June 6, 2019
For the third time in University history, an East Texas Baptist University Baseball player has been selected in the Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft. Joining the ranks of Tim Brown (1980, New York Mets) and Tyler Bates (2016, Los Angeles Angels), Casey Combs was picked as #801 in the twenty-seventh round by the Miami Marlins. Combs was the fourth NCAA Division III athlete chosen in the draft and only one of nine overall.
"This is a tremendous accomplishment for Casey. I am extremely proud of the determination he put towards being the best player, leader, teammate, and man he could be for this team," Tiger Baseball Head Coach Jared Hood shared. "His growth and maturity on and off the field is a true testament of his character and accomplishments. I am thankful that God placed this young man into my life and used this game so that we could grow together. I am very proud of Casey."
Combs leads ETBU as one of the most decorated players in program history. He was named to two All-American first teams (D3baseball.com, ABCA), West Region Player of the Year (D3baseball.com, ABCA), American Southwest Conference (ASC) Player of the Year, and the CoSIDA Academic All-American third team. He also earned a place on the All-ASC first team and D3baseball.com "Team of the Week" and was awarded the ASC Hitter of the Week twice.
This season, Combs led the team in batting average (.417), hits (68), RBI (48), and stolen bases (19), while sharing the home run lead at 13. He also set a career high with an 11-game hitting streak from March 8 through March 23 and tied a career high with five hits against Louisiana College on April 26.
ETBU has now won 30 games in three of the last four seasons and made the ASC Tournament for five straight years. To learn more about ETBU Baseball and other Tiger Athletics programs, visit goetbutigers.com.