STARKVILLE — The new year is already treating Mississippi State baseball better than 2015.

The program received the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball (NACSB) Most Valuable Program Award on Thursday night. The award honors the college baseball program considered to be the most valuable during summer baseball.

The NACSB had 845 institutions send more than 3,800 players across the country this past summer. Of the 21 players from the 2016 MSU roster who competed last summer, 11 earned All-Star honors. Two were named MVP in their respective league.

Thirteen positional players combined to hit .316 in 438 total games, with 241 RBIs, 86 doubles, 13 triples and 31 home runs. On the mound, MSU’s nine pitchers recorded a 2.13 ERA in 292 innings with 251 strikeouts and a 1.15 WHIP.

Mississippi State hit .271 as a team last year with 22 home runs. The Bulldogs’ staff finished with a 4.51 ERA. The numbers led to a 24-30 finish, which didn’t quality for postseason play, including the SEC Tournament.

The lows continued when the MLB Draft concluded without a Bulldog selected for the first time since 1976.

The talents appears to have returned to the roster in 2016.

Coach John Cohen named Brent Rooker the program’s Hitter of the Summer. The sophomore won MVP and Most Improved Player in the New England Collegiate Baseball League. He led the league in hits (59), runs scored (36), home runs (10) and RBIs (33). Rooker finished his summer with promotion to the Brewster Whitecaps in the Cape Cod League.

Dakota Hudson was named MSU’s Pitcher of the Summer. The junior was named to the 2015 Cape Cod Baseball League Year-End All-League Team. He finished fifth in the league in strikeouts and ERA. The right-handed was also listed as a top-20 college prospect for the 2016 MLB Draft by Baseball America, D1 Baseball and Perfect Game.

Hudson and Vance Tatum (1.93 regular season ERA) led the Hyannis Harbor Hawks to the Cape’s Western Division championship

Left-hander Daniel Brown, tied for sixth in the league with a 1.80 ERA.

Zac Houston finished with a 1.68 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings pitched in the Cape. He also held hitters to a .155 average at the plate. Houston was named a top-70 college prospect for the 2016 MLB Draft by Baseball America.

Offensively, Jacob Robson was named a starter in the CCBL All-Star Game. The outfielder hit .318 in 30 regular season games. Reid Humphreys batted .276 in 145 total at-bats. Humphreys, who ranked fifth in the league with five home runs, finished the summer hitting .404 with 14 RBIs in his final 15 games.

Away from the Cape, infielders Luke Reynolds and Cole Gordon were both selected All-Stars in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League on their way to leading the Lima Locos to the league championship. Gordon was named to the All-GLSCL First Team after winning the GLSCL batting title with a .400 average in 75 at-bats. The redshirt freshman finished second in the league with seven home runs. Reynolds hit .344 in 128 at-bats and tied for sixth in the league with 29 runs and 12 doubles on his way to second-team honors.

Contact Michael Bonner at mbonner@jackson.gannett.com. Follow @MikeBBonner on Twitter.