Six professional baseball players from the Coastal Bend have made their Major League Debut since 2000: Jose Trevino (St. John Paul II High School), Cliff Pennington (Mary Carroll High School), Anthony Banda (Sinton High School), Nick Loftin (W.B. Ray High School), Wyatt Mathisen (Calallen High School), Mike Adams (Sinton High School).
Jose Trevino began his baseball career at St. John Paul II High School. After spending three years at Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma, he was selected in the sixth round in the MLB draft by the Texas Rangers.
In his last collegiate season in 2014, he posted a .304 batting average with 10 home runs in 230 at-bats. He made his MLB debut on June 15, 2018, for the Texas Rangers.
On April 2, 2022, Trevino was traded from the Rangers to the New York Yankees. During the 2022 season with the Yankees, he was named an All-Star and recorded a hit in the game. That same year, he won both the Gold Glove and Platinum Glove award. The Platinum Glove award is given to the top overall defensive player from both the American and National leagues. Trevino is still active in the community. He holds an annual youth baseball tournament called Trevi’s World Series. The 2025 event hosted 150 teams and included a weekend-long toy drive for military families.
Cliff Pennington was born on June 15, 1984. He attended Mary Carroll High School, where he played baseball.
In 2003, the shortstop began his collegiate baseball career at Texas A&M University. Over three seasons, Pennington had a career batting average in college .347. He remains in the programs’ top 10 for three different statistics: hits (246), triples (10), and stolen bases (53). Pennington was inducted into the Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.
Pennington was selected 21st overall in the 2005 MLB draft by the Oakland Athletics. On Aug. 12, 2008, Pennington made his MLB debut. He went on to play 11 seasons in the MLB.
After his MLB career concluded, he began coaching for the Dallas Baptist University Patriots in 2021. He spent four seasons coaching, and in 2024 was named the Conference USA Assistant Coach of the Year. In 2025, he returned to Texas A&M as an assistant and third base coach.
Anthony Banda, born Aug. 10, 1993, began his baseball career in Sinton playing for Sinton High School.
Banda was drafted first by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 33rd round in the 2011 MLB Draft but did not sign; instead, he opted out and chose to pursue college instead. He would spend a season at San Jacinto College-North Campus in Houston. Drafted the following year for the second time, he was selected in the 10th round by the Milwaukee Brewers.
In 2017, Banda made his MLB debut for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Over his career he has played for multiple teams.
On May 17, 2024, Banda was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for cash considerations. Banda served a pivotal role for the Dodgers’ World Series winning roster, posting 2 1/3 scoreless innings recorded for Banda across four appearances. His 2024 road jersey was later added to the Dodgers’ World Series collection in The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
Banda also won his second World Series title with the Dodgers in 2025. The two-time world champion is currently a part of the Minnesota Twins and in his 10th major league season.
Nick Loftin is the most recent player from Corpus Christi to make his MLB debut.
Born Sept. 25, 1998, Loftin attended and played baseball for W.B Ray High School. He spent three seasons at Baylor University beginning in 2018, posting a career .307 batting average.
The Kansas City Royals selected him 32nd overall in the 2020 MLB draft. He made his Major League debut Sept. 1, 2023, recording his first hit, an RBI double in the third inning.
Since his debut, Loftin has begun the year in the minor leagues but has worked his way back up to the major league 40-man roster. He is still in the Royals’ organization and has a .364 batting average to start the 2026 season.
Wyatt Mathisen started his baseball career at Calallen High School.
Mathisen was drafted in the second round by the Pittsburgh Pirates out of high school in the 2012 MLB Draft. He would spend eight years (649 games) in the minor leagues before making his debut on Sept. 7, 2020.
In 2021, he appeared in 23 games for the Arizona Diamondbacks before being designated for assignment.
Mathisen currently runs a youth baseball organization called Mathisen Baseball Group (MBG). The organization is based in Corpus Christi and teams from 8u-14u.
Mike Adams, the oldest player on this list, made his MLB debut on May 18, 2004.
A Sinton High School graduate, Adams was an All-State selection in both baseball and basketball. Adams attended Texas A&M University-Kingsville, where he played both sports. In college, Adams was named Lone Star Pitcher of the Year and All-Lone Star conference first-team. He was inducted into the TAMUK Javelina Hall of Fame in 2012.
Adams had a 10-year career, pitching for four different teams. Adams was known for having a dominant low ERA, posting a career 2.41. His best seasons came in 2010 and 2011, when he posted ERAs of 1.76 and 1.47.
Despite such success Adams never won any major awards, along with never making an All-Star team.
