WATCH: Beloved former Miss State standout Jake Mangum records first professional hit

Professional pitchers are going to learn to hate Jake Mangum as much as SEC pitchers.

The scrappy switch-hitting lefty started his professional career off the right way Monday night with his first hit, an infield single. That’s only appropriate for the speedy beat-it-out style Mangum brings to the plate every single game. He’s a tough out.

Mangum set a ton of SEC and school records at Mississippi State, but he’ll also be remembered as one of the best ambassadors in college baseball history after his passionate post-game interviews emotionally saying goodbye and pleading with the NCAA to add a third paid assistant.

The New York Mets drafted Mangum in the fourth round of the 2019 MLB Draft, and he currently plays for the Brooklyn Cyclones, the Mets’ short-season A ball team.

Here’s Mangum’s hit, the first of many:

Here it is, after collecting roughly a million hits with Mississippi State, here’s @jakemangum15 first hit as a professional. The first of many. #AmazinStartsHere pic.twitter.com/jcjIcbFyos

— Brooklyn Cyclones (@BKCyclones) July 1, 2019

SDS Staff

Saturday Down South reports and comments on the news around the Southeastern Conference as well as larger college football topics.