Pine Bluff native RJ Stinson was named a finalist for the 2024 Dave “Boo” Ferriss Award, awarded to the top college baseball player in Mississippi.
Stinson, a third baseman and outfielder, leads William Carey University with a .403 batting average, 77 hits and 71 runs. He is second on his team in home runs with eight and third in RBIs with 50.
“RJ comes to work every day and puts the time in,” WCU head coach Bobby Halford said. “He’s always working to get better, and he makes everyone around him better. He’s meant so much to us and our program.”
According to a news release from Pro-Day Baseball, Stinson set several WCU records. His career records include RBIs (220), runs (258), hits (329), doubles (47) and at-bats (865). He set single season records for at-bats (263), runs (98) and hits (105). His career batting average is .380.
Stinson and the WCU Crusaders are headed to the NAIA College World Series for the second-straight year and will open play Friday against Indiana Southeast in Lewiston, Idaho.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The Ferriss Trophy is selected by a group of professional baseball scouts and college coaches in Mississippi. The trophy, awarded since 2004, is named for Dave “Boo” Ferriss, the longtime head baseball coach at Delta State University who is also a member of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.
“I appreciate Coach Halford for giving me the opportunity to come to William Carey five years ago and to be the first Carey player to be honored for this award is a blessing,” Stinson said.
Mississippi State’s Dakota Jordan won the award. The other finalists were Ethan Lege of Ole Miss, Brett Sanchez of Belhaven, and Dalton McIntyre of Southern Miss.