By Jeff Odom
Steinbrenner High baseball player Cole Gordon has verbally committed to Mississippi State University, coach John Crumbley told The Laker/Lutz News on July 9.
The first baseman, designated-hitter and senior-to-be was one of the most productive offensive players in the area hitting .422 with seven home runs and a team-high 33 RBIs for the Warriors (24-3), who won their first Class 7A-District 9 championship to advance to the playoffs for the first time in the school’s four-year history.
Gordon, who cannot sign a National Letter of Intent until the NCAA’s first signing period in early November, was also a productive right-handed pitcher for Steinbrenner, before a lingering upper right arm injury kept him off the mound after his first start, which was a 2-1 win over Major-League prospect and former King pitcher, Brett Morales.
Gordon was named a 2013 Third-Team All-American by Perfect Game U.S.A. following the season and also had interest from more than 10 other Division I programs including Florida, Florida State, Alabama, Arkansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Georgia.
Mississippi State is a Division I program playing in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Bulldawgs earned a bid into their first College World Series finals, but fell short of the university’s first national title by losing to UCLA in two straight games.
–Follow Jeff Odom on Twitter @JOdomLaker
