Mississippi State went into the portal to grab a big-time bullpen arm this afternoon with the commitment of former Texas right-hander Aaron Nixon.
Texas parted ways with long-time pitching coach Sean Allen on June 20th, and Nixon entered his name into the transfer portal the following day.
MISSISSIPPI STATE TRANSFER TARGETS | MISSISSIPPI STATE ROSTER TRACKER
The McAllen, TX, native was a highly coveted recruit in the 2020 class and was ranked the 221st best player in the nation by Perfect Game. He was named a Freshman All-American in 2021 as he made an immediate impact for a Texas club that reached the College World Series semifinals. In 34 innings, Nixon pitched for a 2.12 ERA and led the Longhorns with nine saves. He struck out 35 batters while walking just ten and allowed a .211 batting average to his opponents.
Nixon faced off against Mississippi State in Omaha and closed out an 8-5 win for the Longhorns as he went 1.2 innings with zero earned runs. Later that summer, Nixon competed on the USA Collegiate National Team alongside Mississippi State's Landon Sims, Jackson Fristoe, and Logan Tanner.
The 20-year-old saw some regression as a sophomore as his ERA jumped to 5.04 in 30.1 innings on the mound. His strikeout numbers increased as he fanned 38 and his batting average allowed stayed relatively the same at .214, but his walks increased by more than double as he surrendered 25 free passes.
The 6'1" 205 pound righty has a fastball that sits in the 94-95 MPH range. He also mixes in a slider that sits around 87 and a changeup around 84. Nixon projects to be a major addition to a Mississippi State pitching staff that struggled all season long with an SEC-worst 6.07 ERA. Should Nixon's command return to his freshman form, he'll solidify the backend of a bullpen that earned an SEC-low three saves this season.
Nixon is the 3rd pitcher to commit to Mississippi State out of the transfer portal, as All-AAC First Team Memphis righty Landon Gartman and Ball State freshman right-hander Nate Dohm announced their pledges to the Bulldogs last month.
