Draven Zeigler has joined a small group of Pilots to make it onto a major league organization. I spoke with him to get insights on how everything unfolded.
It has been fifty-seven days since the LSU-Shreveport Pilots won the first national championship in LSUS athletics history, and yet accomplishments are still coming in for the perfect squad. It is not easy for a NAIA player to go pro in any sport, especially baseball. Since 2015, 155 NAIA baseball players have been drafted, and only about 19 of those players have made it to a major league roster.
For the Pilots, they have had five players selected in the MLB draft since 2003, and eleven signed as free agents since 2007. About a week ago, Draven Zeigler was the eleventh Pilot to sign with an MLB team as a free agent. It should be no surprise. Zeigler has the tools to be a major league player. Zeigler stands at 6’4 220 lbs., has a fastball that can reach the mid-90s and a wicked slider that can induce off balance swings from batters. This was intriguing enough for Brandon Rembert, a scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates, to give Zeigler the call of a lifetime.
A native of Ash Grove, Missouri, Zeigler arrived on campus in 2023 as a transfer from North Arkansas College, a public 2-year community college in Harrison, Arkansas. Of his three seasons at LSUS, 2025 was by far his best. Over sixteen total starts, Ziegler posted career-highs with a 13-0 record, four complete game shutouts with five total CGs, 107 strikeouts, and a 1.76 ERA over eighty-seven innings pitched. Along with the 107 strikeouts, Zeigler only walked twenty-five while giving up seventeen earned runs and just one home run.
Zeigler finished his career second in school history with thirty wins, behind only Gene Stevens from 2001-2004. He finished tied with Stevens in shutouts with five, and fourth in LSUS history in strikeouts with 262. Stevens, teammate Isaac Rohde, and Kevin Miranda from 2020-2022 are the only players with more. In 2025, Zeigler racked up 13 wins, which ties him with Miranda in 2022 and John James in 2009 for the third most in a single season in LSUS history. Zeigler also tied Matt Lackie in 2012 for most shutouts in a single season in LSUS history with four. It should be safe to say that Zeigler has left his mark on LSUS.
Zeigler told me the first person he contacted after joining the Pirates was his best friend and former LSUS teammate, Gage Bihm, who signed a professional contract with the New York Mets in 2023. “I was the first person he called after he got signed, and we went through everything together when he played here and still today.” Zeigler called the moment “pretty special” and had to let his best friend and former teammate know “the hard work from this season had paid off.”
The process of getting drafted was “pretty simple.” Zeigler did not hear anything until Thursday, July 17 after the conclusion of the 2025 MLB draft when Rembert texted him asking if he had been signed. On Friday, July 18, Zeigler got a call asking if he would accept the offer, and the rest was history. Afterwards Zeigler received information for a flight to Florida to join the Pirates FCL (Florida Coast League) team.
As for where Zeigler will start in the Pirates organization, he “would assume rookie ball” which has been confirmed by mlb.com. This recent Thursday, July 24, when we had our conversation, Zeigler had started playing catch and “doing athletic activities”, so the time is near for Zeigler.
As for representing LSU-Shreveport and the city of Shreveport, Zeigler could not be prouder. “It’s an honor to be one of the select few from LSUS to be signed with an MLB team, especially with the group of guys we had this year.” "It could’ve been anyone and I’m thankful it was me.” It would “mean everything” for Zeigler to represent LSUS one day and the city of Shreveport in the major leagues. “After all the school and city did for me, it would be awesome to be able to represent LSUS at the highest level.”
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