Beginning late in the 2016 season and running through the 2017 campaign, Georgia Southern’s baseball team felt safe turning any late lead over to the powerful right arm of Landon Hughes.
    During his tenure with the Eagles, Hughes racked up a stellar 11-4 record with 12 saves and a 2.49 ERA. Those impressive stats were rewarded in kind as Hughes was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the seventh round of the Major League Baseball draft on Tuesday.
    “It’s a great day. This is the dream of so many guys and today I get to live it,” Hughes said. “I grew up rooting for the Braves. With their move (to Cobb County) their stadium is 20 minutes away from my house. It’s going to be a great feeling to have a uniform in the organization that belongs to me.”
    Hughes was an easy pick for any team early in the draft. At 6-foot-4, 180 pounds, the lanky righty has the look of a dominating relief pitcher.
    He’s also got the stuff.
    Hughes’ fastball flashed into the mid-90s and he added to his arsenal with a wipeout slider and a change-up here and there. He showed the dominant traits of a back-end reliever as he struck out 113 batters in 105 innings with Georgia Southern, but also showed the control and craftiness of a seasoned starter, walking just 30 and posting a WHIP of 0.952 as an Eagle.
    “I had heard from a lot of teams over the last year,” Hughes said. “I had an idea of some who might be more interested and thought I’d probably go between the fourth and tenth rounds. But other than that, I was just waiting to hear who would take me.”
    As one of the Braves’ picks in the top 10 rounds of the draft, Hughes will join the other early picks for a stylish introduction to the franchise. Those draftees will make their way to SunTrust Park where they’ll get a tour of what will hopefully be their future home park before officially signing their first professional contracts.
    Hughes hasn’t heard specifics about his contract, where he’ll report, or what role he’ll be filling to begin his professional career, but he’s fine with waiting on those details while taking in the gravity of his first full-time job out of college.
    “Right now, I’m enjoying the moment,” Hughes said. “Everyone dreams about making it when they’re a kid. And then you work hard through high school to earn a chance to keep playing. When I came to Georgia Southern from junior college, I started to get that sense that I was close. I’m thankful for the opportunity and the time I got from Georgia Southern to help me get to today.”
    To Hughes’ credit, he already has the mindset of a professional looking to do whatever it takes to climb the corporate ladder.
    During the spring, Hughes was easily identifiable coming out of the bullpen as his fireballing right arm was trailed closely by a shiny blonde mane of hair that was well past shoulder length by the end of the season. Hughes’ ‘flow’ was almost as much of a calling card as his mean stare and blistering fastballs.
    All that said, some franchises have strict rules about hairstyles and lengths for players, but the Braves don’t appear to be one of them.
    “I like the hair,” Hughes said. “But if someone is paying for me, I’m playing by their rules. I’m more concerned about playing well and just doing my best.”
     
Wren shipping off to Boston
    Georgia Southern saw another senior selected on the second day of the MLB draft as outfielder Jordan Wren was taken by the Boston Red Sox in the tenth round.
    Wren played his junior and senior seasons with Georgia Southern, seeing action in 110 games. The outfielder - who bats left and throws right - batted a solid .276 and belted nine home runs while driving in 75 runs for the Eagles.
    He vastly improved his walk rate and defense during his senior season, the latter achieved despite being the first GS right fielder to have to navigate the ‘Blue Monster’ at J.I. Clements Stadium on a nightly basis.
    Wren had some of his best moments in the clutch. Facing nationally-ranked Mercer in Macon this spring, Wren launched a pair of home runs and collected eight RBI in a decisive win. Of Wren’s nine long balls, the biggest was a three-run shot against South Alabama that helped send Georgia Southern to the 2016 Sun Belt championship game.
    Wren’s selection is a family reunion of sorts. Jordan will now join the same organization as his father, Frank, who serves as the Red Sox’ senior vice president of baseball operations.