SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Eight former Southern Conference baseball players were listed on 2020 Major League Baseball Opening Day active rosters.
 
A total of six SoCon schools, former or current, were represented on MLB Opening Day rosters. Former SoCon member schools College of Charleston and Appalachian state led the way with two players each on a roster.
 
Among the eight former players is Mercer’s Kyle Lewis, who holds an impressive SoCon resume. Lewis is the only player in SoCon history to earn the Golden Spikes Award, which is awarded to the best amateur baseball player in the country, and was the first SoCon baseball player to be selected within the first 20 picks of the MLB draft.
 
The Citadel’s Asher Wojciechowski, who in 2010 became the first SoCon player since 1979 to be a first-round pick in the MLB draft, joins Lewis as one of eight on an active roster, as does Samford’s Phillip Ervin, who was a first-round pick in 2013.
 
A full list of former SoCon players on MLB active rosters is below.
 
Former SoCon players on MLB active rosters
Jaylin Davis, San Francisco Giants (Appalachian State)
Phillip Ervin, Cincinnati Reds (Samford)
Brett Gardner, New York Yankees (College of Charleston)
Heath Hembree, Boston Red Sox (College of Charleston)
Greg Holland, Kansas City Royals (Western Carolina)
Kyle Lewis, Seattle Mariners (Mercer)
Jeffrey Springs, Boston Red Sox (Appalachian State)
Asher Wojciechowski, Baltimore Orioles (The Citadel)