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Mitch Evans is officially a professional baseball player.

That’s a pretty cool statement to make for the 17-year-old South Australian who has yet to finish Year 12.

Evans, a 6’4 left-handed pitcher, out of Southern Districts Baseball Club, officially inked his professional deal with Major League Baseball’s Detroit Tigers today.

Kevin Hooker, the Tigers Pacific-Rim Scouting Coordinator, presented Mitch with the contract at West Beach in front of nearly 50 family, friends, supporters, coaches, media and baseball community members.

He becomes the third South Australian in the last eighteen months to sign with the Tigers, following in the footsteps of Jack Bushell & Alistair Tanner.

Evans is now one of 25 Australians signed to a professional contract with a major outfit in the MLB, NPB or KBO system. New South Wales’ Clayton Campbell is also in the Tigers’ system.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to play Major League Baseball. I felt like starting my professional journey earlier would help me reach that goal,” says Evans.

“I was talking to a number of [MLB] teams and looking at colleges, but I just knew the Tigers were the right team for me. Nobody seemed as invested as the Tigers, they are doing a great job with Ali & Jack and I was really happy to go with them.”

Evans is now on the other side of a busy period of being heavily scouted by MLB teams and colleges.

He landed on the Tigers.

Evans cites the Tigers’ commitment to cutting-edge technology, performance science, and elite coaching as an aspect that stood out immediately.

Their success speaks for itself, with standout results across both the Minor and Major Leagues, most recently highlighted by Cy Young Award winner and Tigers ace, Tariq Skubal.

“What really resonated was the level of integration between MiLB and MLB operations,” says Justin Evans, Mitch’s dad.

“The organisation works as one team, with coaching, science, mental skills, and player development all operating in sync. The attention to detail in every part of the process was something to behold.”

Evans is a loyal club man, a product of the performance pathways system, a junior national team member, state team star, and Adelaide Giants development player.

This is his journey.

SCOUTING REPORT

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“He’s such a competitor on the mound,” says Austin Gallagher, Baseball Australia’s Performance Pathways Manager and a longtime coach of Mitch Evans.

“He’s amazing at seeing his long term goals, great at visualisation, and uses this to enhance his performance,” adds Gallagher.

Coupled with his big, athletic, left-handed frame is a four-pitch mix. His fastball velocity sits in the upper-80s (mph) with good movement.

Evans pitch arsenal includes a fastball, changeup, slider and curveball.

“He gets good extension with his long limbs on the mound. As a hitter it seems and feels a lot harder out of the release,” says Gallagher. “It feels like it’s on top of you.”

He uses his curveball to great effect as his strikeout pitch.

“He’s showed upswing the whole way. He keeps getting better and better and better,” says Kevin Hooker, Pacific Rim Scouting Coordinator for the Tigers. “He took a huge step forward with a trip the to the states. We’re really excited about what Mitch brings. He fits the mould of what a lot of successful Australians have been.”

Evans says he’s been focusing on sharpening his slider lately.

“Yeah there’s been a velocity increase over the last year with the fastball but really I want to keep working on my off-speed so I can continue to just attack the zone with different effect,” he says. “I like to attack.”

It’s been a wild 12 months and 2024-25 season for Evans.

Locally, he played club ball in Division I for Southern Districts in the South Australian Baseball League. He was his state’s ‘ace’ at the 2025 U18 Championships in January.

Internationally, he’s thrived with the Green & Gold.

Evans starred for Australia at Under-18 World Cup Qualifiers, was the starting pitcher (and dominated) for his country vs Team USA U15 National Team, played for the MLB World Select Team, and was Australia’s Game 1 starter at the Perfect Game World Series.

At the World Series, he tossed 4.0 innings, allowing one hit with eight strikeouts and was named the pitcher of the day.

He also turned in a memorable performance at Clemson University in front of a pack of scouts while facing USA U15.

“He is a competitor,” says Nick Hutchings, one of Mitch’s club coaches and teammates. “He will empty the tank and leave everything on the mound and pitches with energy. He isn’t afraid to throw inside and challenge the hitter.”

Safe to say, it’s been a busy 12-months to lead him to this contract.

HIS BASEBALL JOURNEY – HOW HE STARTED

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“It’s really been the only sport I’ve truly loved,” professes Evans. “I dabbled in footy but there isn’t really a sport out there as challenging or enjoyable as baseball. I’ve never loved a sport as much.”

Mitch’s father, Justin, used to play baseball at Southern Districts with his uncle.

“I watched them play club ball and just instantly fell in love with the game,” he says.

He joined the Southern Districts program and is now writing his own history.

Justin Evans, Mitch’s father, says his son was always baseball mad.

“Mitch was the kind of kid who’d pitch to himself if no one else was around. Backyard games turned into full-blown tournaments and he’d still argue balls and strikes with himself,” he says. “He wore out the lawn so often he ended up building his own pitching mound. He just loved being around the game.”

Despite now living closer to other clubs, Evans says he remains loyal to Souths.

“I’ve always been there plus my dad and uncle played there. They lived that way [in the South of Adelaide] and it didn’t make sense to move because we loved that club,” says Mitch.

His love was enhanced by attending local professional games at the Adelaide Bite (now the Giants) at Norwood Oval.

“I’ve watched [this team] all my life. I used to love just going out to the ballpark with my dad, hanging out, watching baseball, watch the team play, run out on the field and grab an ice cream and eat it out of one of those mini-helmets,” he laughs.

While baseball is fun, Evans says it is the cerebral part of the game is appealing to him.

“It’s really fascinating for me to see the pitch design of it. Watching games, seeing strategies, seeing the science behind pitching. I’ve always loved seeing that myself, the mechanics and pitch design to work with people to do that and see the results,” he says. “I love that process and the aspect.
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Mitch says his dad Justin is his biggest influence. He coached Mitch in junior baseball and remained his biggest supporter.

“I was lucky enough to coach or manage a lot of his teams growing up,” says Justin. “I couldn’t have been prouder. Whether it was training or game day, Mitch showed up fully committed, loudest on the bench, and always finding ways to lift his teammates. Right from the start, you could see the work ethic and character that’s carried him this far.”

Mitch also says Southern Districts player & coach Nick Hutchings has been a tremendous influence.

Hutchings says he has seen what Mitch can bring for a long time.

“He was a consistent Seahawks representative throughout his charter years and made both U16 & U18 state teams,” says Hutchings. “At Souths, in his first year at Under 17s he stood much taller than a a lot of his peers so had the ability to throw harder and hit harder due to his longer levers. Only in the last couple of years when he made the decision to stop hitting and really focus on pitching did he develop at a ridiculous rate and put himself on the map.”

Evans also says Austin Gallagher has played a huge role in his success.

“He showed me how much he cared and transformed me as a ballplayer. I think what Gally showed me is how to work hard but also have fun. Take it seriously without taking it seriously,” he says. “He is always there for a chat or to dissect what I need to dissect.”

His work ethic has always been present.

When Mitch was faced with the prospect of having to fly overseas to represent his country, the financial reality set in.

Between school & training, Mitch raised money by crafting his own chopping boards.

THE “MOMENT”

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Gallagher says there was a defining moment when he knew Mitch was special.

In September, 2024, Evans was in the United States playing for the Under 16 national squad in an exhibition series vs World #1 U15 Team USA at Clemson University.

He was excellent. He threw 3.0 innings vs a lethal line-up, allowing one hit, no walks and one run with five strikeouts.

According to Gallagher, the performance was pre-meditated.

“When he found out about his start at Clemson University against Team USA, he researched the field and conditions and took mental reps so that when he finally stood on the mound at Clemson to face USA, he had already done so a dozen times in his mind,” says Gallagher.

Evans corroborates the story.

“I looked at photos and videos of Clemson specifically from the pitcher’s view so whenever I was on a mound at home I was envisioning being in Clemson, I was picturing a batter in the box, I was visualising myself dominating the best junior team in the world,” he says. “When I got there I was comfortable because I already had done it.”

The rest was easy.

“It allowed me to throw it down the zone and challenge them with confidence. It was almost like I’ve been there before,” he adds.

But that’s what makes Mitch special, according to Gallagher.

“It’s his ability to understand his weaknesses and set time frames on when he would like to achieve his goals allows him to be smart about his preparation,” says Gallagher.

According to Mitch, the performance vs USA was when he truly knew he could take baseball seriously and do it for a living.

He says the combination of his performance vs elite talent, and how we approached the experience really drove the prospect of him becoming professional home.

“Mostly it just emphasised little things and motivated me more. I learned things. I thought about how to improve. It made me want to get better at attacking and enhancing pitches that worked and improve those that didn’t,” says Evans.

“I saw the stage and saw where I wanted to be.”

Since then, he’s been putting in the work.

Evans has been training daily at West Beach and will continue to do so before he heads over to Spring Training in January, 2026.

“Credit to Mitch,” says Gallagher. “We sat down and reviewed his mechanics and went over exactly what he needed to do and what drills would get him on track. Not only did he work on these during our group trainings, but he took these into everyday applications to make sure that he was going to break these old habits. In a 5 month span, Mitch’s velocity and mechanics changes had taken his game to a whole level. The sky is the limit for Mitch and his career.”

AUSTRALIAN CONNECTION

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Evans will head to Florida in January – only a couple months after he graduates from Brighton Secondary School.

He joins fellow South Australians Ali Tanner & Jack Bushell in the organisation, Australian pitching coach Tyler Anderson and NSW professional Clayton Campbell.

“Both guys have been great,” says Evans on his South Aussie brethren. “Ali is really close to me, and I was there when he signed last year. He’s been a marker and reference with the Tigers. I’m looking forward to joining them with this experience.”

Now he has to settle into a busy rest of 2025.

“The plan is to go to school, be at the field as much as I can, work hard, train, help out with coaching, go to a national team training camp, hopefully make the World Cup roster, train again at West Beach and head to the states,” he says.

Is that it? Busy for the 17-year-old pro.