Jonathan Mayer / Assistant Sports Director
For the 12th consecutive year, the Panthers have another man heading to the big leagues.
FIU baseball pitcher Patrick Pridgen was selected by the Detroit Tigers with the 447th pick in the 2022 MLB Draft.
Pridgen finished his first and only season with the Panthers making 14 starts with an ERA of 4.77 in 71.2 innings pitched. His 112 strikeouts ranked 26th in the nation and his strikeout per nine innings of 14.76 were fourth in the nation.
The Apple Valley, Minnesota native spent his first two seasons of collegiate baseball at North Iowa Area Community College from 2018 to 2020.
His best season came in 2019, where he made 12 starts with an ERA of 3.47 in 62.1 innings of work.
After spending time in junior college, Pridgen transferred to the University of Oregon for one season in 2021 before making his way to Miami.
Pridgen will join a young Tiger’s organization that is building a solid youthful squad for the future. His road to the show will begin in the minor leagues for one of the Tiger’s affiliate teams.