Diamond Dawg ace RHP Khal Stephen taken by the Toronto Blue Jays in second round
What a difference a year makes for Khal Stephen.
After being a solid sophomore season at Purdue in which Stephen was a Third-Team All-Big-10 selection, the Mississippi State RHP came off the board in the second round in 2024. Stephen was selected No. 59 overall by the Toronto Blue Jays in the second round.
Stephen had an exceptional junior season after transferring to Starkville to play for Chris Lemonis and pitching coach Justin Parker. The Indiana native spent all of the SEC schedule as the Bulldogs’ Friday night starter and was 8-3 in 16 starts with a 3.28 ERA with 107 strikeouts in 96.0 innings and just 21 walks.
A phenomenal year landed on the First-Team All-SEC list at the end of the season.
Stephen’s selection is an excellent selling point for Parker who took in the talented righty from the Boilermakers.
As a freshman, Stephen pitched in 23 games but had a 3-4 record with a 8.29 ERA. He gave up 39 hits and 31 runs in 33.2 innings and struck out 38 batters to 18 walks. His role and his numbers improved in year two as he became a frontline starter for his team.
Stephen was 7-4 in 2023 with a 5.21 ERA and the workload went up to 76.0 innings with 66 strikeouts and 30 walks. Stephen’s big year in 2024 was another jump and it ultimately earned him a second round selection.
Parker also had a nice resume builder in Jurrangelo Cijntje who was taken in the first round on Sunday night at No. 15 overall to the Seattle Mariners. The Diamond Dawgs also lost OF signee Dante Nori who went to the Philadelphia Phillies 27th overall.
