Missouri State baseball pitcher Brandt Thompson picked by Cardinals in 2024 MLB Draft

Shortly after Missouri State saw its first player selected in the 2024 MLB Draft, a second Bear heard his name called when the St. Louis Cardinals selected Brandt Thompson with the 501st overall pick.

Thompson, the Bears' Friday starter this past season, is a fourth-year freshman selected to two straight All-Missouri Valley Conference first teams. He became the first Bear to earn back-to-back first-team recognition since Nick Petree, Thompson's pitching coach both years at MSU, in 2012 and 2013.

Thompson had a 3.61 ERA in two seasons and an 11-7 record between his two seasons. He was 5-2 in 2024 in 78.2 innings pitched with a 3.78 ERA and 75 total strikeouts.

The North Iowa Area Community College transfer is originally from Hennepin County, Minnesota. The 17th-rounder is the first Missouri State player to be selected by the Cardinals since Joey Hawkins, who is entering his first season as the Bears' head coach, was taken in the 40th round of the 2015 draft.

Fellow MSU pitcher Eric Loomis was picked by the Texas Rangers with the 495th overall pick, the final selection of the 16th round.