Tracking the Diamond Dawgs in the transfer portal in 2024

It will be a busy offseason for most teams as the transfer portal era continues to grow, but Mississippi State will be among the busiest teams in the SEC this year.

Coach Chris Lemonis and his staff got the Bulldogs back into postseason play this year after missing the last two seasons and State will have to replace several key players off of the 2024 team to do it again. MSU is expected to see Khal Stephen, Jurrangelo Cijtnje and Nate Dohm drafted in the first 10 rounds this year as well as positional players Dakota Jordan and David Mershon. Along with several other key contributors being out of eligibility, it makes for an active couple of months for Lemonis and company.

Along the way, we will be following the progress of players entering and leaving the Bulldog roster. Below fans can follow who has left the team, who is coming in and a timeline of events that happen these next couple of months.

Heading Out:

RHP Logan Forsythe > Louisiana Tech

LHP Cole Cheatham

OF Jackson McKenzie

LHP Max Miller

INF Jace Norton

RHP Jud Files

Coming In:

3B Gehrig Frei – North Alabama

SS Sawyer Reeves – The Citadel

RHP/1B Noah Sullivan – USC Upstate

1B Reed Stallman – Campbell

OF Ace Reese – Houston

RHP Jacob Pruitt – Indiana State

RHP Travis Smith – Kentucky

RHP Chase Hungate – Virginia

Timeline:

June 5 – State pitchers Cole Cheatham and Logan Forsythe are the first two roster players to enter the portal for the Diamond Dawgs.

Cheatham was a matchup lefty for the Bulldogs and pitched in 28 games over the last three years. The Alabama native had an earned run average of 7.39 over the course of 31.2 innings with 30 walks and 35 strikeouts. He surrendered four runs on six hits with six strikeouts and seven walks this year in 7.2 innings.

Forsythe was in year two with the Bulldogs and threw in just six games this year. The D’Iberville product gave up 14 runs in 11.2 innings over his first two seasons with 21 strikeouts and 11 walks.

June 8 – The first transfer portal commitment of the year is North Alabama’s Gehrig Frei. After having a strong sophomore campaign in which the Georgia native batted .320 with 15 home runs, 49 RBI and just 26 strikeouts in 206 at bats, Frei decided to hit the portal. He chose the Bulldogs over several offers including from the home state Georgia Bulldogs. He grew up with former State pitcher Landon Sims and played high school baseball with the All-SEC closer. Frei is expected to take the third base job for State in 2025.

June 11 – The Bulldogs had two more players enter the portal as promising OF Jackson McKenzie announced his intentions to move on and redshirt freshman LHP Max Miller is also planning to enter the portal. The Bulldogs have four players in the portal at this time.

MSU also landed a new transfer portal addition in the form of The Citadel SS Sawyer Reeves. He was an All-Conference SS with The Citadel and is playing out his final year with the Bulldogs as the second pickup out of the portal for Lemonis.

June 13 – Freshman infielder Jace Norton announced via X that he will be entering the transfer portal. The Auburn (Ala.) native missed all of this year with an injury and has four years of eligibility remaining.

June 17 – The Bulldogs landed their third transfer portal commitment with the addition of USC Upstate two-way standout Noah Sullivan. The First-Team All-Big South RHP and 1B had 17 home runs in 2024 and was 8-1 on the mound as a starter.

June 23 – Campbell 1B Reed Stallman is the newest commitment for the Bulldogs. He had a batting average of just .239 with the Camels, but a high OPS, OBP, walk rate and 15 home runs show a promising left handed bat to go along with high production at first base.

July 1 – State redshirt freshman RHP Jud Files has entered the portal. Files redshirted this past season and has been throwing again in summer ball, but he will be looking for another school this summer.

July 2 – Houston freshman OF Ace Reese announced his commitment to State. The Bulldogs beat out LSU, South Carolina and others for his services. Reese was a All-Big 12 Freshman team member after batting .279 and leading the team with four triples.

July 3 – For the second-straight day, the Diamond Dawgs landed a key portal pickup. RHP Jacob Pruitt announced his commitment to the Bulldogs on Tuesday after having a strong season with Indiana State.

July 6 – The third transfer portal addition of the week came through for the Diamond Dawgs on Saturday in the form of Kentucky RHP Travis Smith. A former Friday night starter, Smith became a key piece of the bullpen in SEC play. The Bulldogs will have to battle the MLB Draft for Smith’s services.

July 7 – State wrapped up a 4th of July week full of fireworks by landing a strong bullpen arm in Virginia’s Chase Hungate. The reliever started his career at VCU but spent his last two seasons throwing in 46 games for the Cavaliers.