By JOEL COLEMAN
sports@starkvilledailynews.com
Way back in February when Mississippi State began its 2016 baseball season, freshman Jake Mangum made his Bulldog debut with a lackluster 0-for-4 performance on opening day. In fact, the Pearl native began his MSU career by going hitless in his first eight at-bats.
No one would’ve blinked if Mangum had continued to struggle. In the Southeastern Conference, he would’ve been far from the first freshman to experience a fair share of early lumps.
Instead, the young outfielder bounced back to put together one of the best seasons in MSU history.