Georgia Southern center fielder Josh Tate was selected with the 233rd overall pick in the 8th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2025 MLB Draft, as announced on Monday.
Tate, who completed his second year in Statesboro in 2025, was the offensive leader for not only the Eagles' squad, but also one of the best in the Sun Belt Conference. His .362 average was tops in the conference, leading the next best mark by .07.
The junior also had the most base knocks in the Sun Belt with his 89 across the season. Tate also made the mark with a top-ten finish in the conference in OPS (1.043), at bats (246), runs (60), doubles (18) and slugging (.606).
In 2025, Tate had hit streaks of 14 and 13 games, respectively, to both start and close the year. He also would go for multi-hit days in 28 of his 59 games on the season. Another accomplishment for the Eagle outfielder came in the form of a Sun Belt First-Team Selection.
Tate's selection now makes it back-to-back years that an Eagle has been drafted, with both Thomas Higgins and Ben Johnson having been selected in 2024.
