Meet Jack Bauer, the freshman phenom for Mississippi State

The best in the Land of Lincoln is headed to Starkville.

No, it’s not Jack Bauer from the hit show ‘24,’ but the left-handed freshman arm is rocking that number for the spring.

Despite being named after the TV show, featuring Kiefer Sutherland, Bauer has never watched the show himself.

The No. 44 prospect in this year’s upcoming draft planned to forgo the MLB after flipping his commitment from Virginia to Mississippi State.

This announcement came after former Virginia head coach Brian O’Connor took the same job at Mississippi State, starting a chain reaction of Cavaliers to Bulldogs via the transfer portal.

Bauer was ranked as the No. 21 player in the national class of 2025 and was the second-highest ranked prospect in the Mississippi State class, per Perfect Game.

Shortstop JoJo Parker was ranked eighth in the national class and was originally the highest-ranked prospect for Mississippi State before getting drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays this year.

In 28.1 innings during his senior season, Bauer struck out 56 batters and posted a 1.22 earned run average.

Bauer is the highest-ranked player in the Perfect Game rankings to attend campus and was the top-ranked player in the Top 500 Fresh Arrivals on the website.

So, what has the eyes of the college baseball world on the product from Lincoln-Way East High School? His velocity.

Bauer’s fastball ranged from 97 to 102 miles per hour this past spring for the Griffins.

His spotlight moment came when he hit 103 miles per hour on a fastball during a playoff game in June, garnering the attention of the MLB’s official website, which posted about it in early July.

Bauer played a role in leading Lincoln-Way East to an exit in the sectional finals of the IHSA Baseball State Tournament.

According to that article, his fastball was up to 95 miles per hour during his junior year.

The radar gun caught Bauer tossing a fastball of 101 miles per hour during Mississippi State’s 5-2 loss to Florida State in a scrimmage at Blue Wahoos Stadium in Pensacola, Florida, last Saturday.

As for his stats from the game, Bauer struck out and walked one batter each while allowing an earned run in his lone inning of work in the bottom of the sixth.

Bauer joins a staff led by pitching coach Justin Parker, who will stay for his second season in Starkville after head coach Chris Lemonis was fired.

Bauer’s velocity seems fit for a closer; however, after the entire rotation was drafted, he could be in contention for at least a midweek starting role.

Pitchers were a priority for the Bulldogs in the portal as they brought in three players with experience in starting rotations.

Those arms include Virginia southpaw Tomas Valincius, who was a Sunday starter in the spring, plus James Madison ace righty Jackson Logar and Rice right-hander Davion Hickson, who was also a rotation piece.

On the flip side, right-handers from South Carolina (Brendan Sweeney) and The Citadel (Maddox Webb) make competition for the closer role, as Sweeney led the Gamecocks in saves with six, plus Webb was one save behind the team lead for the Bulldogs with five.

Fans have to expect Bauer to make an impact early and often as a pitcher with an undeniable fastball, stacking up with one of the toughest pitching staffs in the nation.

Bryan Portney is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email bep5295@psu.edu.