SF Giants: 5 fun facts about first-round pick Will Bednar

Fun facts about SF Giants top pick Will Bednar
2. He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2021 College World Series

As the Mississippi State baseball team worked their way towards the 2021 College World Series title, Will Bednar was pivotal to their success. In fact, his contributions were so significant that he was named the Most Outstanding Player of the event. While Bednar made three starts, posting a 1.47 ERA across 18.1 innings of work, his final appearance of the season clearly left the biggest mark.

In the final game of the season, with the Bulldogs in a winner-take-all game for the national championship, Bednar was asked to start on three days rest after throwing 97 pitches in a victory over Texas. That short of a turnaround is noticeable even for big-league pitchers, but in college, where starters usually only pitch in one game a week, the turnaround was even more dramatic.

Bednar answered the call and was as effective as ever. Going up against Vanderbilt star Kumar Rocker (who was selected by the New York Mets with the tenth overall pick on Sunday), Bednar faced off against the star-studded Commodore lineup and did not surrender a hit over seven innings of work.

Landon Sims relieved Bednar and allowed the only Vanderbilt hit of the game, but the result was clearly decided. Mississippi State pulled out a dominating 9-0 victory and cemented their place in college baseball history. Entering the College World Series, Bednar was considered a borderline first-round prospect. However, after multiple strong performances on short rest against elite competition, his stock quickly rose.