MTSU Baseball’s Jaden Hamm & Eriq Swan Selected In 2023 MLB Draft

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Pictured (top): Jaden Hamm; (bottom): Eriq Swan. Photos: Courtesy of MTSU Athletics

Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) baseball standouts Jaden Hamm and Eriq Swan were just selected in the 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft.  Hamm, a junior in 2023, was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the fifth round as the No. 143 overall pick. Swan was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers with the No. 137 overall pick.

Hamm was ranked as the No. 218 overall draft prospect coming into the weekend by MLB Pipeline. He spent three seasons with the Blue Raider program, and was a starter in each regular season series this past year.

“This is a dream come true, and I can’t thank everyone that helped me get here enough,” Hamm says.

In 2023, Hamm led the Blue Raiders in starts (14), innings pitched (79.2) and strikeouts (93). He was a Conference USA First Team member. The 6’1 righty had the program’s first complete-game, nine-inning, one-hit shutout since 1976 on March 10 against Evansville, striking out a career-high 11 batters. Hamm matched that strikeout total in win over UAB on May 13, and made three appearances out of the bullpen in the Conference USA Championships.

Swan, a junior in 2023, was a No. 240 overall prospect in the draft rankings coming into the weekend. The power thrower spent three seasons with the Blue Raiders, and was featured in the regular starting rotation as a sophomore and junior, with a fastball topping in the triple digits. He was drafted higher than any Blue Raider since Bryce Brentz, who went in the first round at No. 36 overall to the Boston Red Sox in 2010.

Standing at 6’6 and 240 pounds, Swan struck out 71 batters in 2023 across 16 total appearances, 12 of those being starts. He left the game with a no-hitter on May 13 against UAB, pitching 5.2 innings, and allowed just one run in C-USA Championships opening round in a win against UTSA, pitching six innings and earning a spot on the C-USA Championships All-Tournament team.

Steven Boero
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