All signs indicated that Gage Peterson would get chosen within the first 10 rounds of the MLB Amateur Draft. Peterson didn’t have to wait that long; the Washington Nationals chose him in the seventh round, with the 189th overall selection.
MLB.com rated Peterson, a 6-5, 220-pound native of Jonesborough, TN, as the No. 247 prospect across all positions going into the draft. He’s projected for a signing bonus of about $322,000 based on the money for that slot.
An alum of David Crockett High School in Jonesborough, Peterson threw at the junior college level for Walters State but spent this past academic year at Appalachian State. Peterson put together a strong body of work, throwing a career-high 85 innings, going 8-1 with a 3.28 ERA, a 1.28 WHIP, and 107 strikeouts. His strikeout total was the second-most in a single season by an App State hurler. Peterson was named first-team all-conference in the Sun Belt, and captured that league’s newcomer of the year award.
We hope to catch up with Peterson soon.
Other players of interest
RHP Tegan Kuhns (5-5, 3.56 ERA) went to the Cardinals with the 32nd overall pick, extending a streak to five straight drafts where a Tennessee player has gone in the first round. The Vols have produced 11 first-round draft selections in this decade, the most of any college program in that span.
SS Kam Durnin (.329/1.007 OPS/9 HR/25 RBIs), the starting shortstop for Missouri throughout the Southeastern Conference, was taken in the fourth round by the Houston Astros with the 121st overall pick. Tri-Cities sports fans may remember Durnin for his work last summer for the Kingsport Axmen, where he was named MVP of the Appalachian League. Durnin actually was in Kingsport when he got taken in the draft; he was visiting to watch his younger brother, Kade, a starting pitcher for the 2026 Axmen.
Tennessee 3B Henry Ford, sixth round, 191st overall, Seattle
ETSU RHP Michael Harpster, seventh round, 218th overall, Yankees
Tennessee P Bo Rhudy, seventh round, 219th overall, Phillies
Tennessee C Garrett Wright, eighth round, 229th overall, Angels
Tennessee LHP Brandon Arvidson, 12th round, 367th overall, Cubs
Tennessee LHP Evan Blanco, 13th round, 381st overall, Athletics
Staying in pro baseball, RHP Landon Knack (Johnson City, TN, Science Hill/ETSU) got activated by the Dodgers just before the All-Star break began. He threw three innings against Arizona on July 11, allowing three earned runs on four hits, two of them homers.
Outfielder Evan Carter (Elizabethton) (.188, .635 OPS, 7 HR, 2 RBI, 11 SB) begins the second half with the Rangers. Carter has good speed and range to cover defensively in the outfield, but if the struggles with the bat continue and with the Rangers trying to reach the playoffs, he may get sent down, especially if Texas adds a bat via trade.
Traded from the Braves back to the Pirates last month, RHP Hunter Stratton (Bristol, TN/Sullivan East) got called up and made two appearances out of the bullpen for Pittsburgh in the final week before the All-Star break, then got sent back down to Indianapolis. Stratton has a 5.40 ERA in three appearances at the big league level in 2026. In the minors, Stratton is a combined 2-4 with a 3.60 ERA with two saves in 25 appearances, all out of the bullpen.
Basketball
Ja’Kobi Gillespie has begun his foray into pro basketball, playing for the Spurs in the NBA Summer League. Through three games, Gillespie has a stat line of 13.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.0 apg, 2.0 spg.
The summer league continues through July 19.
Gillespie made history as the highest drafted Northeast Tennessee player when the Spurs took him in the second round back in June.
NFL
Check out this scouting report on Jaden Keller, an undrafted free agent who’s trying to make the Jets roster.
Other aspiring NFL players with local ties include James Mitchell (Union/Virginia Tech), a tight end for the Carolina Panthers; Parker Hughes (Elizabethton), a Middle Tennessee product and seventh-round pick in the 2026 draft; Jacob Saylors (ETSU), a running back for Detroit; and Nate Adkins (ETSU), who’s heading into his fourth season in the league as a blocking tight end for Denver.
College
Football teams will be reporting for preseason practice before we know it, and one local is slated to coach for a power conference program. Brad Robbins signed on as quarterbacks coach at TCU back in January, after spending 2025 in Tulsa as QBs coach and offensive coordinator on the staff of former ETSU coach Tre Lamb.