Murphy is the 431st NWL alum to debut in Major League Baseball
Rochester, Minn. – The Northwoods League is proud to announce that former Battle Creek Bomber Luke Murphy has made his Major League debut with the Los Angeles Angels. The right-handed pitcher reached the majors on July 31, 2026, further extending the league’s strong tradition of developing professional talent.
The Nashville, Tennessee native and Vanderbilt University product was selected by the Angels in the fourth round (110th overall) of the 2021 MLB Draft.
In the Northwoods League with the Bombers in 2020, Murphy appeared in 12 games and posted a 1.88 ERA over 14.1 innings with 19 strikeouts. His strong summer performance helped set the stage for a standout senior season at Vanderbilt, where he went 4-1 with a 2.40 ERA, nine saves, and 61 strikeouts in 41.1 innings.
Prior to his call-up, Murphy dominated at Double-A Rocket City in 2026, leading Minor League Baseball with 18 saves while posting a 0.71 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, and 47 strikeouts against just 10 walks in 38 innings.
He earned a direct promotion from Double-A to the majors. In his first big-league appearance, Murphy tossed a scoreless inning while recording a strikeout.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 33rd season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history with 26 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires, and front office staff, nearly 2400 NWL alums have been drafted and over 430 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and two-time World Series Champion Max Scherzer (TOR), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford and World Series Champion and Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (BAL) and 2023 World Series Champion, MLB All-Star, MLB Gold Glove, two-time Silver Slugger winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (NYM). League games are viewable live on FloSports.tv.