Jackson State, Mississippi State, and Southern Miss each land hurlers on National Pitcher of the Year watch list

Written on 04/21/2025
Ben Milam

Three of Mississippi’s Division 1 baseball programs have landed a representative on the College Baseball Hall of Fame’s Pitcher of the Year watch list.

Jackson State’s Eric Elliot, Mississippi State’s Pico Kohn, and Southern Miss’ JB Middleton were three of America’s 54 best pitchers named to the list.

Elliot, a veteran southpaw for the Tigers, sports a perfect 4-0 record with a 3.14 ERA in nine starts. In 12 total appearances, he’s also racked up 61 strikeouts while opponents have batted just .191 against him.

MSU’s Kohn has shimmered in the Friday night ace role for the maroon and white, compiling a 4-1 record with a 3.29 ERA. The big lefty has also tallied 81 strikeouts to just 14 walks, ranking top 10 in the SEC in strikeouts, innings pitched, and ERA.

Mississippi State has two previous National Pitcher of the Year winners: Chris Stratton (Perfect Game) in 2012 and Ethan Small (College Baseball Hall of Fame) in 2019.

Golden Eagle junior JB Middleton has turned an up-and-down 2024 campaign into a dominant 2025 in which he has cemented himself as one of America’s best. The Yazoo City product has etched a Sun Belt-best 2.05 ERA, 7-1 record, and .171 opponent batting average so far, allowing just 37 hits while striking out 74.

Former Southern Miss pitcher Billy Oldham most recently made the same watch list in 2024, while Nick Sandlin is the most recent Golden Eagle to be named a National Pitcher of the Year (Perfect Game) in 2018.

“We are extremely excited about the group of pitchers who are leading the way in 2025,” Pitcher of the Year Award co-chair Chris Snead said. “This will be a difficult choice to select the best of the best!”

The award will be presented later this year by the College Baseball Foundation.

For the full watch list and more information on the award, click here.