Tanner Hall leads Golden Eagles selected in 2023 major league baseball draft
The Major League Baseball draft is under way in earnest this week and Southern Miss has its eyes on the board as several Golden Eagles are expected to be taken.
Southern Miss is one summer removed from watching a record five pitchers get selected in the 2022 draft. The Eagles could have a similar number taken by the end of the three-day event this go around.
As expected, the first name to be called was right-handed pitcher Tanner Hall. The reigning Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year was selected in the fourth round, 114th overall, by the Minnesota Twins.
His slot value is estimated at $586,000.
Hall started 18 games this past season and worked a 2.48 ERA in 112.1 innings. He has a career strikeout rate of 10.9 per nine innings to just 1.9 walks per nine.
The fourth-year junior has a sinker-change mix that effectively misses the barrel, resulting in high ground out and strikeout rates that bolster his numbers.
His 302 career strikeouts are tied for third-best in school history.
Hall joins fellow former Golden Eagle Matt Wallner in the Twins organization. Wallner was drafted in 2019 and made his MLB debut in 2022.
Justin Storm
Left-handed pitcher Justin Storm was selected in the seventh round, 203rd overall by the Miami Marlins. His pick carries an estimated slot value of $261,000.
Storm has an imposing frame at 6-foot-7 that he uses to create deceptive velocity on his fastball with. Storm was a dominant force out of the pen for the Golden Eagles last season, pumping an ERA of 2.36 with a WHIP of only 0.94.
Another fourth-year junior, Storm was relied upon heavily in the postseason and delivered in clutch. He earned the win in five of his last six appearances ranging from the Sun Belt tournament into the Super Regionals against Tennessee.
Dustin Dickerson
The USM shortstop is the third player taken in this year’s draft at pick No. 229 in the eighth round to the Kansas City Royals.
Dickerson is the first Golden Eagle position player to be drafted since Reed Trimble in 2021 and first infielder since Luke Reynolds in 2018.
The three-year starter catapulted himself into the top-10 rounds with an explosive display of power at the plate this season. Dickerson entered the year with two home runs in just over 140 games before blasting 11 long balls in 65 games.
Dickerson’s slot comes with a $213,500 value.
Matt Etzel
The junior college import is the fourth Eagle taken, going in round 10 to the Baltimore Orioles at pick No. 301.
Etzel roamed centerfield and led off every game for USM, combining speed and contact ability to work a .317 batting average and lead the team with 23 stolen bases.
Between a year at USM, the MLB Draft League last summer and Summer League this summer, Etzel has stolen 52 bases in 59 tries.
A left-handed bat, Etzel developed a reputation for putting his speed to good use in the outfield, shielding his average arm ability with plus range.
All four of the Eagles’ draftees are expected to sign with their clubs.
This story was originally published July 10, 2023 at 2:04 PM.
