The Cincinnati Reds selected Pitt right-handed pitcher Dylan Simmons in the 15th Round of the MLB Draft, making him the No. 438 overall pick on Tuesday.
Simmons spent three seasons with ACC foe Florida State from 2020-22 prior to pitching for Pitt, playing both as a first baseman and as a pitcher. He hit .378 with 14 hits, two doubles and seven RBIs in 13 games in the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, earning him Freshman All-American honors from Collegiate baseball.
After hitting .225 in 2021, Simmons transitioned full time to pitcher in 2022. He made 17 appearances, accruing 15.0 innings pitched, striking out 16 batters to just five walks, while allowing 31 hits, nine home runs and 20 earned runs for a 12.00 ERA.
He transferred to Pitt for one season in 2023, where he made 24 appearances out of the bullpen, pitching 39.1 innings. Simmons struck out 60 batters, second best on the team, to 17 walks, while allowing 50 hits, three home runs and 20 earned runs for a 4.58 ERA.
Simmons is the sixth player drafted under head coach Mike Bell and the No. 67 player drafted in Pitt history. He joins Logan Evans, who the Seattle Mariners took in the 12th Round, as the second player drafted on Tuesday.
This is also the first MLB Draft that multiple Panthers earned a selection since 2019, when outfielder Connor Perry (Detroit Tigers) and right-hand pitchers Dan Hammer (Baltimore Orioles) and Derek West (Houston Astros) all had MLB teams draft them.
Since the Mariners took catcher Tatem Levins in 2022, this is the first time that the Panthers have had players selected in back-to-back MLB Drafts since 2013-19, where they had a player taken seven straight years.
Simmons is also the second Pitt player the Reds have drafted, as they took right-handed pitcher Matt Pidich in 2018.
