The Milwaukee Brewers have signed their first round draft pick, left-handed pitcher Ethan Small, who was selected by the team out of Mississippi State University in the first round (No. 28 overall) of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft.
The 22-year-old Small went 10-2 with a 1.93 ERA (107 innings pitched, 23 earned runs), 176 strikeouts, a 0.87 WHIP and a .164 opponent batting average across 18 starts this season as a redshirt junior with the Bulldogs. Small helped lead the Bulldogs to their 11th appearance in the College World Series.
Small recorded double-digit strikeouts on 11 occasions on the way to establishing a new single-season program record and leading all NCAA Division 1 pitchers in strikeouts. He finished the regular season third in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in ERA and ranked among Division 1 leaders in WHIP (2nd, 0.80) and ERA (13th).
Small was named the 2019 SEC Pitcher of the Year. He earned First Team All-SEC honors and was named a First Team All-American by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA). He finished 16-6 with a 3.05 ERA and 318 strikeouts across 36 starts in three seasons as a Bulldog, becoming just the sixth Mississippi State pitcher with multiple 100-strikeout campaigns and the third to record 300 career punch outs.
With the signing of Small, the Crew has now agreed to terms with 22 of their 39 selections from the 2019 First-Year Player Draft.
