Following the commitments of two 2027 instate standouts in Lamar School’s Sullivan Reed and Petal’s Fischer Howell, Mississippi State landed another pair of commitments.
California catcher Carson Kinnick announced his decision to commit to the Diamond Dawgs on Monday, while Meridian Community College catcher Harlin Hovater did the same on Tuesday.
Kinnick is currently ranked as the No. 11 catcher nationally and is also No. 11 in the state of California for the 2027 class, according to Perfect Game. He’s also ranked inside the top 100 nationally by the publication.
The lefty bat makes the throws right-handed behind the plate and plays his high school ball for Upland High School. As a sophomore, he played in 25 games and had a .250 batting average with 18 hits, seven RBI, two doubles, two home runs and a triple, but has taken a major jump in the summer circuit with strong backstop play and a nice approach at the plate.
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