Mississippi State Baseball Lands Former Texas Freshman All-American Aaron Nixon

Former Texas Freshman All-American pitcher Aaron Nixon will be transferring to Mississippi State ahead of the 2023 baseball season. 

The rising junior was one of the nation's best relief pitchers during his 2021 freshman season and played a huge role in getting the Longhorns deep into the postseason. Although Nixon struggled some this past year, he has shown that he can compete with the best and be a valuable asset for the Diamond Dawgs. 

Nixon finished his true freshman season with a 4-3 overall record and nine saves. He totaled 34.0 innings of work on the mound in which he posted a 2.12 earned run average with 35 strikeouts and 10 walked batters. Nixon allowed just eight runs to score on the season and gave up 26 hits -- four of which resulted in extra bases. One of his best performances of the season came against Mississippi State in Omaha when he gave up no runs in 1.2 innings and recorded the win for his team. Nixon was named a Freshman All-American and was chosen as an Honorable Mention All-Big 12 member before training with Team USA over the summer.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound righty struggled in the latter half of the 2022 season. Nixon finished the year with five saves and a 1-3 overall record. He had a 5.04 earned run average in 30.1 innings pitched with 18 runs given up, 38 strikeouts and 25 batters walked. Although he started the season off strong by giving up no runs in his first nine appearances, he had a difficult time on the mound once the Longhorns entered conference play.

Nixon could end up being one of the Diamond Dawgs' most valuable transfers by the time the 2023 season arrives. The team needs some veteran bullpen arms, especially since star pitcher Landon Sims will likely be leaving the program to play professionally in just a few weeks. With the addition of Nixon, Mississippi State is getting closer to becoming a force to be reckoned with in the SEC once again.