Trio of Bulldogs drafted on Day 2 of 2021 MLB Draft

STARKVILLE, Miss. — Three Mississippi State baseball players were selected during the second day of the 2021 MLB Draft on Monday, bringing MSU’s total to four between Day 1 and Day 2 of the three-day event.

The trio of outfielder Tanner Allen, right-handed pitcher Eric Cerantola and left-handed pitcher Christian MacLeod were all drafted on Day 2 of the draft, making it the second consecutive season that MSU had multiple student-athletes picked in the first five rounds.

Allen, who was the Southeastern Conference player of the year and a first-team All-America honoree, was selected by the Miami Marlins with the No. 118 pick in the fourth round of the draft. Cerantola was picked 139th overall in the fifth round by the Kansas City Royals, while MacLeod was taken by the Minnesota Twins with the 159th pick in the fifth round.

Allen led the Bulldogs with 100 hits and 66 RBIs on a .383 batting average during the 2021 season. He was also second on the team in runs scored with 72 and third in home runs with 11.

In 210 games with the Maroon and White, Allen owns a .336 batting average with 281 hits, 23 home runs, 62 doubles, 12 triples, 182 RBIs and 176 runs.

The native of Theodore, Alabama, is one of two Bulldogs in program history to record at least 50 doubles, 20 home runs and 10 triples. He is also one of nine MSU hitters in school history to produce 200 hits, 150 runs scored and 150 RBIs in a career.

Cerantola, a native of Oakville, Ontario, was selected in the eighth round of the Ontario Hockey League draft in 2016, but he chose to play baseball for the Bulldogs. In three seasons with MSU, Cerantola appeared in 25 games with 12 starts. He owns a 4.41 ERA in 49 innings pitched with 67 strikeouts.

The hard-throwing right-hander hit 100 mph in the spring, but control issues led to him being axed from the rotation and left off the College World Series roster. He finished the 2021 season with 24 strikeouts and 11 walks in 17 ¹⁄₃ innings of work.

MacLeod, a native of Huntsville, Alabama, was the No. 1 starter for the Bulldogs for much of their national championship season. He went 6-6 with a 5.23 ERA in 19 starts. He fanned 113 batters in 82 ²⁄₃ innings.

As a freshman, MacLeod went 4-0 in four starts during the shortened pandemic season. He owned a 0.86 ERA and struck out 35 batters in 21 innings pitched.

The draft concludes Tuesday with Rounds 11-20.