New baseball commit:

[MsStateBaseball]

CF Taylor Stafford from Columbus, 5-10 170 bats and throws left. He is a 2014 player.

[messageboardsuperhero]

What kind of player is he? I'm assuming this is the guy from New Hope that Cohen offered recently.

[mic]

I heard from a coach that said New Hope had the best 2 players he had seen all year in the state. New Hope knocked them out in the playoffs. The other kid was the SS and pitcher for New Hope in the same class..

[MsStateBaseball]

Cohen likes fast OF's plus he bats left. Solid player from what I hear. Now they can sign specific players.

[Todd4State]

New Hope is one of the best programs in the state of Mississippi. He is a CF that hit .475 or so for them last year, and he was also their closer as well. The other guy for New Hope is Will Golsan and he is committed to Ole Miss.

Stafford is going to be a lead off guy, someone that is going to steal bases and play good defense. The one thing you keep hearing about him over and over is how hard he plays the game, and that's something I love to hear. And I'll say this- I wouldn't totally rule him out as a pitcher at the next level either although he is being recruited as an outfielder.

[Will James]

I wouldn't totally rule him out as a pitcher at the next level either although he is being recruited as an outfielder.

OF is obviously our most pressing concern of the two.

[taylor]

Taylor is an excellent defensive player, who can hit. He has surprising power, and hits to all parts of the field. Great kid and family who has always wanted to be at State. Also throws mid eighties, with good potential for improvement. He also has very good speed.

[Todd4State]

OF is obviously our most pressing concern of the two.

I think he's more of an athlete that they project as an outfielder rather than getting someone to fill a need. Once he gets to campus, they will figure out what works best for him. Sort of like Jonathan Holder- we thought he was going to be an outfielder, but he actually slumped his senior year as a hitter, but really picked it up as a pitcher.

High school dual position guys are perfect for college, and I love recruiting them. It just increases odds for success.

[Lefthandersrule]

Nice pickup!

[notsofarawaydawg]

He actually played on a travel team out of New Hope when he was younger. That's how he wound up moving to that team. Here is the article in the Columbus paper today.

New Hope's Stafford (http://www.cdispatch.com/sports/article.asp?aid=26981)

[Todd4State]

I LOVED this quote from him:

"I can't promise much about what kind of player I'll be at the next level, but I can promise this: I'll one of those players that from day one will understand and appreciate what it means to put on that Mississippi State jersey and the privilege of playing at Dudy Noble Field," Stafford said.

Read more: http://www.cdispatch.com/sports/article.asp?aid=26981&TRID=1#ixzz2eVvboqbn

[Coach34]

you have mail MsStateBaseball