University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Photo by: Joe Harper/bgnphoto.com
Ben Ethridge Set to play in Arizona Fall League Starting New Week
9/28/2023 10:58:00 AM | Baseball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Former Southern Miss right-handed pitcher Ben Ethridge (Collinsville, Miss.) will play for the Glendale Desert Dogs over the next six weeks as a part of the Arizona Fall League.
Ethridge, who lettered for the Golden Eagles for three seasons, got taken in the 15th round of the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft by the Minnesota Twins. In his first full season of professional baseball this spring and summer, Ethridge played for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels in the Class A Florida State League. He posted a 3-6 record with a 2.99 ERA with 63 strikeouts and 36 walks to go along with an opponent's batting average of .212. He appeared in 25 games, which included 13 starts, and threw 78 1/3 innings.
As a Golden Eagle, Ethridge made 32 appearances from 2020-22 including 21 starts. His collegiate career included a 10-5 record with a 3.35 ERA, two complete games and two shutouts. In 129 1/3 innings, Ethridge fanned 147 and walked just 25 as opponents hit .239 against him. He earned Freshman All-America honors by both Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America and was a second team All-Conference USA selection in 2021.
Each August, Major League clubs determine the players who will play in the AFL and every organization sends seven top prospects to the Arizona Fall League. The games are played in six total ballparks that house MLB Spring Training, with select events in additional ballparks.
There are five additional teams in the AFL along with the Desert Dogs and they include: the Scottsdale Scorpions, Mesa Solar Sox, Salt River Rafters, Peoria Javelinas and Surprise Saguaros. These club names were picked by Major League Baseball as reflective of the Southwestern desert traditions in the state.
The Desert Dogs make up players from the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota, and New York Met organizations. Ethridge's team begins its 30-game schedule against the Salt River Rafters, Monday, Oct. 2, at 7:30 p.m. CT.
The AFL regular season runs through Thursday, Nov. 9. The play-in semifinals will take place between the second- and third-place squads on Friday, Nov. 10, at Glendale's Camelback Ranch. The AFL Championship Game will be played on Saturday, Nov. 11, at Scottsdale Stadium. The AFL Home Run Derby returns to Mesa's Sloan Park on Saturday, Nov. 4 with the annual Fall Stars Game in the same place a day later.
Ethridge joins fellow Golden Eagles Cody Carroll, Tommy Davis, Kirk McCarty, Tony Phillips, Reed Trimble, and Matt Wallner, who have played in this league in their professional careers.
Ethridge, who lettered for the Golden Eagles for three seasons, got taken in the 15th round of the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft by the Minnesota Twins. In his first full season of professional baseball this spring and summer, Ethridge played for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels in the Class A Florida State League. He posted a 3-6 record with a 2.99 ERA with 63 strikeouts and 36 walks to go along with an opponent's batting average of .212. He appeared in 25 games, which included 13 starts, and threw 78 1/3 innings.
As a Golden Eagle, Ethridge made 32 appearances from 2020-22 including 21 starts. His collegiate career included a 10-5 record with a 3.35 ERA, two complete games and two shutouts. In 129 1/3 innings, Ethridge fanned 147 and walked just 25 as opponents hit .239 against him. He earned Freshman All-America honors by both Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America and was a second team All-Conference USA selection in 2021.
Each August, Major League clubs determine the players who will play in the AFL and every organization sends seven top prospects to the Arizona Fall League. The games are played in six total ballparks that house MLB Spring Training, with select events in additional ballparks.
There are five additional teams in the AFL along with the Desert Dogs and they include: the Scottsdale Scorpions, Mesa Solar Sox, Salt River Rafters, Peoria Javelinas and Surprise Saguaros. These club names were picked by Major League Baseball as reflective of the Southwestern desert traditions in the state.
The Desert Dogs make up players from the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota, and New York Met organizations. Ethridge's team begins its 30-game schedule against the Salt River Rafters, Monday, Oct. 2, at 7:30 p.m. CT.
The AFL regular season runs through Thursday, Nov. 9. The play-in semifinals will take place between the second- and third-place squads on Friday, Nov. 10, at Glendale's Camelback Ranch. The AFL Championship Game will be played on Saturday, Nov. 11, at Scottsdale Stadium. The AFL Home Run Derby returns to Mesa's Sloan Park on Saturday, Nov. 4 with the annual Fall Stars Game in the same place a day later.
Ethridge joins fellow Golden Eagles Cody Carroll, Tommy Davis, Kirk McCarty, Tony Phillips, Reed Trimble, and Matt Wallner, who have played in this league in their professional careers.
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