Jacob Edwards, a former pitcher for the UNC Asheville baseball team, signed a professional contract with the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday.
"We are very happy for Jacob, and the entire Edwards family, as he starts the next chapter in his baseball career," said UNC Asheville Head Baseball Coach Scott Friedholm. "Jacob's numbers show he was among the elite starting pitchers in the country this year. Now he has the opportunity to compete at the highest level of our sport. We wish Jacob the best of luck and the Minnesota Twins have some new fans in Asheville, N.C."
Edwards joins Ryan Dull (High Point Rockers – Atlantic League of Professional Baseball), Jordan Carr (Fort Myers Mighty Mussels – Single-A Affiliate of the Minnesota Twins), and Blake Brown (Reading Fighting Phils – Double-A Affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies) as former Bulldogs that are continuing their baseball careers at the professional level.
In his final season with the Bulldogs, Edwards became one of the top pitchers in the Big South. In half of his 14 starts, Edwards held opposing lineups to one or fewer runs. The High Point, N.C. native went 8-3 with a 2.24 ERA in 88.1 innings pitched in his final season with the Bulldogs. His eight wins are the most by a Bulldog since 2008, when Alan DeRatt also won eight games. With his stellar senior season, Edwards moved into the top 10 all-time at UNC Asheville in innings pitched, wins, and strikeouts.
Some highlights from his senior campaign included nearly picking up a complete game at Presbyterian on April 3 as he tossed 8.2 innings and struck out a season-high nine hitters. His eight wins in 2022 came against Niagara, Western Carolina, Presbyterian, North Carolina A&T, Elon, Radford, Gardner-Webb, and Winthrop. He won five straight starts from April 3 through May 8. For his pitching performances down the stretch, Edwards was named the Zaxby's Bulldog of the Month in May. For his pitching effort all season long, Edwards was named to the 2022 All-Big South First Team.