Former Tusculum College pitcher Brandon Dickson has been called
up to the St. Louis Cardinals and will join the team in time for
Thursday night's game against the Baltimore Orioles.
The 6-5, 190-pound Dickson was pitching for the Memphis Redbirds of
the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, and had a 4-7 record with a 3.86
earned run average in 15 starts this season. He joins the Cardinals
following the release of right-handed reliever Ryan Franklin on
Wednesday. Dickson is expected to pitch out of the bullpen while
with the Cardinals.
Last season, Dickson was a PCL All-Star for the Redbirds and
finished the season with an 11-8 record and a 3.23 ERA in 27
starts, including 137 strikeouts in 167 innings of work. In six
seasons in the Cardinals organization, the 26-year-old right-hander
has a 45-42 record with a 3.73 ERA spanning 141 games (108
starts).
In his first and only season at Tusculum (2006), Dickson went 5-2
with a 3.39 ERA. His 24 mound appearances are tied for the second
most in a season at Tusculum. He tallied four saves in his 58.1
innings to go along with 37 strikeouts. Dickson garnered South
Atlantic Conference Pitcher of the Week honors and played an
important part in Tusculum's 40-14-1 campaign, en route to
capturing a conference championship.
The Cardinals entered action on Thursday with a 43-38 record, one
game behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central.
After Thursday's game in Baltimore, the Cardinals travel to Tampa
Bay for a three-game weekend series with the Rays.
Dickson is one of 20 Pioneers during the Coach Doug Jones era
(1998-present) to be drafted or play professional baseball, but the
first to reach the Major League level.
Tusculum College, located in Greeneville, Tenn., is affiliated with
the Presbyterian Church, USA and is a NCAA Division II member of
the South Atlantic Conference which is comprised of 10 colleges and
universities in Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.