Sixteen Baseball Players Currently in Professional Baseball
6/17/2024 11:10:00 AM | Baseball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Sixteen former Southern Miss baseball players are currently playing professional baseball with one Golden Eagle currently in the Major Leagues, Nick Sandlin of the Cleveland Guardians.
Seven of the other 15 Golden Eagles are playing in Double A or Triple A, including Matt Wallner who opened the season with the Minnesota Twins. Wallner, who has been a member of the St. Paul Saints in Triple A since mid-April, has recently gone on a tear in the month of June by hitting .397 with 23 runs, four doubles, nine home runs, 19 RBI and an OPS of 1.384.
On Sunday, Chuckie Robinson – who reached the big leagues in 2022 with the Cincinnati Reds and currently plays in Triple A Charlotte for the Chicago White Sox – saw his contract optioned, giving him a spot on the club's 40-man roster. He, though, was not called up to the White Sox at this time.
Over the last month, both Landon Harper (Atlanta Braves) and Matthew Etzel (Baltimore Orioles) were promoted to Double A. One former pitcher, Walker Powell, will miss the remainder of the year with an arm injury.
Former Golden Eagle first baseman Christopher Sargent is playing for the independent team, the Ogden (Utah) Raptors, in the Pioneer League.
The 2024 MLB Draft takes place July 14-16 at the Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas.
| Last 2024 | 2024 | Year | No. | ||
| Player | Pos. | Team (Level) | Organization | Drafted | Round/Pick |
| Nick Sandlin | RHP | Cleveland (MLB) | Cleveland Guardians | 2018 | (Rd. 2, #67) |
| Dustin Dickerson | INF | Quad Cities (High A) | Kansas City Royals | 2023 | (Rd. 8, #229) |
| Ben Ethridge | RHP | Fort Myers (A) | Minnesota Twins | 2022 | (Rd. 15, #444) |
| Matthew Etzel | LF | Bowie (AA) | Baltimore Orioles | 2023 | (Rd. 10, #301) |
| Tanner Hall | RHP | Fort Myers (A) | Minnesota Twins | 2023 | (Rd. 4, #114) |
| Landon Harper | RHP | Mississippi (AA) | Atlanta Braves | 2022 | (Rd. 14, #425) |
| Ryan Och | LHP | Fort Wayne (High A) | San Diego Padres | 2021 | (Rd. 7, #220) |
| Walker Powell$ | RHP | Iowa (AAA) | Chicago Cubs | UDFA | UDFA |
| Chuckie Robinson* | C | Charlotte (AAA) | Chicago White Sox | 2016 | (Rd. 21, #637 by HOU) |
| Dalton Rogers | LHP | Greenville (High A) | Boston Red Sox | 2022 | (Rd. 3, #99) |
| Hunter Stanley | RHP | Columbus (AAA) | Cleveland Guardians | 2021 | (Rd. 11, #336) |
| Justin Storm | LHP | Jupiter (A) | Miami Marlins | 2023 | (Rd. 7, #203) |
| Tyler Stuart | RHP | Binghamton (AA) | New York Mets | 2022 | (Rd. 6, #179) |
| Reed Trimble# | LF | Delmarva (A) | Baltimore Orioles | 2021 | (CBB, #65) |
| Matt Wallner* | RF | St. Paul (AAA) | Minnesota Twins | 2019 | (CBA, #39) |
| Christopher Sargent | 1B/C | Ogden (Ind.) | Independent | UDFA | UDFA |
* Played in MLB; # Rehab Assignment; $ 60-Day Injured List
