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.