What to expect for Southern Miss baseball at the 2022 MLB Draft

HATTIESBURG — After finishing the 2022 season with the nation's second-best ERA, Southern Miss baseball's pitchers will surely be of interest to MLB executives at the 2022 MLB Draft, which begins on Sunday. 

"I would assume the draft is probably going to entertain some guys on the mound, so it's going to be interesting to see what happens there," USM coach Scott Berry said last month. "We feel good about it right now. Obviously, if that's the best thing for those young men then I'll be very supportive of it, as I always have."  

By process of elimination, the Golden Eagles' relievers are likely going to be the focus. 

Southern Miss' All-American Friday starter Tanner Hall isn't yet draft eligible. Sunday starter Hurston Waldrep isn't either, but he's set to transfer to Florida anyway. 

That leaves Hunter Riggins from USM's regular starting rotation, who has exhausted his eligibility. Coming up on his 24th birthday, Riggins is unsurprisingly not featured on draft prospect lists due to his age. It will be interesting to see if an organization takes a chance on the sinkerballing starter with a 2.59 ERA in the later rounds. 

Out in the Southern Miss bullpen, there are eight draft-eligible arms. 

Among the draft experts, Dalton Rogers and Tyler Stuart are the names generating the most traction. Both have collegiate eligibility remaining. 

Baseball America ranked Stuart as its No. 302 overall draft prospect, which would place him in the 10th round with a $151,000 slot value. 

Rogers came in at No. 360 on the list. The 360th pick in last year's draft signed for $125,000. 

Rogers was among the most effective relief pitchers in college baseball last season, pitching to a 1.95 ERA. Hitters notched only a .128 batting average against the lefty, who racked up 13.86 strikeouts per nine innings. 

Stuart wasn't quite as dominant for the Golden Eagles in 2022, but he was still effective, pitching 40 innings with a 3.38 ERA. He made 18 appearances out of the bullpen and also started four games. 

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More likely to attract MLB Draft interest than any of Stuart's numbers, though, is his projectability. A 6-foot-9 flamethrower, it's easy to see why he's ranked where he is. 

Certainly, it's not out of the question that a position player or two could find his way into the 2022 MLB Draft, with 20 rounds worth of picks set to be made over the course of three days. 

Among the draft-eligible underclassmen for the Golden Eagles are key lineup fixtures like Danny Lynch, Reece Ewing, Christopher Sargent, Slade Wilks and Dustin Dickerson. 

It's also worth keeping an eye on the future Golden Eagles who haven't yet made it to campus. 

One name in particular to monitor is Matthew Etzel, an outfielder out of Panola Junior College in Texas who is committed to play for Southern Miss. 

Baseball American ranks him as the No. 251 overall prospect after he hit .427 with a .704 slugging percentage in 2022. 

The slot value at 251 in this year's MLB Draft is $171,000. 

Reach Southern Miss writer David Eckert at deckert@gannett.com or on Twitter @davideckert98.