FAIRFIELD, Iowa — A Southeast Iowa baseball legend heard his name called in the MLB draft over the weekend.
Fairfield’s Nathan Smithburg has been drafted to the Tampa Bay Rays, continuing his incredible baseball career.
Smithburg was a standout pitcher at Fairfield before graduating in 2022. During his time with the Trojans, he was a three-time all-conference and all-district selection and was named captain of the all-region team as a senior.
He was also awarded second-team all-state as a senior after going 6-1 with a 0.45 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 83.0 innings of work
He then took his talents to Indian Hills Community College, appearing in 40 career contests as the team’s primary closer.
Smithburg was also named to the 2023 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-Region 11 team.
He joined the Oklahoma Sooners after the 2024 season and did not pitch a game in 2025.
In 2026 he hurled 19 games, won two and tallied 18 strikeouts with a 3.79 ERA.
The next potential stop in his journey is the Tampa Bay Rays, who selected him in the 18th round, 533rd overall.
Congrats to Nathan Smithburg on his accomplishment, and hopefully he’ll be the next Tri-State star to make it to the big leagues.