NSU Athletics
Don Vieth, Director of Athletics Communication
ST. LOUIS – Former Northeastern State pitcher Ryan Helsley earned his Major League Baseball call up Tuesday by the St. Louis Cardinals.
Helsley, who is in his fifth year in professional baseball, got selected in the fifth round of the 2015 MLB First-Year Player Draft by the Cardinals organization. He is the first player from Northeastern State to play for a Major League Baseball Organization.
The local Tahlequah product has made two starts this season for the Memphis Redbirds in Triple A. In five season of minor league action Helsley has posted a 27-9 record with 368 strikeouts in 345 innings of work.
Helsley will dress for the Cardinals tonight in Milwaukee, where they are in the second game of a three-game series against the Brewers.
Helsley pitched for the RiverHawks from 2014-15 where he made 21 starts and compiled a 14-8 record. In 2015, he was fifth in the nation in strikeouts per nine innings (13.4) and led the MIAA with 95 punch-outs.