Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina baseball has 16 returning players currently rostered in the various summer baseball leagues. There are also 11 former Catamounts playing in the various professional leagues, including Zebby Matthews with the Minnesota Twins in the big leagues.
 
Six Catamounts are playing as part of the 30th season of the Coastal Plain League (https://coastalplain.com/), with three – outfielder Walker Fox, infielder Jackson Lyda, and pitcher Bryce Davidson – teaming on the Forest City Owls. Wyatt Stanley is spending his summer close to his home in High Point, on the roster with the High Point-Thomasville (HPT) Hi-Toms franchise, playing at historic Finch Field.
 
Catcher Carlos Diaz has suited up for the Florence Flamingos, with batter mate, RHP Davis Jabaley, pitching for the Lexington County Blowfish, both in South Carolina. Mason Holton, who is eligible to be rostered as a post-eligibility player (PEP), is also playing with Lexington County.
 
In the Virginia-based Valley Baseball League (valleybaseballleague.com), four Catamounts are on the roster, with three on the same squad. Rising sophomores Caden Haywood and Marshall McGowan are joined by rising redshirt junior RHP Colton Starling with the Strausburg Express. Tyler Oaks, who made eight appearances with three mid-week starts as a true freshman for WCU in 2026, is playing for the northernmost squad in Virginia.

RHP Davis Budd and battery mate catcher Noah Quarless are playing in the northeast with the Vermont Mountaineers of the New England Baseball League, where they are joined by Trey Spees with tthe Valley (Mass.) Blue Sox.
 
Asheville native Carson Wallace, who redshirted last spring, is playing close to home with the Waynesville Hollers in the Old North State League, while Turner Gross and Ryan Perzanowski are teaming with the Leesburg (Fla.) Lightning in the Florida Collegiate Summer League. Playing at first base, Gross was named a Florida League All-Star and selected as a starter for the West squad in the July 7 all-star game to be played at Historic Sanford Memorial Stadium in Sanford, Fla.
 
Two Catamounts who have exhausted their collegiate eligibility – Owen Austin with the Aberdeen IronBirds in Maryland and Trent Turner with the State College Spikes in Pennsylvania – are playing in the MLB Draft League. This hybrid amateur-professional summer league serves as a showcase for draft-eligible prospects leading up to the draft. The 80-game, split-season schedule has a first half featuring draft-eligible collegiate players, resuming after the draft break with professional players who have exhausted their amateur eligibility.
 
MLB DRAFT LEAGUE:
Owen Austin – Aberdeen (Md.) IronBirds
Trent Turner – State College (Pa.) Spikes
 
COASTAL PLAIN LEAGUE:
Carlos Diaz – Florence (S.C.) Flamingos
Bryce Davidson – Forest City (N.C.) Owls
Walker Fox – Forest City (N.C.) Owls
Davis Jabaley – Lexington County (S.C.) Blowfish
Jackson Lyda – Forest City (N.C.) Owls
Wyatt Stanley – Thomasville (N.C.) Hi-Toms
Mason Holton – Lexington County (S.C.) Blowfish
 
NEW ENGLAND BASEBALL LEAGUE:
Davis Budd – Vermont Mountaineers
Noah Quarless – Vermont Mountaineers
Trey Spees – Valley (Mass.) Blue Sox

VALLEY LEAGUE:
Caden Haywood – Strausburg (Va.) Express
Marshall McGowan – Strausburg (Va.) Express
Colton Starling – Strausburg (Va.) Express
Tyler Oaks – Winchester (Va.) Royals
 
OLD NORTH STATE LEAGUE:
Carson Wallace – Waynesville (N.C.) Hollers
 
Florida Collegiate Summer League:
Turner Gross – Leesburg Lightning
Ryan Perzanowski – Leesburg Lightning
 
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Catamounts in the Minor Leagues
Here's an update on where former Catamount baseball players are currently playing in professional baseball, from the Majors through Independent Leagues.
 
MLB:
Zebby Matthews, Drafted 2022 – Minnesota Twins (MLB)
 
MiLB:
Justice Bigbie, Drafted 2021 – Erie SeaWolves (Double-A, Detroit Tigers)
Brayden Corn, Drafted 2025 – ACL (Ariz.) Mariners (Rookie League, Seattle Mariners)
Pascanel Ferreras, Drafted 2023 – Sugar Land (Texas) Space Cowboys (Triple-A, Houston Astros)
Hayden Friese, Drafted 2025 – Augusta (Ga.) Green Jackets – (Single-A, Atlanta Braves)
Cannon Pickell, Drafted 2025 – Beloit (Wis.) Sky Carp (High-A, Miami Marlins)
Dusty Revis, Drafted 2025 – Daytona (Fla.) Tortugas (Single-A, Cincinnati Reds)
Jonathan Todd, Drafted 2024 – Vancouver Canadians (High-A, Toronto Blue Jays)
 
Independent Leagues:
Bryson Parks – High Point (N.C.) Rockers – Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)
Will Prater – Schaumburg (Ill.) Boomers – Frontier League
Jack Snyder, Free Agent in 2021 – Schaumburg (Ill.) Boomers – Frontier League