MLB Draft Tracker: Where Are Southern Miss Baseball Players Heading?

Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI is keeping track of where each Southern Miss baseball player or prospect is headed in the 2026 MLB Draft.

@SouthernMissBSB

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Southern Miss baseball program has a rich tradition of excellence, posting 40-win seasons every single year over the past decade. A lot of that has to do with great coaching and having a strong culture, but a program also needs a good collection of overall talent to make that happen.

With the 2026 MLB Draft taking place this weekend, Southern Miss Golden Eagles On SI is tracking where every Southern Miss player or prospect ends up. Save the link to this article and check back throughout the weekend, as we'll be updating it anytime something Southern Miss baseball-related happens.

Joey Urban Joins Jake Cook in Toronto

Emery Powell

With the 282nd pick in the ninth round of the 2026 MLB Draft, the Toronto Blue Jays selected recently graduated Southern Miss senior outfielder Joey Urban. The Jupiter, Florida, native started all 61 games for the Golden Eagles during the 2026 season, batting .320 with 15 home runs and 55 RBI.

Urban reunites with former teammate Jake Cook, who was also selected by the Blue Jays in the 2025 MLB Draft. Southern Miss has had an outfielder selected in six of the last eight years: Urban (2026), Cook (2025), Dalton McIntyre (2024), Matthew Etzel (2023), Reed Trimble (2021) and Matt Wallner (2019).

Cook took to Instagram to express his excitement for joining forces with Urban once again.

Safe to say @jakecook26 is happy to be reuniting with @JoeyUrban14. 😤 pic.twitter.com/caFE7m6SVJ

— Southern Miss On SI (@USMonSI) July 12, 2026

McCarty English Drafted By Tampa Bay

Southern Miss sophomore RHP McCarty English pitched five shutout innings in Sunday's win over North Alabama. | @SouthernMissBSB

With the 503rd pick in the 17th round of the 2026 MLB Draft, the Tampa Bay Rays selected Southern Miss right-handed pitcher McCarty English. During his redshirt-sophomore season, English posted a 4.78 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 12 appearances (seven starts).

The Ocean Springs native entered the transfer portal this summer and recently joined Arizona before the draft commenced.

Drake Meeks Drafted By Detroit Tigers

Josh House

With the 546th pick in the 18th round of the MLB Draft, the Detroit Tigers selected Southern Miss right-handed pitcher Drake Meeks. During his redshirt-sophomore season, Meeks posted a 7.94 ERA with eight strikeouts in seven appearances.

The Birmingham, Alabama, native recently entered the transfer portal this summer but hadn't yet committed to a team before the draft started.

Colby Allen Signs With Tampa Bay Rays

Senior Colby Allen on the mound at Pete Taylor Park | Josh House

Soon after the MLB Draft concluded, recently graduated Southern Miss right-handed pitcher Colby Allen signed a free-agent deal with the Tampa Bay Rays, joining his former teammate McCarty English, who was selected by the Rays in the 17th round.

Allen will forever be a Golden Eagle legend due to his fiery competitiveness and unwavering commitment to the program. Through four years in Hattiesburg, Allen posted a 3.93 ERA in 92 appearances. He registered 264 strikeouts to just 57 walks over the course of his career. Tampa Bay is certainly getting a good one in Allen.

Southern Miss Baseball Roster Loaded for 2026

@SouthernMissBSB

One of the biggest questions for the Golden Eagles heading into the 2026 MLB Draft was the future of star outfielder Davis Gillespie. Would he get drafted and start his pro career early, or would he return to Southern Miss for his senior year?

Surprisingly, Gillespie wasn't selected in the draft this weekend, which suggests there may have been a cutoff range for the Birmingham, Alabama, native. For example, and this is purely speculation, perhaps Gillespie would've only left for the pros if he'd been selected in the first 10 rounds, so once it got past that range, teams knew there was no use drafting him because he was going back to USM?

Regardless of what happened, this is a huge development for Southern Miss heading into 2027, as not only will Gillespie be back, but it also looks like every one of the Golden Eagles' talented 2026 high school recruits will actually make it to campus. Not to mention all the massive additions via the transfer portal this summer. This is shaping up to be one of the most top-to-bottom stacked rosters Southern Miss baseball has had, and that's saying something, given the program's history.