Clarksville, Ark.-Former University of the Ozarks standout pitcher Curt Dixon signed a professional baseball contract with the Sioux City (IA) Explorers, it was announced on Tuesday.
Dixon could see action out of the bullpen as early as Wednesday. Sioux City is a member of the American Association, an independent league made up of ten teams across the country. Sioux City competes in the North division along with St. Paul (MN), Wichita (KS), Sioux Falls (SD) and Lincoln (NE).
Dixon becomes the first baseball player in the modern era at Ozarks to sign with a professional baseball team.
The Explorers play 96 games from May-August and are coached by Les Lancaster, a former Chicago Cub and University of Arkansas pitching star. All 96 games can be followed on the web at www.xsbaseball.com/multimedia/.
The 6-foot-5, 215-pound McAlester, Okla., product was among the top players in the American Southwest Conference in 2008, finishing with a 2.92 ERA and a school-record 9-1 record. He had a team-best 74 strikeouts and tossed a team-high 71.0 innings. The right-hander was named the Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week March 10 after fanning 14 against East Texas Baptist University. Dixon helped the Eagles achieve their first national ranking in program history, reaching as high as No. 14 earlier in the year.
He owns career records at Ozarks in strikeouts (205), innings pitched (256.2), wins (24) and games started (46).
Topics: Athletics