Redbirds in the Pros: Ryan Court Tallies Three RBI in MLB Debut

Former Illinois State baseball standout Ryan Court received his first call up to the big show over the weekend, making his MLB debut with the Seattle Mariners on Friday as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning. On Saturday, Court made his first MLB start in right field, going 2-for-5 at the plate with a single, a double and 3 RBIs.

Court graduated from Illinois State in 2011 and was drafted in the 23rd round (694 overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks. For the past nine seasons, the Elgin, Illinois, native has worked his way through several different organizations, including the Diamondbacks, the Boston Red Sox, the Chicago Cubs and the Mariners.

Court had spent the majority of the 2019 season with the Tacoma Rainiers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. He joins Paul DeJong (St. Louis Cardinals) as the only two active former Illinois State baseball student-athletes to be currently playing in the MLB.

There are 13 former Redbirds playing affiliated or independent professional baseball. They include:

Paul DeJong | MLB | St. Louis Cardinals

• Batting .253/.336/.461 with 25 doubles, 18 home runs, 50 RBIs and 68 runs
• DeJong had three home runs in the Cardinals' 14-8 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates (7/24)
• He is the only Cardinals shortstop to homer three times in a game in Modern History (post 1900)

Ryan Court | MLB | Seattle Mariners

• Has made three appearances and two starts for the Mariners, in right field and at first base
• Singled and doubled in his MLB debut, driving in three RBIs (7/27)

Jeremy Rhoades | Triple-A | Salt Lake Bees (Los Angeles Angels)

• Owns a 2-1 record with five saves, posting a 6.04 ERA in 33 appearances spanning 47.2 innings
• Rhoades did not allow a hit in 1.1 innings pitched close out a 10-6 loss to the Albuquerque Isotopes (7/24)

Brock Stewart | Triple-A | Oklahoma City Dodgers (Los Angeles Dodgers)

• Currently 4-7 with a 7.61 ERA in 15 starts with 59 strikeouts and 36 walks spanning 71.0 innings
• Picked up the winning decision in a 18-5 victory over the Iowa Cubs, pitching 6.0 innings while striking out four and allowing five runs (7/18)

Eric Aguilera | Triple-A, Mexican League | Tigres de Quintana Roo

• Batting .307/.381/.520 with 22 doubles, 14 home runs, 48 RBIs and 72 runs on the season
• Went 2-for-5 with three RBI in Quintana Roo's 11-0 win over Olmecas de Tabasco

Owen Miller | Double-A | Amarillo Sod Poodles (San Diego Padres)

• Slashing .288/.351/.423 with 20 doubles, eight home runs, 45 RBIs, and 46 runs
• Singled and scored a run in the 2-1 victory over the Springfield Cardinals (7/26)

Jeff Lindgren | Class A Advanced | Jupiter Hammerheads (Miami Marlins)

• Currently 1-1 on the season, with a 0.00 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 15.0 innings pitched
• Pitched a scoreless inning while striking out one in Jupiter's 4-3 loss to the Tampa Tarpons (7/26)

John Rave | Class A | Lexington Legends (Kansas City Royals)

• Batting .230/.342/.341 with six doubles, 14 RBIs and 18 runs in 33 total games this season
• Went 2-for-4 with a double and a grand slam, driving in five runs in Saturday's 6-1 victory over the Augusta GreenJackets (7/27)

Joe Aeilts | Class A Short Season | Boise Hawks (Colorado Rockies)

• Batting .351/.422/.474 with eight RBIs and 13 runs in 27 games
• Went 3-for-4 with a triple in Saturday's 8-7 win over the Hillsboro Hops (7/27)

Matt Walker | Class A Short Season | Connecticut Tigers (Detroit Tigers)

• Picked up a loss in his first professional appearance on June 26 against the Vermont Lake Monsters, striking out two and allowing three hits in 0.2 innings pitched (6/26)

Brent Headrick | Rookie Advanced | Elizabethton Twins (Minnesota Twins)

• Has not played yet this season

Ryan Koziol | Frontier League | Joliet Slammers

• Currently 3-3 with 15 saves and a team-best 1.41 ERA in 27 appearances spanning 32 innings pitched
• Credited with the save versus the Gateway Grizzlies, pitching one inning and allowing three hits (7/27)

Jack Landwehr | Frontier League | Schaumburg Boomers

• Started in three games this season and owns a 2.50 ERA spanning 18.0 innings

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