Former baseball player, OLLU alumnus, and current graduate student Jose Diaz has signed a professional contract with the Florence Y’alls of the Frontier League.

The Frontier League is a professional independent baseball league with 16 teams spread throughout the Northeastern and Midwestern United States, as well as Eastern Canada. The Y’alls play in Florence, Ky., just south of Cincinnati.

Diaz holds multiple Saints records. He totaled 231 games played, 175 runs scored, 260 hits, 54 doubles and more. During his fifth year at OLLU in 2021, Diaz was recognized as Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Player of the Year. Diaz also helped lead the Saints to their first NAIA World Series opening round appearance last season. He was awarded Big Blue Top Saint in 2020 and 2021, which recognizes male and female athletes for their dedication to academics and athletics.

Head Coach Bryan Aughney commented, “This is a big-time accomplishment for Jose, and everyone associated with our program past and present is pulling for him to have great success. With all the turmoil that comes with professional baseball, signing any type of contract is much harder these days than in comparison to past years. The Frontier League is one of the most premier Indy leagues in the country. Now he just has to go excel and continue to get opportunities. Jose was a great player for us. He was a great teammate and leader, so we are all very proud to see him continue in his career.”