kuroda-Grauer and Virginia junior Griff O'Ferrall.

Mershon was a key piece for Mississippi State at the plate and in the field this season. As a defender, he posted a .979 fielding percentage for the season, which stands as the second-best out of the finalists.

Nevertheless, Mershon's numbers on offense were perhaps the main reason why he was included in this group of elite shortstops, as he helped lead the Bulldogs to an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Mershon led the team in stolen bases with 27 for the season. The total was the second most in the Southeastern Conference and the fourth most in a single season in program history for Mississippi State. At the plate, Mershon had 77 hits and 41 RBIs with a .347 batting average while scoring a team-high 60 runs and was the Bulldogs' runner-up in multi-hit games with 23.

Mershon was named First Team All-SEC Shortstop following the regular season. In the postseason, he was selected to the Charlottesville All-Regional Team. In the regional, Mershon hit .500 (8-for-16) with one homer and two RBIs. He had an on-base percentage of .600 in four games in Charlottesville.

The Brooks Wallace Award will be presented by the College Baseball Foundation later this year. It is named for former Texas Tech shortstop Brooks Wallace, who played for the Red Raiders from 1977 to 1980. Wallace died of leukemia at the age of 27.

HUNTER DE SIVER

Hunter De Siver is a recent graduate from the University of Alabama, earning a degree in sports media. During his time in Tuscaloosa, Hunter distributed articles covering Alabama football, basketball, and baseball for WVUA 23 TV and discussed these topics on Tide 100.9 FM. Hunter also generated articles highlighting Crimson Tide products in the NFL and NBA for BamaCentral. Since graduation, he's been contributing a plethora of NFL and NBA stories for FanNation. 

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