Former Bulldog makes his pro baseball debut
Aug. 10—THOMASVILLE — Every little boy dreams of pitching in the major leagues. At high school baseball games, Thomasville kids play baseball with a stick and a crushed can, dreaming of the moment they get to take the field in an Atlanta Braves uniform. One of those kids is all grown up now, and is making that dream a reality.
Hurston Waldrep was an ace on the mound for Thomasville High School and could have been drafted out of high school had it not been for COVID. Instead, he went to Southern Miss and recently he took the Florida Gators to the College World Series. Then, with the 24 pick in the 2023 MLB draft, the Atlanta Braves drafted the south Georgia kid and the dream of millions of kids began for Waldrep.
The former Bulldog took a major step along his baseball journey. The Braves assigned Waldrep to their low single A affiliate, the Augusta Greenjackets. Waldrep made his professional baseball debut with the minor league club on August 5, and he did not disappoint.
Waldrep pitched three innings against the Columbia Fireflies. The rookie struck out the first batter he faced and he didn't stop there. Waldrep struck out the side to end the first inning and racked up two more Ks in the second. In his third and final inning Waldrep, recorded all three outs, sending the Fireflies packing.
Cory Wall, also making his debut, came in relief for Waldrep in the top of the fourth and Augusta went on to secure the win, 5-4.
It was a brilliant start to what is sure to be a stellar career in the Braves organization. His performance was so dominant in fact, that the Braves promoted Waldrep to their high single A affiliate the Rome Braves after just one game in Augusta.
Waldrep had been on Atlanta's radar since high school, and it's easy to see why. There may be a couple more stops in the minors in Mississippi and Gwinnett along the way, but Waldrep will surely dawn the navy and red with the word "Atlanta" scrawled across his chest. It's just a matter of time.
