CLEVELAND, Miss. – Delta State University head tennis coach Jeffrey Farris announced the signing of Stedman Strickland on Monday, April 25, 2017. Strickland marks the first Statesmen to sign for the 2018 season.
 
"I am extremely excited to welcome Stedman to the Delta State family," Farris said. "He is a top-ranked player in the state of Mississippi and will have an immediate impact for us next season."
 
Strickland, who played for Melissa Hall at St. Joseph Catholic School, boasts an accomplished resume on the court. The 5-foot-11, 155-pound Strickland won five consecutive Mississippi High School Activities Association 1A/2AA singles state tennis championships, while only losing one match in his entire four-year high school career. He was also a member of the 2012 and 2013 state championship teams.

Strickland, a Jackson, Mississippi, native has also accumulated many accolades including being named to the 2015 and 2016 Best of Mississippi Preps 1st Team All-State Tennis Team, represented Mississippi at the Icy Hot Southern Junior Cup six times, as well as, being awarded the 2014 George Wilkinson Memorial Award and the 2016 Dorothy Vest Player of the Year Award, both from the Mississippi Tennis Association. Strickland has reached the No. 1 spot in Mississippi in every age group.