The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum announced on May 12 that Cade Townsend and Judd Utermark have been named among the five finalists for the 2026 Ferriss Trophy, which is awarded each year to the most outstanding college baseball player in Mississippi.
The announcement also included Mississippi State third baseman Ace Reese, Mississippi State pitcher Tomas Valincius, and Southern Miss pitcher Grayden Harris as fellow finalists. This marks the first time since 2021 that Ole Miss has had multiple nominees for the award.
Utermark currently leads Ole Miss in several offensive categories, including slugging percentage (.665), runs scored (62), hits (64), home runs (19), and total bases (131). His run total ranks fourth in the Southeastern Conference, and he averages 1.19 runs per game, placing him fifth in the conference. Utermark is one home run away from his second season with at least 20 home runs. If achieved, he would become the first player in program history to reach this milestone more than once. He is also close to setting new career records for both home runs and total home runs at Ole Miss.
Townsend stands out on the pitching staff with a fifth-place ranking in both WHIP (1.01) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.50) within the SEC, as well as strikeouts per nine innings (12.52). He leads his team in these areas along with batters struck out looking (24) and wins (5). Townsend recently recorded three consecutive quality starts between April 4 and April 18—the first Rebel to do so since Hunter Elliott and Dylan DeLucia accomplished it two years ago—and was named SEC Pitcher of the Week after a strong performance against Tennessee.
The winner of this year’s Ferriss Trophy will be revealed during a luncheon at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame on Monday, May 18. Tickets are available online or at their business office.
