Southern Miss right-handed pitcher Niko Mazza (Madison, Miss.) and outfielder Dalton McIntyre (Jackson, Tenn.) are set to embark on their professional baseball careers this summer after recently signing contracts. Both players were selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft earlier this month. Mazza was picked in the eighth round (No. 238 overall) by the San Francisco Giants, while McIntyre was chosen in the 19th round (No. 581 overall) by the Atlanta Braves.
Over three seasons with the Golden Eagles, Mazza compiled a 14-5 record with a 4.17 ERA. This past spring, he earned second-team All-Sun Belt Conference honors and was named to the NCAA Knoxville Regional all-tournament team. He appeared in 18 games, starting 16, and posted a 9-3 record with a 3.99 ERA, along with 95 strikeouts and just 36 walks in 90 1/3 innings.
In his lone season with the Golden Eagles, Dalton McIntyre led the team with a .388 batting average, including 12 doubles, a triple, two home runs, and 34 RBIs. McIntyre was a finalist for the 2024 Boo Ferriss Trophy, awarded to the top collegiate baseball player in Mississippi, and earned second-team All-Sun Belt and second-team ABCA All-South honors. His .388 average, which included 92 hits with 31 infield singles, was the highest since Luke Reynolds hit .389 in 2018. The Golden Eagles posted a 29-6 record when McIntyre scored at least once in a game. Currently, Southern Miss has 19 former players in professional baseball, with three in the Major Leagues: Chuckie Robinson (C, Chicago White Sox), Nick Sandlin (RHP, Cleveland Guardians), and Matt Wallner (OF, Minnesota Twins).
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