Cade Townsend and Judd Utermark Named Finalists for Ferriss Trophy

JACKSON, Miss. – (Release) The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum announced the five finalists for the 2026 Ferriss Trophy, presented annually to the most outstanding college baseball player in the state, naming both Cade Townsend and Judd Utermark as finalists.

The other finalists include Mississippi State third baseman Ace Reese, Mississippi State pitcher Tomas Valincius, and Southern Miss pitcher Grayden Harris.

This is the first time that Ole Miss has had multiple nominees for the award since 2021 when Doug Nikhazy, Kevin Graham, and Gunnar Hoglund were all nominated.

Utermark currently leads the Rebels in slugging percentage (.665), runs scored (62), hits (64), home runs (19), and total bases (131). His 62 runs scored are the fourth-most in the SEC and he averages 1.19 runs per game, the fifth-highest clip in the conference.

Utermark is one home run shy of his second 20-home run season. He would become the first Rebel in program history to have multiple 20-homer seasons. His next home run would also make him the all-time career leader in home runs with 49 over four seasons. Two more home runs would make him the first Rebel to ever hit 50 in his career.

Townsend is ranked fifth in the SEC in both WHIP (1.01), strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.50), and strikeouts per nine innings (12.52). He leads the Rebels in all three categories as well as batters struck out looking (24) and wins (5) and is second in opponent batting average (.202) and total strikeouts (77).

Townsend put together three-consecutive quality starts from April 4 to April 18. He was the first Rebel to accomplish that feat since both Hunter Elliott and Dylan DeLucia did it in 2022. He also became the first Rebel to be named SEC Pitcher of the Week since 2021 after his start against Tennessee in which he took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning and allowed just four baserunners while striking out seven.

The winner of the 2026 Ferriss Trophy will be announced during the Trophy Presentation Luncheon on Monday, May 18 at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in Jackson. Tickets for the luncheon are available for purchase online at www.msfame.com or at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame business office.