Los Angeles, Calif.----Wingate University All-American and national champion Mitch Farris will make history Tuesday night, as he will get the start for the Los Angeles Angels. The Angels are in Kansas City to take on the Royals Tuesday night at 7:40 p.m. ET. Farris is just the second Bulldog to make it to the Major Leagues, and will be the first-ever Bulldog to make an MLB start.

Farris was selected in the 14th round by the Atlanta Braves in the summer of 2023. He was the 429th overall pick in the draft. He was traded from the Braves to the Angels in December of 2024.

During the 2024 season, Farris pitched with the AA Rome Emperors, where he posted a 2.95 ERA with 93 strikeouts in 82 innings. He then went to the Augusta Green Jackets, striking out 37 in 22 2/3 innings while posting a 2.38 ERA. Farris has made 22 starts for the Rocket City Trash Pandas in 2025, piling up 142 strikeouts in 116 innings of work. In his most recent start on Aug. 26, Farris tossed 6 2/3 shutout frames, striking out 13 and walking just one to earn the win.

Farris had a huge season 2023 at Wingate, piling up the honors while ranking among the nation's best in nearly every category. The left-hander went 11-1 on the season with a 1.21 ERA, striking out 127 batters while walking just 16 in 89 innings of work. Farris posted a 0.62 WHIP while holding opponents to a .128 average, giving up just 39 hits in his 89 innings of work. Farris was named the SAC Pitcher of the Year, while also taking home Region Pitcher of the Year accolades from the ABCA, NCBWA and D2CCA. Farris was a consensus first team All-American, earning the honors from the ABCA, NCBWA and D2CCA. He was named the SAC Pitcher of the Week seven times in 2023, adding four Region Pitcher of the Week awards and a pair of National Pitcher of the Week selections. He was the lone Division II player named to the Golden Spikes Watch List in 2023. 

Farris led the nation in WHIP and hits allowed per nine innings, ranking second in ERA and strikeouts, third in strikeout-to-walk ratio and eight in wins. He went at least five innings in all 12 starts, going at least seven innings in each of his final nine starts, including three complete games. Farris did not allow a run in five of those starts, allowing one run in four starts and two runs in one start, while allowing three runs just one time and never allowing more. Only one of his 12 starts saw opponents collect more than four hits, holding opponents to two hits or less on six occasions including five two-hit performances. Farris struck out at least nine in all 12 starts, hitting double figures eight times, which included an 18-strikeout effort in eight innings against LMU and a 13-strikeout performance at #7 Lenoir-Rhyne, when he went the distance allowing a run on just three hits.  In his 15 starts over the last two seasons, Farris went 13-0 with a 0.98 ERA, striking out 149 while walking just 17 in 110 innings of work, giving up just 12 runs on 47 hits.

Farris was also an All-American in 2022, going 7-1 with a 1.70 ERA in 19 appearances, making four starts. He struck out 69 and walked just 13 in 53 innings of work, tossing a pair of complete-game shutouts while also notching three saves for the Bulldogs. That season he also ranked second on the team with a .367 average, piling up nine homers, 12 doubles and 49 RBI. Farris had two wins and two saves in 2021, striking out 41 in 35 innings of work for the national champion Bulldogs.

WINGATE UNIVERSITY

Wingate University is a lab of difference-making that serves more than 3,400 students in North Carolina and offers 60 degree pathways, including 37 undergraduate majors, 10 pre-professional tracks and five dual-degree programs. Graduate students choose from seven master's and five doctoral programs. The University is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences, the Levine College of Health Sciences, the Byrum School of Business, the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences.
 
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a leader in healthcare education where nearly one in five undergraduate students is preparing to be a pharmacist, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist or nurse. Student-athletes on Wingate's 30 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award the past 17 times it has been awarded. The University's motto is "Faith, Knowledge, Service." View current news and videos at www.wingate.edu.