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 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- For only the fourth time in the history of the awards, Mississippi baseball fans will have the opportunity to take part in the voting for the 2017 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), confirmed today that fan voting will count for a weighted 10 percent of the 2016 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 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.   Giving our fans, who are some of the most passionate in sports, a voice in the process creates more interest in an award that has become an integral part of Mississippi college baseball tradition."

Chosen by Major League Baseball scouts, who cover Mississippi, and by Mississippi's college baseball coaches, the finalists include three Southern Miss players and one each from Mississippi State and Delta State. The finalist include Taylor Braley, Dylan Burdeaux and Matt Wallner, all of Southern Miss, Mississippi State'sBrent Rooker and Delta State'sZach Shannon.  

The winner will be announced during a May 22 luncheon program at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in Jackson.  Mississippi State outfielder Jake Mangum won the 2016 award, which is named after the late Dave "Boo" Ferriss, a Magnolia State baseball legend, Boston Red Sox Hall of Famer and former Delta State 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 begins today at noon. CST and ends on Saturday, May 20 at noon CST.  By visiting C Spire's fan voting website, www.csopavoting.com, fans can vote for their favorite college baseball player by simply providing an email address and name, or connecting through Facebook or Twitter.   Once an account is created, fans can vote up to three times daily by selecting their first, second and third place winners via Facebook, Twitter and text messaging.

2017 marks the 22th anniversary of the Outstanding Player Awards presentation.  C Spire has served as title sponsor for 20 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.

Tickets are $40 each and available by calling the MSHOF offices at 601 982-8264, stopping by at 1152 Lakeland Drive or by going 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 service and a superior, comprehensive suite of customer-inspired wireless communications, ultra high speed Internet access and a range of other telecommunications products and services to consumers and 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.

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SOURCE C Spire