Buccaneers’ Emeka Egbuka was once a baseball star with Mariners connection

Matthew Wadleigh

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Buccaneers’ Emeka Egbuka was once a baseball star with Mariners connection image

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers added to an already-loaded wide receiver group by drafting Ohio State star Emeka Egbuka at No. 19 overall. Egbuka joins Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan in a crowded WR room. 

Egbuka was a star at Ohio State, although he was second fiddle behind others such as Jeremiah Smith and Marvin Harrison Jr. 

The Buccaneers' selection of Egbuka shows their aggressiveness on offense and their ability to add a plethora of weapons around Baker Mayfield while also building for the future. 

And, in a cool edition of the "Did you know?" game, the Seattle Mariners dropped a neat tidbit about the new Tampa Bay weapon. 

In 2011, Emeka was the National Pitch, Hit & Run Champion in the boys 7–8 year-old division and threw out a first pitch to Felix Hernandez. 

So, 14 years ago, Egbuka won a contest and threw out the first pitch to King Felix. Now, he winds up as a national champion with Ohio State and a first-round NFL Draft choice. 

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Matthew Wadleigh

Matthew Wadleigh is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He was born and raised in Southern California and grew up a San Diego sports fan (yes, it’s tough, except for Aztecs hoops). Matthew went to Fresno State as a journalism major and got to see Davante Adams, Derek Carr, Paul George and Aaron Judge in person. Matthew has written for publications including ClutchPoints, Sportscasting, Fansided, Trojans Wire, UCLA Wire and Buffaloes Wire.