Walker Powell Signs with Chicago Cubs as Free Agent
7/15/2021 12:28:00 PM | Baseball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Walker Powell, who finished his Southern Miss baseball career this spring with the second-highest win total in school history as a pitcher, signed a free agent contract with the Chicago Cubs Thursday.
A second-team Collegiate Baseball All-America, as well as a Conference USA first-team selection and the league's Pitcher of the Year honors, Powell posted a 10-2 record with a 2.31 ERA in his final season. His season number also included 86 strikeouts and 18 walks in 89 2/3 innings while opponents hit .224 off of him during the year.
His other honors following his final Golden Eagle campaign included being named a second-team All-South Region pitcher by the American Baseball Coaches Association and Earned Conference USA Pitcher of the Week honors twice, both coinciding with being named a Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week.
His two weekly awards came after limiting Missouri State (3/20) to three hits over eight scoreless innings with one walk and six strikeouts on March 22 and again, on May 10, following a complete-game, seven-inning no-hitter against Middle Tennessee (5/8) in which he walked one and fanned 12. It was the school's first complete-game no-hitter since 2004.
The Middle Tennessee contest marked the third time in his career he posted double-digit strikeouts in his career. Powell went 24 consecutive innings without allowing a run at one point during the campaign.
The right-hander from Fayetteville, Ark., won 16 of his final 18 decisions and threw at least five innings in 23 of his final 26 starts. He trails on only Todd McInnis (33) in the school's history in number of career victories.
He finished the year ranked 1st in NCAA D-I active career leaders for wins (30), 2nd in complete games (10) and 1st in innings pitched (340.0).
Powell is the fourth Golden Eagle from the 2021 squad to get a chance to play professional baseball this season with Reed Trimble, Ryan Och and Hunter Stanley all drafted earlier this week by MLB organizations.
A second-team Collegiate Baseball All-America, as well as a Conference USA first-team selection and the league's Pitcher of the Year honors, Powell posted a 10-2 record with a 2.31 ERA in his final season. His season number also included 86 strikeouts and 18 walks in 89 2/3 innings while opponents hit .224 off of him during the year.
His other honors following his final Golden Eagle campaign included being named a second-team All-South Region pitcher by the American Baseball Coaches Association and Earned Conference USA Pitcher of the Week honors twice, both coinciding with being named a Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week.
His two weekly awards came after limiting Missouri State (3/20) to three hits over eight scoreless innings with one walk and six strikeouts on March 22 and again, on May 10, following a complete-game, seven-inning no-hitter against Middle Tennessee (5/8) in which he walked one and fanned 12. It was the school's first complete-game no-hitter since 2004.
The Middle Tennessee contest marked the third time in his career he posted double-digit strikeouts in his career. Powell went 24 consecutive innings without allowing a run at one point during the campaign.
The right-hander from Fayetteville, Ark., won 16 of his final 18 decisions and threw at least five innings in 23 of his final 26 starts. He trails on only Todd McInnis (33) in the school's history in number of career victories.
He finished the year ranked 1st in NCAA D-I active career leaders for wins (30), 2nd in complete games (10) and 1st in innings pitched (340.0).
Powell is the fourth Golden Eagle from the 2021 squad to get a chance to play professional baseball this season with Reed Trimble, Ryan Och and Hunter Stanley all drafted earlier this week by MLB organizations.
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