Mississippi State baseball filled an important need today with the commitment of former Campbell first baseman, Reed Stallman. State slugger Hunter Hines is expected to sign a pro contract next month and Jackson McKenzie transferred out of the program in the early days of the NCAA transfer window. As a result, State had to land a proven defender and hitter to play first. Stallman fits the bill.
After two years at Des Moines Area Community College, Stallman signed on with the Fighting Camels of Campbell. In his first year on the D1 level, Stallman shined for former Campbell coach Justin Haire's program. With Haire taking the job at Ohio State last week, Stallman elected to enter the NCAA transfer portal.
"This next year is my last year," Stallman said. "With Haire leaving, our team kind of scattered. I didn't leave for NIL money or any purposes like that. It's purely because of Haire leaving. I love Campbell, but it just felt like the right move for me.
"I entered the portal (Friday) and I got a call from Mississippi State. It's always been a dream of mine to play in the SEC and play at the highest level of baseball that I can possibly play. For me last year, I want to play in Omaha. I feel like this is the team to do it with, so it's what I wanted to do."
Coach Chris Lemonis and the rest of the Bulldog staff explained the playing situation at Mississippi State and discussed their plans for him should he elect to enroll. Stallman liked what he heard.
"They told me about their needs and that they needed a left-handed bat in their line-up," Stallman said. "They needed a first baseman who could defend. I kind of fit the criteria. They looked at the videos and looked after the advanced stats and they said I had a good year."
This past season, Stallman played in and started 47 games. He hits 15 home runs and drove in 53 runs in 159 at bats. Stallman was walked a team high 47 times and plunked thirteen more. He finished the season with an OPS. of 1.001. Stallman even managed to steal eight bases with no caught stealings. As a defender, Stallman committed just three errors in 385 chances.
"It was a good jump," Stallman said of his first year in D1 baseball. "Playing in Campbell's organization, they really prepare you well in the fall. I went in during the summer to get adjusted. I felt like I really grew as a player really fast. I kind of find some pop there. They have really good hitting coaches there. I felt like I started tapping into that a lot more. I've always prided myself on my defense. I just kept on growing as a baseball player."
In the month of March, Stallman left the line up to deal with an ailing wrist. The injury forced him to miss a half dozen games, but he was less than 100% in a few games leading up to his absence in the order and for a few games afterwards. Stallman closed the season out on a hot streak. In the final ten games of the year, Stallman went 13-of-42 for a .310 average. During that stretch, he hit in eight of those ten and reached base in nine. The late season flurry helped statistically after his batting average dipped under .230 during that time he was battling a wrist sprain.
"I know I only batted about .240, but I hit the ball hard all year," Stallman explained. "At times, I hit into the shift. It's kind of funny. With that many walks and slugging the way that I did, you'd expect the batting average would have come along with it. For whatever reason, baseball is going to be baseball at the end of the day. I am looking forward to having a big year."
When asked about what Mississippi State fans should expect from him, his answer was simple. "I'm coming to work and I'm coming to win a championship."
Stallman joins former North Alabama third baseman Gehrig Frei, former Citadel shortstop Sawyer Reeves and former USC Upstate pitcher and designated hitter Noah Sullivan as new transfers. State is expected to spend much of their remaining time on pitching though another position player or two may be added based on the results of the MLB draft.
