Atlanta Braves draft Wake Forest's Ryan Cusick in the first round

Jul. 12—The Atlanta Braves selected right-handed pitcher Ryan Cusick of Wake Forest University with the 24th overall pick in the 2021 MLB First-Year Player Draft on Sunday.

Cusick, 21, went 3-5 with a 4.24 ERA (33 ER/70.0 IP) in 12 games, all starts, for the Demon Deacons this season. He struck out 108, compiling the highest strikeout per nine innings (13.89) mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference and the 10th best in the nation in 2021. He was an All-ACC Second Team selection and fanned double digits in six of his 12 starts.

Cusick, who bats and throws right-handed, was a three-year contributor for Wake Forest and struck out 206 batters in 158.0 career innings. His SO/9 ratio of 11.73 is the…