USM baseball players, signees earn spots in MLB

Four Southern Miss baseball players along with five signees for the 2015 season were drafted in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

Bradley Roney was the first Golden Eagle baseball player taken in this year’s draft, selected as the 253^rd pick in the eighth round by the Atlanta Braves. Named to the All-Conference USA second team in the spring, Roney posted a 2-0 record with a 1.24 earned run average, struck out 38 in 36 1/3 innings, walked 16, recorded 18 hits and gave up five runs last season.

The Wetumpka, Ala., pitcher also tied a school record for the most career saves with 30 and finished fifth on the university’s single-season chart with 12 saves this year.

Following Roney, three other Southern Miss baseball players were drafted.

Golden Eagle pitcher Conor Fisk was selected as the 714^th overall pick in the 24^th round by the Toronto Blue Jays. Senior outfielder and pitcher Mason Robbins was chosen by the Chicago White Sox as the 738^th pick in the 25^th round, followed by junior pitcher Taylor Nunez as the 824^th pick in the 27^th round by the Boston Red Sox.

Fisk finished his two-year career as a Golden Eagle pitcher with a11-5 record and a 2.89 ERA in 25 career starts, earning All-Conference USA second team honors.

The Brown Deer, Wis., native posted a team-high 84 strikeouts through 89 1/3 innings, recorded 27 runs with 26 earned and allowed 71 hits and 24 walks last season. In addition, Fisk was previously drafted in 2010 in the 34^th round by the Milwaukee Brewers.

Being only one of two players to play in every game last season, Robbins posted a .267 batting average, 14 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 38 RBIs through 60 games.

In his three-year career at Southern Miss, he has posted a .303 batting average, a total of 35 doubles, nine triples, nine home runs, 116 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. Like Fisk, the Leakesville, Miss., native was drafted once before by the New York Mets in the 20^th round of the 2011 draft.

In six appearances with three starts this past spring, Nunez went 0-2, posting a 6.79 ERA for the Golden Eagles. The right-handed pitcher fanned 13 players through 14 1/3 innings. Additionally, he was first drafted by the Pittsburg Pirates in the 19^th round of the 2011 draft

The four selections in this year’s draft mark the most for Southern Miss since 2011.

Golden Eagle signees, Mark Keyes, Byron Murray, Daniel Keating, Blake Anderson and Justin Steele found their names present on the draft board as well.

Reyes was a pitcher at Crowder Community College. A native of Hot Springs Village, Ark., Reyes was drafted by the San Francisco Giants as the 658^th pick in the 22^nd round of the draft.

Like Reyes, Murray was drafted by the Giants in the 25^th round as the 748^th pick while Keating was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates as the 1181th pick in the 39^th round.

Anderson, a catcher from West Lauderdale High School, was drafted in the Competitive Balance Round A to the Miami Marlins as the 26^th pick while Steele went to the Chicago Cubs in the fifth round and 139^th overall.