He's played for East Central, MSU and the USA. He now has a shot at the big leagues.
Former East Central baseball star Konnor Pilkington had his named called early on the second day of the MLB Draft.
The Mississippi State junior left-hander was chosen in the third round Tuesday by the Chicago White Sox, making him the 81st overall selection.
The 6-foot-3, 228-pound Pilkington is 2-6 with a 4.61 ERA in 16 starts for the Bulldogs this season. He has 97 strikeouts and 30 walks in 91 2/3 innings.
Pilkington drew an invitation to join USA Baseball's Collegiate National team last summer. He performed well against international competition with a 2.65 ERA.
The lefty was projected as high as a first-round selection entering the 2018 campaign, but his numbers lagged somewhat this year after going 8-5 with a 3.08 ERA in 17 starts last year.
Pilkington has a fastball that has reached 97 miles per hour.
Mississippi State (35-26) will travel to take on Vanderbilt at 7 p.m. on Friday in the first game of a Super Regional series. The Bulldogs advanced in the NCAA tournament after rallying for four consecutive wins to take the Tallahassee Regional.
The Bulldogs beat Oklahoma 8-1 on Monday to clinch the regional.
This story was originally published June 5, 2018 at 12:49 PM with the headline "He's played for East Central, MSU and the USA. He now has a shot at the big leagues.."