Southern Miss star pitcher Niko Mazza, signee DJ Layton plan to sign MLB contracts

Southern Miss baseball signee DJ Layton will sign with the Baltimore Orioles, he told the Hattiesburg American Wednesday.

Starting pitcher Niko Mazza intends to sign with the San Francisco Giants, he said on the "SuperTalk Eagle Hour" radio show.

Layton, a shortstop from South Carolina, was picked by the Orioles on Monday in the sixth round of the MLB Draft. Mazza, a junior, was chosen in the eighth round by the Giants . Layton's draft slot holds a $318,300 value while Mazza's is at $218,600.

Mazza described the decision to leave the Golden Eagles as a difficult one.

"Even where I got drafted, it was a very tough decision for me," he said. "I've took so much value at playing baseball at Southern Miss that no matter what the offer was — I could have been the first pick overall in the draft — and it still would've been a tough decision for me just because that's how much I cherished my time and have enjoyed my time at Southern Miss."

Mazza, a Madison native, had a 3.99 ERA with a 9-3 record in 16 starts and 18 appearances in 2024. His last game as a Golden Eagle was a shutout against Northern Kentucky in the Knoxville Regional.

Lucas Elissalt, a junior college transfer pitcher, went in the 13th round to the Detroit Tigers and starting center fielder Dalton McIntyre was a 19th-round pick by the Atlanta Braves. Elissalt and McIntyre have not publicized their intentions for next season.

Layton was ranked as a top 500 high school prospect by Perfect Game as part of Southern Miss' highest-rated recruiting class since 2011.

"It's been a dream of mine since I was a kid to play professional baseball," he said in a statement. "My family and I thought the opportunity was more than amazing and something we thought I couldn't pass on. The blessing that I have been given to have the type of talent to not only have the opportunity to play college baseball, but to also become a part of the very small population of athletes to say they play a professional sport, makes it all the more reason to take advantage of the opportunity that I have in front of me. I am well aware of the future struggles that will come with playing baseball at the professional level and, to say the least, I am excited and ALL IN for those future struggles!"

Sam Sklar is the Southern Miss beat reporter for the Hattiesburg American. Email him at ssklar@hattiesb.gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.

This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Southern Miss star pitcher Niko Mazza, signee DJ Layton plan to sign MLB contracts