Inf Luke Waddell promoted to M-Braves on Thursday
Published 5:05 pm Thursday, September 2, 2021
BILOXI, MS – The Mississippi Braves have announced that 2021 fifth-round draft pick Luke Waddell has been promoted to Mississippi from High-A Rome. With the addition, the M-Braves roster has 27 active players, one shy of the league maximum.
Waddell, 23, becomes the first of the Atlanta Braves 2021 draft class to reach the Double-A level. Waddell’s promotion comes after having the best week in minor league baseball from August 24-29, batting .545 (12-for-22) with six home runs, 10 RBI, and eight runs scored in six games at Bowling Green. The Loveland, OH native had multi-hit games in five out of six and capped his week by going 3-for-5 with two home runs, three RBI, three runs scored in Rome’s 10-5 win over the Hot Rods.
Helping lead the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to its second-consecutive ACC Coastal Division Championship in 2021. The second-year captain hit .309 as one of the nation’s best table setters with 71 hits, 12 doubles, a triple, eight home runs, and 33 RBI en route to being named first-team all-ACC. The Loveland, Ohio native was one of the toughest hitters to strikeout out in the country, leading the ACC and ranking sixth nationally at 14.4 at-bats per strikeout. He finished his college career, hitting .354 over the last two months of the season. For his career, Waddell finished with the eighth-most assists (421) at Georgia Tech since 2002 and finished a career-.308 hitter in 172 games and 161 starts after hitting .300 in each of his final three years. He reached base .407 and stole 15 bases, and finished with a .953 fielding percentage.
The M-Braves will try to open the series in Biloxi on Thursday night at MGM Park, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:35 pm. The M-Braves will be playing their first game in nine days (8/24 vs. Pensacola), while Biloxi will play their first game in five days (8/27 vs. Rocket City). The M-Braves lead Montgomery by 6.0 games and Birmingham by 7.0 games with 17 to play in the overall Double-A South standings. The magic number for the Braves to clinch a postseason spot is 13, while the magic number to clinch the regular-season title is 15.
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The Mississippi Braves will host their final homestand, September 7-12, against the Montgomery Biscuits at Trustmark Park. The homestand will feature the last Thirsty Thursday of 2021, Drew Waters Statue Giveaway, Kid’s Backpack Giveaway, First Responders and Military Appreciation Night on September 11, and Post-Game Fireworks. For a complete list of promotions and to purchase tickets, visit mississippibraves.com, or call 888-BRAVES4.
