Baseball fans will help decide who will be the next C Spire Ferriss Trophy winner honoring Mississippi's top college baseball player

JACKSON, Miss., May 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Mississippi baseball fans will have the opportunity to take part in the voting to determine who will win the 2019 C Spire Ferriss Trophy, which annually honors the Magnolia state's top college baseball player.

C Spire, along with the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum (MSHOF), announced today that fan voting will count for a weighted 10 percent of the 2019 Ferriss Trophy award.  A panel of Major League Baseball scouts and Mississippi college baseball coaches will comprise the remaining 90 percent of the voting. This is the sixth straight year fans get to participate.

"This gives fans a chance to play a part in helping identify our state's best college baseball players," said Bill Blackwell, executive director of the MSHOF and co-sponsor of the award along with C Spire.  "Major League Baseball and players and coaches have used fan voting to determine who plays in the All-Star game for years now - so it makes sense for us to involve fans in this way."

Chosen by Major League Baseball scouts and college baseball coaches in Mississippi, the five finalists include two players each from Mississippi State and Ole Miss and one from Southern Miss. Finalists are two-time nominee Matt Wallner of Southern Miss, Mississippi State's Jake Mangum, a three-time finalist, Ethan Small of MSU and Ole Miss' Grae Kessinger and Tyler Keenan.

The winner will be announced during a May 20 Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum luncheon program. Southern Miss pitcher Nick Sandlin won the 2018 award while Mississippi State outfielder Brent Rooker won the 2017 award. Mangum, a three-time finalist, won the 2016 award, which is named for the late Dave "Boo" Ferriss, a Magnolia State baseball legend, a Boston Red Sox Hall of Famer and long-time Delta State head baseball coach.

"College baseball fans across Mississippi are very passionate about their schools and the star players in their respective programs," said Jim Richmond, vice president of Marketing for C Spire.  "Several schools are having outstanding seasons and we're excited about continuing to give fans new opportunities to support their favorite players for the C Spire Ferriss Trophy."

Fan voting starts today (Tuesday, May 14) at 8:30 a.m. CT and concludes on Saturday, May 18 at noon CT.  By visiting C Spire's fan voting website, www.cspire.com/ferriss, fans can vote for their favorite college baseball player up to three times daily by simply providing an email address and name.

2019 marks the 24^th anniversary of the Outstanding Player Awards Program.  C Spire has served as title sponsor for 22 of those years since 1998.  The Conerly Trophy in college football, the Howell Trophy in men's college basketball, the Gillom Trophy in  women's college basketball and the Ferriss Trophy in college baseball comprise the four elements of the C Spire Outstanding Player Award series, which are jointly presented by the company and the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.

Advance tickets are on sale, including full tables seating 8 persons for $350 each along with reserved seating, half tables and individual tickets. For more information or to purchase tickets, call the MSHOF offices at 601.982.8264, stop by at 1152 Lakeland Drive in Jackson or go online at http://msfame.com/c-spire-ferriss-trophy/.

About C Spire

C Spire is a diversified telecommunications and technology services company that provides world-class, customer-inspired wireless communications, 1 Gigabit consumer Internet access as well as a full suite of dedicated Internet, wireless, IP Voice, data, cloud and managed services for businesses.  This news release and other announcements are available at www.cspire.com/news. For more information about C Spire, visit www.cspire.com or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cspire or Twitter at www.twitter.com/cspire.

About the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame

The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame exists to promote, preserve and protect Mississippi's rich sports heritage for this and future generations.  The Museum serves as a destination for sports legends to live forever through interactive displays and exhibits where visitors can play, live and dream.  The non-profit, charitable organization recognizes excellence in athletics and contributions to sports.  For more information, visit www.msfame.com or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mssportshofandmuseum or Twitter at www.twitter.com/mssportshof.

SOURCE C Spire

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