Ole Miss national championship-winning hurler Mason Nichols has made history as the Rebel baseball club’s first-ever recipient of the SEC Male H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Nichols has now been awarded the highest academic honor by the NCAA, the SEC, and the University of Mississippi after winning the university’s Taylor Medal and the NCAA’s Walter Byers Graduate Scholarship earlier this month. He is the first baseball player in the SEC to earn the conference honor since 2012.
The senior from Jackson has been a mainstay in the Rebels’ starting rotation this season, earning an opening nod in every weekend series so far. In 11 starts, he has posted a record of 3-1 while striking out 44 batters over 41.2 innings of work. On March 2, in a start against Wright State, Nichols struck out a career-high 10 hitters and is one of only two Rebel pitchers to reach double-digit strikeouts in a game this season.
Nichols signed with Ole Miss after a standout high school tenure at Jackson Prep. He has appeared in 72 collegiate games to date — more than any other pitcher in the current stable. The highlight of Nichols’ time at Ole Miss was when he helped lead the team to glory in the 2022 College World Series.
The Mississippian is slated to graduate with a degree in biological sciences in May. A three-year team representative on Ole Miss’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Nichols’ community involvement has included volunteering at events for individuals with special needs, church activities for the elderly, and team projects to give back to low-income families.
Nichols will continue his current campaign with No. 22 Ole Miss (32-13, 12-9 SEC) as the Rebels look to round out the regular season and vie for a hosting spot in the NCAA Tournament. Mike Bianco’s club defeated Austin Peay 6-3 on Tuesday and will travel west to face No. 21 Oklahoma for a three-game series beginning Friday at 6:30 p.m.
