Southern Illinois pitcher Allen Montgomery signed a free agent deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday afternoon. Montgomery, a Johnston City, Ill., native, is the third SIU player to sign with an MLB club this year, joining Michael Baird (23rd round to the St. Louis Cardinals) and Connor Kopach (25th round to the Seattle Mariners).
“I always thought about this moment, but I’m not sure I ever really believed it would happen. It’s a dream come true,” Montgomery said. “As a walk-on, I felt like I had to play with a chip on my shoulder. I put in a lot of time, work, and effort; and that led to this opportunity.”
Montgomery, who joined the program as a preferred walk-on in 2016-17, made 27 appearances out of the SIU bullpen in 2018, the fourth-most appearances in the Missouri Valley Conference. He served as SIU’s go-to reliever with runners on base–his 45 inherited runners led all SIU relievers by 31. Montgomery stranded 33 of the 45 inherited base runners and finished the season with 11 scoreless appearances, including four of at least two innings.
“I only had one opportunity out of high school, and (Southeastern Illinois College head coach) Jeremy Irlbeck gave me a chance. I only had one opportunity out of junior college, and (SIU head coach) Ken Henderson and (SIU associate head coach) P.J. Finigan gave me a chance. I can’t thank them enough,” Montgomery said. “And my biggest influence was (Marion, Ill.) native Eric Barrett. When I was 16, he told me I have what it takes to make it as a pitcher. Without him, I wouldn’t be playing baseball.”
“I always thought about this moment, but I’m not sure I ever really believed it would happen. It’s a dream come true,” Montgomery said. “As a walk-on, I felt like I had to play with a chip on my shoulder. I put in a lot of time, work, and effort; and that led to this opportunity.”
Montgomery, who joined the program as a preferred walk-on in 2016-17, made 27 appearances out of the SIU bullpen in 2018, the fourth-most appearances in the Missouri Valley Conference. He served as SIU’s go-to reliever with runners on base–his 45 inherited runners led all SIU relievers by 31. Montgomery stranded 33 of the 45 inherited base runners and finished the season with 11 scoreless appearances, including four of at least two innings.
“I only had one opportunity out of high school, and (Southeastern Illinois College head coach) Jeremy Irlbeck gave me a chance. I only had one opportunity out of junior college, and (SIU head coach) Ken Henderson and (SIU associate head coach) P.J. Finigan gave me a chance. I can’t thank them enough,” Montgomery said. “And my biggest influence was (Marion, Ill.) native Eric Barrett. When I was 16, he told me I have what it takes to make it as a pitcher. Without him, I wouldn’t be playing baseball.”
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