NEW ORLEANS – Five alumni of Sun Belt baseball programs dot Major League Baseball (MLB) Opening Day rosters entering the 2021 season. The quintet has combined for 1,972 MLB appearances, seven All-Star Game selections, four Silver Slugger awards and three Gold Gloves.
App State alumnus left-handed pitcher Jeffrey Springs begins his first season as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays bullpen, following a Feb. 17 trade from the Boston Red Sox. Springs—who has closed out 19-of-59 career appearances—enters his fourth MLB season with a 5-4 career record, while averaging 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings and maintaining a 5.