Drue Hackenberg and Justin Dean named Farm Bureau Pitcher and Player of the Week

PEARL, MS (July 29, 2024) — The Mississippi Braves and Farm Bureau proudly announce that RHP Drue Hackenberg and OF Justin Dean have been named Farm Bureau Pitcher and Player of the Week for July 19-28.

Hackenberg, 22, led Minor League Baseball with 22 strikeouts from July 19-28 and set a new club record with 16 strikeouts in his start on July 21 at Pensacola. Over two starts, the right-hander had a 1.50 ERA (2 ER/12.0 IP), 22 strikeouts to one walk, 0.58 WHIP, and a .143 opponent batting average. The Leighton, PA native became the first pitcher in Minor League Baseball to strike out 16 and became the 21st Minor League pitcher since 2005 to record 16 or more strikeouts in a single game and the first since Matt Sauer, who totaled 17 for Double-A Somerset on Aug. 25, 2022.

The 22-year-old didn’t walk a batter over 7.0 innings, allowing one run on three hits and retiring the final 14 Pensacola batters. He topped the M-Braves’ strikeout record of 14, previously held by Ian Anderson (June 28, 2019) and Tommy Hanson (June 25, 2008). Hackenberg generated 26 swings and misses—the most by any Double-A pitcher and one shy of the most in affiliated baseball, as Giants rookie Hayden Birdsong piled up 27.

Hackenberg was Atlanta's second-round selection in the 2023 draft out of Virginia Tech.

Dean, 27, used his speed to re-write the Mississippi Braves record book over the last nine days. The Mauldin, SC native had four stolen bases during Sunday's doubleheader in Montgomery and set the club's single-season record for steals, breaking the previous record of 42, which was set by Matt Young in 2009. Dean has Double-A, leading 44 steals in 84 games, ranking eighth in all Minor League Baseball. Dean's career high for steals in a season is 47, a mark he set while playing for High-A Rome in 2019. Over his career, the outfielder has a club record 114 stolen steals as an M-Brave. Overall, Dean had eight hits, six runs, a double, three RBI, and four walks over the last nine games.

Dean was Atlanta's 17th-round selection in 2018 out of Lenoir-Ryne (NC),

The M-Braves will open a two-week homestand on Tuesday night at Trustmark Park with game one of a six-game series against the Tennessee Smokies. RHP Ian Mejia will start for the M-Braves against RHP Chris Kachmar for the Smokies. Coverage begins at 6:20 pm on 102.9 The Box, Bally Live, and MiLB.tv.