Mississippi State University has signed outfielder Jeff Crawford Butts of Daphne, Ala., to a national letter of intent in baseball, MSU head baseball coach Ron Polk announced.

Butts, a member of the silver medal-winning 2001 USA Junior National Team, is a 6-0, 175-pound left-handed hitting all-state outfielder from Daphne High School. As a junior he compiled a .455 batting average and set school records with 65 hits and 17 doubles while helping lead coach Mike Power’s DHS Trojans to a 37-4 record, a No. 3 national ranking by Baseball America and the 2001 Alabama Class 6A state championship.

“We are very excited that this highly-recruited young man has signed a national letter of intent to become a student-athlete at Mississippi State University,” said MSU coach Ron Polk. “Jeff should be an impact player very early in his college baseball career.”

Daphne High School’s co-captain in 2001, Butts is a two-time All-Baldwin County performer. He earned Class 6A all-state honors, was named to the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Super All-State team, the Mobile Register’s Deadly Diamond team, Alabama High School All-Star South team, and the 2001 National High School Baseball Coaches Association All-District III team. He was a member of the USA Junior National Team that captured the silver medal at the COPABE Pan American Tournament held in Camaguey, Cuba.

He hit .345 and set a school single season record with 52 hits as a sophomore, helping lead the Trojans to a 37-7 record and a runner-up finish in the state tournament. Including a freshman baseball season at Fairhope (Ala.) High School, Butts has registered 60 stolen bases in 67 career attempts.

“I am very excited about the opportunity to have a chance to play in a first class program,” said Butts. “Mississippi State Baseball is always going to be at the top and they have great fan support.”

Butts is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the National Honor Society.

He is the son of Frank and Elizabeth Butts of Daphne, Ala