McNeese State Professional Athletes

Two McNeese State pitchers had diverging weeks in MLB — one heading back to Triple-A, the other cementing himself as one of the more intriguing arms in Washington.

Bryan King Heads Back to Sugar Land

The Astros had seen enough. After a brutal Friday night outing against the Angels — 5 earned runs in just 1.1 innings, ballooning his ERA to 4.75 — Houston optioned left-hander Bryan King to Triple-A Sugar Land. The move came in tandem with the recall of RHP Kai-Wei Teng, who is 5-6 with a 4.35 ERA in 25 appearances for the big league club this season.

King's struggles weren't limited to Friday. He also allowed a run in 0.2 innings in Wednesday's 1-3 loss to the Angels, giving him a rough two-appearance stretch in which he surrendered 6 earned runs in just two innings of work. For a bullpen arm operating on thin margins, that's the kind of skid that earns a bus ticket south. King will need to regroup in the minors before Houston considers another look.

Will Dion Is Quietly Turning Heads in Washington

While King's week unraveled, fellow Cowboys alum Will Dion is building a case as one of the more quietly effective relievers in the Nationals' bullpen. Dion posted a strong 3.0-inning, 4-strikeout effort Friday against the Marlins, dropping his ERA to 2.84 — a number that would look right at home on any contender's roster, let alone Washington's.

His success is drawing attention not just for the results but for how he's getting there. A feature piece out of Yahoo Sports this week explored why Dion's fastball plays up despite sitting nearly 10 MPH slower than counterpart Yovanny Cruz — a testament to command, deception, and pitching intellect over raw heat. It's the kind of profile that signals the baseball world is starting to pay attention.

Dion also logged a scoreless inning with a strikeout Thursday against the Rangers, continuing a pattern of consistency that has become his calling card. At 2.84 ERA, the McNeese product isn't sneaking under the radar much longer.

Grant Anderson Keeps Rolling in Milwaukee

Don't overlook Grant Anderson, another Cowboys arm making noise — this time in a Brewers uniform. Anderson was sharp in back-to-back appearances against the Mariners this week, striking out three in a clean inning Wednesday after fanning one Tuesday. His ERA sits at 3.51, and he's quietly becoming a reliable late-innings option out of Milwaukee's bullpen.

Three McNeese State pitchers active in MLB at the same time is a remarkable run for a program out of Lake Charles, Louisiana. The Cowboys' pipeline is real, and this week — even with King's setback — proved it.

McNeese State in MLB | Aug. 9–15, 2026

Bryan King's name was in a big-league lineup card as a starter for the first time in his career this week — and he did it wearing the uniform of a first-place club.

King's Milestone Moment

The Houston Astros tabbed the left-hander to start the series finale against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Aug. 12, capping a six-game West Coast road trip. It marked King's first career MLB start — a legitimate milestone for a Cowboys alum who had carved his path to the bigs out of the bullpen.

The outing itself was brief: King delivered 0.2 innings, allowed one earned run, and struck out one in the rubber match against the Giants. The ERA ticked up to 3.96, but context matters here — being trusted with the ball in a meaningful game for a first-place team is the headline, not the line. The Astros didn't hand that assignment to just anyone.

King bookended the week with appearances against the Padres (Aug. 10) and the Mariners (Aug. 15). Against San Diego, he worked a clean inning and fanned three, though two earned runs crossed the plate and his ERA climbed to 3.83. He bounced back to close the week against Seattle, tossing a scoreless inning with a strikeout as his ERA settled at 3.88 — right in the thick of a respectable big-league season for a pitcher still finding his footing as a multi-role arm.

Dion Delivering for Washington

While King grabbed the spotlight, Will Dion quietly put together one of the stronger weeks among McNeese alumni in the league. The Nationals reliever was dominant on Aug. 15 against the Mets, striking out seven batters across 4.1 innings while lowering his ERA to 3.25. That's a genuine swing-and-miss performance, the kind that earns trust in a Washington bullpen that's been leaning on its depth all season.

Earlier in the week on Aug. 9, Dion worked three innings against the Reds, posting one strikeout as his ERA sat at 3.86. The Aug. 15 outing was a significant step forward and the kind of performance that puts scouts and coaches on notice.

Anderson Holds the Line

Grant Anderson had a quieter week for the Brewers, throwing just 0.1 innings in Milwaukee's 1-3 loss to the Dodgers on Aug. 15. His ERA remains at 3.67 — solid for a reliever — and he continues to hold a roster spot on a Brewers club battling in a competitive NL Central race.

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Three Cowboys pitching in the big leagues simultaneously is no small thing for a program out of Lake Charles. King's first career start is the marquee moment of the week, but Dion's seven-strikeout performance and Anderson's continued presence on a contender add real texture to what's quietly becoming a McNeese State moment in MLB.

McNeese State Alumni Report | MLB | Aug. 2–8, 2026

The trade deadline reshuffled the MLB landscape this week, and McNeese State alumni found themselves right in the middle of it. Two Cowboys changed addresses in the same blockbuster deal — and a third kept quietly making his case in the bullpen.

The Big Move: Griffin to Cleveland, Dion to Washington

Foster Griffin is a Guardian. The Washington Nationals shipped the All-Star to Cleveland in what Yahoo Sports described as a deal with a "seemingly light return" for the Nats — a package headlined by pitching prospect Josh Hartle and fellow McNeese alum Will Dion.

Losing an All-Star and getting back a teammate from your own college program is a quirky footnote, but it underscores how deep the Cowboys' pipeline runs. Griffin had established himself as one of the more coveted arms at the deadline; the Guardians clearly viewed him as a legitimate difference-maker for a postseason push. Washington, meanwhile, appears to be entering a rebuild, taking on prospects and shedding payroll.

Dion's inclusion in the return package is notable in its own right. The right-hander had been holding his own in the Nationals' bullpen, tossing 0.2 innings against the Phillies on August 5 while carrying a 4.43 ERA on the season. He now heads to Cleveland as part of this deal — joining an organization that figures to give him every opportunity to grow into a larger role as the club pivots toward the future. Two Cowboys were traded for each other — college football coaches dream of that kind of roster depth.

Bryan King Keeps Chugging in Houston

While the deadline drama played out elsewhere, Bryan King was doing what relievers do: getting outs and staying off the injury report. The Astros right-hander made two appearances this week, logging a clean inning against the Padres on August 8 and striking out a batter in a 0.2-inning outing versus the Rangers on August 2. His ERA sits at 3.54 — respectable for any bullpen arm in a pennant race, and King has quietly been one of the more reliable late-inning options Houston has deployed.

King doesn't generate the same headline wattage as a trade-deadline centerpiece, but for McNeese fans tracking the Cowboys' footprint across the majors, a dependable arm on a contending roster is nothing to overlook.

The Bigger Picture

It's a genuinely unusual week when two alumni from a mid-major program in Lake Charles, Louisiana end up as the principal players in one of the deadline's splashiest trades. McNeese State's MLB presence is modest in number but punching above its weight in visibility. Griffin's move to Cleveland puts a Cowboys alum on a team with legitimate October aspirations, while Dion's new chapter in Cleveland gives him a fresh start on a club that will need arms.

For Cowboys fans, there's a lot to track as the stretch run begins.