SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Former Minnesota State pitcher Nathan Culley made his professional debut Thursday night with the Sioux Falls Canaries, becoming the eighth former Maverick currently on a professional roster.
In the Canaries' 7–1 win over Lake County, Culley pitched one inning, faced three batters, and recorded a strikeout.

Culley—a native of Andover, Minn.—went 12–1 with a 2.52 earned run average as a starting pitcher for the Mavericks this season. He threw four complete games, including two shutouts, and led the team with 98 strikeouts while issuing 27 walks.

In the NCAA Central Region Tournament on May 15, Culley pitched seven innings against Arkansas-Monticello, allowing three earned runs and striking out eight.

Culley earned ABCA All-Central Region First Team honors, as well as All-America recognition from both D2CCA and NCBWA. He graduated with a 3.91 GPA in Business Leadership and was named the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Team Member of the Year for his excellence on the field and in the classroom.

Sioux Falls competes in the American Association, one of the premier independent professional baseball leagues in the country.

Mavericks in Professional Baseball

Player	Professional Team (League)
Nick Altermatt	Winston-Salem Dash (South Atlantic League; High-A, White Sox)
Aidan Byrne	Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (American Association)
Brendan Knoll	Sioux Falls Canaries (American Association)
Dalton Roach	Birmingham Barons (Southern League; AA, White Sox)
Brody Rodning	Corpus Christi Hooks (Texas League; AA, Astros)
Aaron Rozek	Wichita Wind Surge (Texas League; AA, Twins)
Zach Stroh	Milwaukee Milkmen (American Association)
Nathan Culley	Sioux Falls Canaries (American Association)