ORANGE, Calif. – Six former Chapman University baseball student-athletes will continue on with their baseball careers this summer among the professional ranks. Three former Panthers are playing in a minor league system for an MLB franchise.
Nick Garcia, Max Banks and Grant Manning all pitched for the Panthers on the mound at Hart Park. Garcia, an All-American on the Panthers' 2019 NCAA Division III championship team and a third round pick in 2020, recently signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners. He will begin the season with the Double-A Arkansas Travelers.
Banks pitched three seasons for the Panthers for three seasons before finishing his college career at Washington, earning All-Big 10 honors. He was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 14th round of last year's draft and will begin his professional career with Single-A Kannapolis Cannon Ballers. He was the Opening Day starter for the Cannon Ballers, tossing four shutout innings.
Manning graduated from Chapman and pitched for four seasons with the Panthers although two were shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He used his extra years of eligibility to finish his college career at Virginia Tech. He signed with the Washington Nationals in February as a free agent and was assigned to the Single-A Fredericksburg Nationals. He came out of the bullpen on Opening Day, pitching 1.2 innings.
Josh Phillips and Hank Zeisler both joined Frontier League rosters. Zeisler was named the Most Outstanding Player after leading the Panthers to the 2019 NCAA Division III title. He is back with the Florence Yalls for his fourth season after being a Team Captain and All-Frontier League selection. He led the team with 22 home runs with a .312 batting average last season.
Phillips graduated last year as the all-time home run leader at Chapman. He will face Zeisler's club in June as a member of the Joliet Slammers and will make his professional debut when the season opens on May 8.
Christian Cosby was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 2018 and has continued to find professional opportunities after a few years in the minor leagues. He most recently pitched in the Venezuelan Winter League with the Cardenales de Lara. He will pitch this season with the Acereros de Monclova, which he went 1-0 with a 2.19 ERA with in 2025.
