By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - After cementing himself as one of the best pitchers in Tennessee Tech history, Tristan Archer will now look to make a name for himself at the professional level after being drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 21st round of the 2013 MLB Draft.
Archer, who was the 632nd pick of the draft, is now the 12th former Tech player in the last seven seasons to be drafted by a major league organization dating back to 2007.
The Brewers drafted a total of 40 players in the 2013 draft, including 23 pitchers. A native of Kingsport, Tenn., Archer is one of four players drafted by the Brewers from the Tennessee area.
A four-year starting pitcher, Archer spent much of this season rewriting the Tennessee Tech record books and becoming one of the all-time greats in Tech history. Archer broke three career records this season including career victories (23), innings pitched (323.2), and starts (55). He ranks second among all Tech pitchers in strikeouts, setting down 273 batters on strikes.
On the year, Archer broke his career-high in wins, leading the Golden Eagles with nine and ranking second in the Ohio Valley Conference. His 97 strikeouts this season, also a career-high, ranked second in the league. He threw 97 innings, and put up three 10+ strikeout games this season, including his first career complete-game shutout over SIUE. The performance led to the senior garnering his fourth career adidas OVC Pitcher of the Week honor. A member of the 2010 OVC all-Freshman team and a member of the 2013 all-OVC first team, Archer was also named OVC Player of the Week and OVC Pitcher of the Year by College Sports Madness earlier this season.