Mississippi State added some help on the mound Sunday evening, landing a commitment from Purdue right-handed pitcher Khal Stephen.

Stephen, a sophomore from Williamsport, Indiana, started 14 games on Friday nights for the Boilermakers and was named to the All-Big Ten Third Team.

The 6’4”, 215-pound right-hander posted a 7-3 record on the season. In 76 innings he pitched for a 5.21 ERA with 66 strikeouts, 30 walks, a .248 opponent batting average, and a 1.34 WHIP.

Stephen allowed three earned runs or less in eight of his 14 starts, and Purdue went 9-5 with him on the mound. He pitched six shutout innings in a win over Minnesota on April 7th with eight strikeouts, and allowed just one run in 7.1 innings against Rutgers on April 28th. He tossed a career-high eight innings in a shutout against South Dakota State, matching his season-high strikeout total of eight.

Stephen held a 3.93 ERA through 12 starts, but would allow a combined 15 runs in his final two outings of the season against Indiana and Nebraska.

This summer, Stephen has pitched for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League where he’s been teammates with Mississippi State first baseman Hunter Hines. In five starts, Stephen has pitched 26.1 innings with a 2.73 ERA, 27 strikeouts, 11 walks, a .216 opponent batting average, and a 1.22 WHIP.

As a freshman in 2022, Stephen made 23 appearances out of the bullpen. In 33.2 innings, he had a 3-4 record with an 8.29 ERA, 38 strikeouts, 18 walks, a .287 opponent batting average, and a 1.69 WHIP.

Stephen has a fastball that primarily sits 90-93 MPH, and mixes in a sharp low-80s slider and a mid-80s changeup.

Stephen is the third pitcher in Mississippi State’s transfer portal haul and fifth addition overall. He joins Miami right-handed pitcher Karson Ligon, Young Harris College left-handed pitcher Nate Lamb, Memphis third baseman Logan Kohler, and Pittsburgh catcher Johnny Long.