2021 Season Overview

The Mississippi Braves concluded their 16th season in Central Mississippi in 2021 by winning the Double-A South Championship and posted the best overall winning percentage (.604) in team history.

The league championship was the second in club history and first since winning the 2008 Southern League Championship. The 67-44 overall record was tops in the Double-A South, eight games ahead of second-place Montgomery. Earning their first postseason bid since 2016, the M-Braves beat the Montgomery Biscuits 3-2 in the Double-A South Championship Series.

Using a blend of power and pitching, the M-Braves set a new club record with 143 home runs, blowing past the previous record of 98. In addition, the M-Braves pitching staff logged a 3.58 ERA, the sixth-best out of 120 minor league baseball.

The M-Braves were led by catcher Shea Langeliers - the Braves' first-round selection in 2019 (9th overall) - who became just the third player in M-Braves history to record 20+ home runs in the regular season. His 22 home runs, .258 batting average, and 52 RBI led the club, plus catching an astounding 42% of opposing base stealers.

• The 2021 championship was the second in M-Braves history and fourth for the Atlanta Braves Double-A affiliate. The previous three championships were won in the Double-A Southern League.

• 2008 (Mississippi Braves, Southern League – 73-66 Regular Season Record)
• 1997 (Greenville Braves, Southern League – 74-66 Regular Season Record)
• 1992 (Greenville Braves, Southern League – 100-43 Regular Season Record)

• 2021 marked the first postseason appearance for the M-Braves since 2016 and fifth overall. The M-Braves are 12-13 in the postseason and 4-6 in Championship Series games. The M-Braves won the Southern League Championship in 2008 by beating the Carolina Mudcats in five games, 3-2. The M-Braves were swept by the Jackson Generals, 3-0, in the 2016 Southern League Championship Series. Game 1 of the Championship Series on September 21 was the first playoff game in 1,831 days. Since 1985, the Greenville Braves and Mississippi Braves are 37-42 in the postseason and 10-16 in the Championship Series.

• The 2021 Championship Series marked the deepest into September that the M-Braves have ever played. The club won the 2008 Southern League Championship on September 13 and lost the 2016 Championship Series on September 16.

• Dan Meyer took over as team manager, on top of his pitching coach duties on June 9, leading the club to a 51-29 record and league-best 3.55 ERA over the final 80 games of the season. His leadership earned the 40-year-old former first-round pick of the Braves the 2021 Double-A South Manager of the Year award.

• In just 111 games in the regular season, the 2021 club recorded as many or more wins as 10 of the previous 15 seasons of M-Braves baseball. In the first year of the six-game series,' the M-Braves led the league with 11 series victories, finishing 11-3-5 on the season. The club dropped the first two of the season to Pensacola, May 5-9 (2-4), and at Biloxi, May 12-16 (2-4) before going 11-1-5 the remainder of the season. The M-Braves went 3-3 against Chattanooga and 5-1 against Montgomery to finish a successful 8-4 homestand from May 18-30. The M-Braves followed the homestand up with an 8-4 road trip to Pensacola and Biloxi June 1-13, splitting six games in Pensacola, before going 5-1 in Biloxi. The club hit 18 home runs and averaged 5.1 runs per game during the stretch. The M-Braves went 22-7 over a 29-game span from May 27 to June 30, the second-best record in the minors over that stretch. In addition, the M-Braves recorded 36 wins (36-16) from May 19-July 16, tying only Single-A Charleston for the most wins over that period.

• Despite an eight-game losing streak and no games for nine straight days, August 25-September 2, the M-Braves went 60-33 from May 25 to the end of the season. In addition, the M-Braves went over .500 for the first time on June 3 (14-13). The 60 wins over that span were second to only Akron in Double-A.

ROSTER BREAKDOWN

• The 2021 squad featured three former first-round selections by the Atlanta Braves. Langeliers (9th, 2019) and SS Braden Shewmake (21st, 2019), and LHP Jared Shuster (25th, 2020).

• The roster saw 48 players in an M-Braves jersey, 18 position players, and 30 pitchers. Overall, the M-Braves featured 13 of the Braves' Top 30 prospects by MLB Pipeline during the 2021 season... C Shea Langeliers (2), SS Braden Shewmake (8), LHP Jared Shuster (9), RHP Spencer Strider (10), RHP Bryce Elder (11), RHP Freddy Tarnok (12), RHP Victor Vodnik (20), RHP Indigo Diaz (21), OF Trey Harris (24), OF Justin Dean (25), RHP Daysbel Hernandez (27), RHP William Woods (28), and INF Luke Waddell (29).

• The 2021 M-Braves roster had representation from players born in eight countries, which include the United States (37), Canada (1), Columbia (1), Cuba (1), Curacao (1), Dominican Republic (5), Mexico (1), and Venezuela (1). There were 18 states represented with 2021 M-Braves players being born in Texas (6), Florida (5), California (4), Georgia (4), Michigan (2), Massachusetts (2), Ohio (2), South Carolina (2), Louisiana (2), New York (2), North Carolina, Oregon, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Indiana, Kansas, and Alabama. *

• Dan Meyer took over as team manager, on top of his pitching coach duties on June 9, leading the club to a 51-29 record and league-best 3.55 ERA over the final 80 games of the season. His leadership earned the 40-year-old former first-round pick of the Braves the 2021 Double-A South Manager of the Year award.
• Despite playing just 111 games in the regular season, the 2021 club recorded as many or more wins as 10 of the previous 15 seasons of M-Braves baseball. In the first year of the six-game series,' the M-Braves led the league with 11 series victories, finishing 11-3-5 on the season. The club dropped the first two of the season to Pensacola, May 5-9 (2-4), and at Biloxi, May 12-16 (2-4) before going 11-1-5 the remainder of the season. The M-Braves went 3-3 against Chattanooga and 5-1 against Montgomery to finish a successful 8-4 homestand from May 18-30. The M-Braves followed the homestand up with an 8-4 road trip to Pensacola and Biloxi June 1-13, splitting six games in Pensacola, before going 5-1 in Biloxi. The club hit 18 home runs and averaged 5.1 runs per game during the stretch. The M-Braves went 22-7 over a 29-game span from May 27 to June 30, the second-best record in the minors over that stretch. In addition, the M-Braves recorded 36 wins (36-16) from May 19-July 16, tying only Single-A Charleston for the most wins over that period.
• Despite an eight-game losing streak and no games for nine straight days, August 25-September 2, the M-Braves went 60-33 from May 25 to the end of the season. In addition, the M-Braves went over .500 for the first time on June 3 (14-13). The 60 wins over that span were second to only Akron in Double-A.

Dates of Significance:

• May 5: Opening Night for the Mississippi Braves ended 611 straight days without M-Braves baseball.
• July 16: The M-Braves became the first Double-A South team to 40 wins, joining only Somerset (AA, NYY) as the only Double-A club with 40 wins.
• July 3: Minor League Baseball announced that there would be playoffs in 2021. The top two teams in each league would compete in a best-of-5 championship series, beginning Tuesday, September 21. The two teams from each league will be determined by the best full-season winning percentage, regardless of division.
• September 12: The M-Braves clinched home-field advantage and the regular season Double-A South title with an 8-0 victory against Montgomery. With home-field advantage, the M-Braves hosted Game 3, Game 4, and Game 5 of the best-of-five series at Trustmark Park, September 24-26.
• September 26: The M-Braves won the Double-A South Championship on Sunday, September 26, the latest day a game has been played in team history.

Record Breakdown:

• The M-Braves were consistent both at home and on the road finishing 33-22 at Trustmark Park and 34-22 on the road. The .607 road win percentage was the best in team history. In addition, the M-Braves were dominant against South Division opponents, finishing 47-30 while going 20-14 against North Division foes. The club recorded seven walk-off victories, including twice in back-to-back games.
• The M-Braves went 41-9 when scoring first, was 51-4 when leading after six innings, 48-3 when leading after seven, and 51-0 when leading after eight innings. When hitting a home run, the M-Braves were 54-21, were 55-7 when scoring four-or-more runs, 14-6 in series openers, and 18-14 in one-run games. The M-Braves went 45-26 vs. teams over .500 and 22-18 vs. below .500 clubs. The M-Braves did not have a losing month in 2021. The club went 9-5 in September, 14-6 in August, 14-13 in July, 18-8 in June (best June in club history), and 12-12 in May. The M-Braves held at least a share of first place in all by two days, from June 24 to the end of the season.
• In June, the M-Braves' 18-8 were the most wins during the month in club history (previous 17, 2008. The most wins in a single month in M-Braves history was 21 during May 2014.
• The M-Braves produced their two highest scoring innings of the season with a seven-run second and six-run 10th in a 14-12 10-inning win over the Biscuits at Riverwalk Stadium on July 1. In addition, the M-Braves set season-highs in extra-base hits (9) and runs scored (14). The 26 combined runs and 29 combined hits were also season highs.
• The 2021 season was almost derailed in July by one of the longest losing streaks in team history. The M-Braves hit .142 and were outscored 52-16 over an eight-game losing streak, July 17-25, posting a 6.04 ERA and giving up ten home runs. It was the first eight-game skid since dropping eight-straight June 29-July 6, 2019, on shy of the club record.
• The M-Braves went 22-8 (six shutouts) over the final 30 games of the regular season (since August 8), plus 13-4 in the last 17 road games. The M-Braves matched a club record with eight straight wins from August 6-14. The previous eight-game winning streak was August 3-12, 2016, vs. Pensacola and Biloxi.

Top Performers:

• Shea Langeliers was named the 2021 Hank Aaron Award winner as the organization's top minor league position player. In addition, Langeliers was named to the Double-A South Postseason All-Star Team and league's top prospect as voted on by league broadcasters and select media. In addition, league managers voted the former Baylor star as the top MLB prospect, top defensive catcher, most exciting player, and top power prospect in the Baseball America Best Tools Survey.
• Langeliers was named Double-A South Player of the Week, May 26-31. He ended his week with a walk-off single to give the M-Braves a fourth-straight victory, 2-1, over Montgomery. Over the week, the 22-year-old hit .421 (8-for-19) with two doubles, a home run, five RBI, five runs, and a .476 on-base percentage. In a week when the Braves went 5-1, Langeliers capped his week with his first professional grand slam on May 28 in the third inning of a 7-6 win over the Biscuits.
• Langeliers' grand slam on May 28 against Montgomery was the first by the M-Braves since Luis Valenzuela blasted one in Chattanooga on April 15, 2019. In addition, the grand slam was the first by a Braves player at Trustmark Park since Carlos Martinez hit one on June 12, 2018. The M-Braves have hit just four grand slams since 2014. For Langeliers, it was his first professional grand slam and first since hitting a pair during the Cape Cod League during the summer of his freshman year at Baylor.
• Langeliers began the season 15-for-26 in catching opposing base stealers, 58%.
• Over 14 games from May 26-June 15, Langeliers hit .327 with three doubles, six home runs, 14 RBI, 13 runs, four walks, and a 1.103 OPS. Langeliers was 2-for-19 in the series against Birmingham before belting a walk-off homer down the left-field line to beat the Barons, 7-6, and win their fifth-straight game on June 20 at Trustmark Park.

• Justin Dean led the Double-A South in stolen bases from start to finish in 2021, successful in 29-of-35 opportunities. Dean was the first M-Braves player to lead the league in steals since Matt Young led the league in 2009 with 42 steals. The 29 steals was the most in a season since Mycal Jones had 29 in 2013.
• Dean hit .33 during the Championship Series with two doubles, two RBI, two stolen bases, and six runs scored.
• During the regular season, he hit .237 with 14 doubles, four triples, eight home runs, 34 RBI, 60 runs scored, and .345 OBP. The Mauldin, SC native, recorded a four-hit game on June 13 at Biloxi and June 17 vs. Birmingham, the first four-hit games of his career. Dean hit.452 with two doubles and seven RBI over nine games from June 13 to June 20.
• Dean had a 15-game on-base streak which stretched from July 3-23, the longest on the club this season, breaking the streak set to start the season, reaching base in Mississippi's first 14 games of the season.

• Trey Harris led the 2021 club with 90 hits over 96 games, finishing second on the team with a .247 batting average in 96 games. Over 33 games from June-July 24, the Powder Springs, GA native hit .300 with four doubles, four home runs, 17 RBI, and 19 runs scored. In five postseason games, Harris led the club by batting .350 with two doubles, five RBI, two runs, and .409 OBP

• Braden Shewmake hit .228 during the 2021 season with a career-high 14 doubles, 12 home runs, 40 RBI in 83 games. Shewmake went on a 12-game hitting streak, June 23-July 17. The Wylie, TX native hit .383 with five doubles, two triples, two home runs, 13 RBI, eight runs, and 1.018 OPS over the streak. After batting just .099 in May with three extra-base hits and six RBI, Shewmake hit .264 in June with nine extra-base hits and 15 RBI. Shewmake hit just .133 over his first 31 games of the season. Over his next 20 games, from June 17-July 24, Shewmake hit .347 with six doubles, two triples, three home runs, 17 RBI, and 14 runs scored.

• Drew Lugbauer came into 2021 as a platoon player, but quickly became a key contributor for the M-Braves. Lugbauer hit .223 with a career-high 18 home runs. Lugbauer finished the year with 15 doubles, 51 RBI, Over 22 games from June 7-July 13, the New York native hit .324 with seven doubles, five home runs, 14 RBI, 18 runs, 14 walks, and .449 OBP.
• Lugbauer homered in three straight games, July 27-29, and four of five. He joined five others in club history to homer in three consecutive games: Matt Esquivel ((07), Cody Johnson (10), Evan Gattis. (12), Jose Martinez (13), Carlos Franco (2x: 17).

• Greyson Jenista finished his second full minor league season with a career-high 19 home runs during the regular season and then was tied for first in minor league baseball with three postseason home runs. Jenista had seven doubles, two triples, 42 RBI, leading the club with 51 walks, plus seven stolen bases and a .343 OBP.
• Jenista was the Double-A South Player of the Week, August 30-September 5, going 5-for-10 with four home runs, six RBI, and five runs scored. In six games, Jenista hit four home runs, July 27-August 3, and had a career-high three home runs and five RBI on September 2. He hit five homers in four games, September 2-7,

• Wendell Rijo hit a career-high 15 home runs, batting .236 with 16 doubles, 37 RBI, eight stolen bases, and 49 runs in 92 games. In his first year in the Atlanta Braves organization, Rijo hit a walk-off home run on August 12 vs. Biloxi but had it taken away after an appeal of missing first base. He had an eight-game hitting streak, May 29-June 8, during the first surge of the season. He hit six home runs over 11 games, June 24-July 8.
• Rijo hit two home runs on June 24 vs. Tennessee, the fourth multi-homer game of his career, all with different organizations. He had a walk-off single on July 9 vs. Pensacola.

TOP HOME RUN HITTING TEAM IN M-BRAVES HISTORY:

• The M-Braves blew past the M-Braves record for homers in a single season (98, 2017) with 143 in 111 games. The club ranked second in the Double-A South and ninth in Double-A.
• The M-Braves hit a record 93 home runs on the road and a record 50 at Trustmark Park. The all-time franchise record for homers was 147, set by the 1997 Greenville Braves in 140 games. The Pearl City Bombers came four shy, with nine-game cancellations. 50 of the first 100 runs scored in 2021 came via the home run ball. The club averaged a franchise record of 1.29 home runs per game (1.10 Double-A average), which had the club on pace for 181 over a 140-game schedule.
• Before 2021, the M-Braves had never recorded a seven-homer game. The feat was accomplished twice, on July 27 in Pensacola and September 2 at Biloxi. The previous record was five in a game (3x: 8/14/99 vs. Orlando, 7/1/92 vs. Knoxville, 9/3/04 vs. West Tenn). The four home runs in an inning on July 27 matched the franchise record, tying the four blasted on 7/7/86 vs. Memphis.
• In a 9-3 win on July 27 at Pensacola to snap an eight-game losing streak, the M-Braves set a club record with seven home runs. Shea Langeliers logged his third multi-homer game with two, while Justin Dean, Braden Shewmake, and Wendell Rijo hit solo shots, and Drew Lugbauer and Greyson Jenista hit two-run homers. The seven home runs set a new club record for a single game, while the four home runs in the sixth inning set a record held for 14 years. The M-Braves were no-hit through five innings but scored four runs in the sixth inning to end the no-hit bid and shutout.
• The M-Braves set a new record with six players in double-digits for home runs: Shea Langeliers led the way with 22, while Greyson Jenista had 19, Drew Lugbauer had 18, Wendell Rijo had 15, Braden Shewmake had 12, and CJ Alexand6er had 10. Alexander, Jenista, Langeliers, Lugbauer, Rijo, and Shewmake recorded new career highs for home runs in 2021.
• The 44 home runs in July and nine wins in September were the most in club history.
• Langeliers became the third M-Braves player to reach 20 homers in a single season, joining Ernesto Mejia (26, 2011) and Ryan Casteel (21, 2019)
• Langeliers hit three home runs and went 4-for-5 with four runs scored to lead the M-Braves to a 9-4 victory on June 2 at Blue Wahoos Stadium. The three-homer game was the second in team history. Ryan Casteel hit the first three-homer game at Pensacola on July 3, 2019. Trey Harris joined Langeliers with four hits, finishing 4-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI.
• The three-homer game was the first of his career and first since hitting three home runs for Baylor during the 2019 NCAA tournament against Nebraska-Omaha. He ended up with three home runs and an NCAA-record 11 RBI in the 24-6 Bears win. The four hits and four runs matched career highs.

PITCHING BREAKDOWN

• The M-Braves finished second in the Double-A South, third in Double-A baseball, sixth in MiLB with a 3.58 team ERA.
• M-Braves hurlers served up just 74 home runs, the fewest in Double-A baseball and third-fewest in all minor league baseball.
• The starting rotation held a 3.62 ERA, second in Double-A baseball, and fifth in MiLB. The bullpen had a 3.56 ERA, ranking third in Double-A and ninth in MiLB.

• RHP Matt Withrow made his first appearance as an M-Brave in 1,440 days, May 266, 2017, on Opening Night, May 55. Withrow went 3-1 with a 2.82 ERA over 25 games, four starts, one save, 31 walks, 52 strikeouts, and 51.0 innings. Withrow held opponents to a .188 batting average. During May, he allowed just one earned run over his first six outings (3 starts) during May, posting a 0.55 ERA in 16.2 innings with 16 strikeouts and 11 walks.

• RHP Troy Bacon gave up his first run of 2021 in his 10th appearance on June 5 at Pensacola, after 13.0-straight scoreless innings.

• RHP Alan Rangel made five quality starts for the M-Braves, including winning the decisive Game 5 of the Double-A South Championship Series against Montgomery. Rangel went 3-2 with a 4.50 ERA (17 ER/34.0) over seven M-Braves starts, striking out 41, walking just five. Overall, Rangel was 7-7 with a 3.87 ERA (45 ER/104.2 IP) in 22 games, 21 starts in 2021 between Rome and Mississippi. He finished among Atlanta's minor league leaders in wins (T-3rd, 7), strikeouts (4th, 136), starts (T-4th, 21), and innings pitched (5th, 104.2).
• He was promoted to Mississippi from High-A Rome on August 3. He set a new career-high with ten strikeouts over 6.0 shutout innings, just two hits, on August 11 vs. Biloxi. Over 15 games, 14 starts for Rome. Rangel ranked among the High-A East leaders at the time of his promotion in strikeouts (1st, 95), innings (1st, 70.2), BAA (1st, .205), WHIP (2nd, 1.06), and (ERA (3rd, 3.57). Rangel's best month was July, finishing 2-0 with a 2.48 ERA, seven walks, against 38 strikeouts. Rangel had appeared in 83 games, 73 starts for Rome from 2017 to 2021, as a Low-A, or High-A affiliate, going 21-24.

• RHP Bryce Elder Elder was named the organization's pitcher of the year in 2021. He pitched across three levels of the organization this season, going a combined 11-5 with a 2.76 ERA (41 ER/133.2 IP) and 151 strikeouts in 24 games, all starts. He walked 52 and limited the opposition to a .194 average.
• Elder began the year with Single-A Rome, serving as the R-Braves' Opening Day starter on May 4 at Winston Salem. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound native of Decatur, Texas, earned his first professional win on May 21 vs. Bowling Green and went 2-1 with a 2.60 ERA (13 ER/45.0 IP) in nine games, all starts, at Single-A before a promotion to Double-A Mississippi on June 29. With Mississippi, Elder won Double-A South Pitcher of the Week for July 5-July 11 and Double-A South Pitcher of the Month for July. He went 7-1 with a 3.21 ERA (20 ER/56.0 IP) in nine games, all starts, with the M-Braves, and combined with RHP Daysbel Hernández to throw a no-hitter on July 10 vs. Pensacola. Elder tossed 7.0 innings in that start, striking out six and walking four.
• He joined Triple-A Gwinnett on August 17, becoming the first of Atlanta's 2020 draft class to reach the Stripers. Elder made six starts with Gwinnett, going 2-3 with a 2.20 ERA (8 ER/32.2 IP) and 36 strikeouts.
• Elder's 133.2 minor league innings rank first in minor league baseball, while his 11 wins were tied for the fifth-most. In addition, Elder led Atlanta's minor league system in wins and innings pitched strikeouts (155) and starts (25).

• RHP Spencer Strider pitched at every level of the Atlanta Braves organization in 2021. Overall, the 2020 draft pick went 3-7 with a 3.64 ERA (38 ER/94.0 IP) in 22 games, 21 starts, 153 strikeouts, 40 walks. He ranked among Atlanta's minor league leaders in strikeouts (2nd), starts (4th), and innings pitched (10th).
• He began the season with Low-A Augusta and made four starts, posting no record, a 0.59 ERA (4 ER/14.2 IP), six walks, and 24 strikeouts. He was promoted to High-A Rome on June 1 and made three starts for the Rome Braves, posting no record, and a 2.45 ERA (4 ER/14.2 IP), six walks, 24 strikeouts. Strider was promoted to Mississippi on June 22 after turning in the best start of his first professional season in Rome's extra-inning 7-5 loss against Bowling Green on June 18. He tossed a career-high six innings of one-run ball with one walk and 12 strikeouts, another career-high. A fourth-inning solo home run was the only hit.
• Strider allowed, and he took a no-decision after exiting in a 1-1 ballgame. In his first seven starts at the Single-A level, in 30 innings, Strider had 56 strikeouts compared to just 11 walks and an ERA of 2.45 before the Mississippi promotion. Strider tossed a career-high 6.1 shutout innings on August 6, matching a career-high with 12 strikeouts to just one walk, scattering four hits in a 12-0 win. Then, Strider made Mississippi's Game 3 start of the Double-A South Championship Series, striking out seven, walking none over 5.0 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) in a no-decision. Strider was promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett on September 28, making one relief appearance before his promotion to Atlanta.

• Freddy Tarnok went 3-2 with a 2.60 ERA (13 ER/45.0 IP), 61 strikeouts, 15 walks over nine starts for the M-Braves in 2021. Tarnok made the Game 2 start in the Double-A South Championship Series, allowing two earned runs on three hits over 4.1 innings, two walks, seven strikeouts in a no-decision. Overall in 2021, Tarnok was 6-4 with a 3.44 ERA (28 ER/73.1 IP), 28 walks, 109 strikeouts in 16 games, 14 starts. He struck out a career-high 12 batters on July 29 at Pensacola, the first 12-strikeout game by an M-Braves pitcher since Ian Anderson struck out 14 on June 28, 2019, vs. Jackson. He was promoted to Mississippi on July 20 from High-A Rome. In seven games, five starts for the R-Braves, Tarnok was 3-2 with a 4.76 ERA, 13 walks, 48 strikeouts.

• Reliever RHP Indigo Diaz was one of the breakout stars of the 2021 season. Diaz finished the year 6-2 with a 1.20 ERA, five saves, 83 strikeouts, 16 walks over 32 appearances between Rome and Mississippi. A hot start with High-A Rome that included four wins, five saves, a 1.00 ERA, a .117 batting average against, and a 54-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 27 innings led to a July promotion to the M-Braves for Diaz.
• The 22-year-old right-hander and 21st-ranked Braves prospect quickly became an integral part of the best bullpen in the Double-A South, going 2-1 and holding opponents to a .161 average while striking out 29 batters in 18 innings.

• Reliever RHP Brooks Wilson appeared in 33 games for the M-Braves in 2021, going 3-1 with a 2.45 ERA (12 ER/44.0 IP), 73 strikeouts, 17 walks, five saves, and .201 opponents batting average. Overall, Wilson made 39 relief appearances, going 3-1 with a 2.34 ERA (13 ER/50.0 IP) between Mississippi and Gwinnett. Wilson led Atlanta's farm system in games (39) while ranking among the leaders in saves (3rd, 6) and strikeouts (13th, 84).

• Reliever RHP Daysbel Hernandez appeared in 26 games for the M-Braves, going 3-1 with a 2.76 ERA (10 ER/32.2 IP), three saves, 46 strikeouts, 16 walks. Hernandez ranked T-3rd in the organization in appearances.

• RHP Nolan Kingham went 6-1 with a 2.08 ERA (15 ER/65.0 IP), two saves in 12 games, ten starts for the M-Braves. Kingham was 2-for-2 in save opportunities in the postseason, including recording the final three outs of the Double-A South Championship Series. Kingham came one out shy of a nine-inning complete-game shutout on June 12 at Biloxi, dealing 8.2 scoreless, on four hits with no walks and five strikeouts. Kurt Hoekstra recorded the final out to complete the four-hit shutout.
• For June, Kingham was named the Double-A South Pitcher of the Month after leading the league in innings pitched (32.2) and went 3-0 with a 0.83 ERA in five starts. He held opponents to a .193 batting average and had a streak of 27 scoreless innings when he was promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett on June 29.

NO-HITTER HISTORY:

• For the first time in club history (2,079 games), the Mississippi Braves were no-hit by the opposition onMay 155. Despite eight walks and nine total free passes, Biloxi's Ethan Small, Zach Vennaro, Nathan Kirby, and Matt Hardy combined to no-hit the M-Braves in the 1-0 game. The M-Braves had a runner on base in seven of the nine innings, including two in the ninth, but could not muster a base hit.

• On July 10, Bryce Elder and Daysbel Hernandez combined for the fourth no-hitter in club history, stretching Mississippi's winning streak to six games at the time. Elder went the first 7.0 innings, striking out six and walking four. Hernandez pitched the final 2.0 innings with four strikeouts and one walk. It was the first no-hitter since Ian Anderson, and Jeremy Walker combined for one on June 28, 2019, vs. Jackson.

ICYMI: @JustCallMe_Duce came in at #⃣8⃣ on Friday night's #SCTop10 with this incredible catch! 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/0EvbE4DWXI

— Mississippi Braves (@mbraves) September 11, 2021

GREAT DEFENSE

• The M-Braves finished tied for first in MiLB with 69 errors and tied for fifth with a .982 fielding percentage.
• Trey Harris' diving catch made on September 10 was the No. 8 on that night's Sports Center Top-10 list

ATTENDANCE

Despite restrictions and no season in 2021, the M-Braves drew 118,776 fans to Trustmark Park, an average of 2,241 per game. The club saw a 9.7% decrease in attendance from the 2019 season but well off the minor league average of 23%.

First 2021 draft pick to reach Double-A:

Luke Waddell became the first 2021 draft pick by the Atlanta Braves to reach the Double-A level. He was promoted from High-A Rome to Mississippi on September 2, after appearing in 21 games for the R-Braves, batting .304 with a double, six home runs, 13 RBI, and .372 OBP. In August, Waddell was the Rome Player of the Month and was the High-A East Player of the Week, August 24-29, after hitting .545 with six home runs.

TWO MAJOR LEAGUE DEBUTS IN 2021:

Only three players made major league debuts for the Atlanta Braves in 2021, two being M-Braves alums in Kyle Muller and Spencer Strider, becoming the 151st and 152nd in club history.

LHP Kyle Muller made his major league debut for the Atlanta Braves in the top of the fifth inning on June 16 vs. Boston. Muller became the first M-Braves alum to debut in 2021 and 151st all-time. Muller made 27 starts for the M-Braves over the 2018 and 2019 seasons, going 11-7 with a 3.14 ERA. The Dallas, TX native gave up four hits and two runs in the outing with one strikeout in 1.0 inning of relief.

RHP Spencer Strider made his major league debut on October 1 vs. the New York Mets, giving up two hits and a home run in an inning of relief. Strider was the 152nd M-Braves alum to debut. His debut came after making only one appearance for the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers. Strider earned his first major league win in Atlanta's final game of the 2021 season, pitching 1.1 scoreless innings of relief. He became the third player from the 2020 draft to debut in the majors. Reid Detmers (Angels) and Garrett Crochet (White Sox) had both made their debuts already. Strider pitched to a 3-7 record and 3.64 ERA across 22 games (21 starts) in four levels of the Braves farm system this season...In 94.0 innings, striking out 153 and walked 40.