NEW ORLEANS — The Sun Belt was well represented during the 2022 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. With 19 selections between current and former members, the Sun Belt ran its all-time tally to 814 picks over the three-day affair from July 17-19.
Coastal Carolina junior shortstop Eric Brown Jr. (1st, 27th) was the first Sun Belt student-athlete off the board, as the 27th overall pick by the Milwaukee Brewers. Chanticleer teammates senior right-handed pitcher Michael Knorr (3rd, 103rd) and redshirt senior left-handed pitcher Reid VanScoter (5th, 156th) – the 2022 Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year – were Day 2 selections by the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners, respectively.
A pair of All-Sun Belt shortstops, Georgia State graduate student Griffin Cheney (9th, 259th) and Texas State senior Dalton Shuffield (10th, 294th) also heard their names called on Day 2 by the Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins.
Sun Belt tournament champion Louisiana produced two Day 3 selections in sophomore right-handed pitcher Bo Bonds (13th, 398th) and junior outfielder/third baseman Tyler Robertson (14th, 420th). Bonds was picked by the Toronto Blue Jays, while Robertson was drafted by the San Diego Padres.
Tristan Stivors, the NCBWA Stopper of the Year in 2022, rounded out the draft class as the 491st overall pick by the Chicago White Sox.
Though they did not officially play in a Sun Belt uniform, new members James Madison – Chase DeLauter and Nick Zona; Southern Miss – Dalton Rogers, Tyler Stuart, Landon Harper, Ben Ethridge and Garrett Ramsey; and Old Dominion – Noah Dean, Matt Courtney and Andy Garriola each produced multiple MLB Draft picks.
Cade Winquest (8th, 247th) of former member UTA was also drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals.
Coastal Carolina (3), Louisiana (2) and Texas State (2) joined new members Southern Miss (5), Old Dominion (3) and James Madison (2) in boasting multiple selections in the 2022 MLB Draft. Georgia State also had a student-athlete picked, giving 7-of-14 current Sun Belt baseball programs representation in this year’s draft class.
