Former Southeast Missouri State star Matt Tellor's pro career back on track

Matt Tellor's professional baseball career didn't start the way he would've liked it to.

The former Southeast Missouri State first baseman who was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 10th round of the MLB Draft on June 6 played in the Danville Braves' season opener on June 19, but did not play again for nearly a month after medical issues sidelined him.

Tellor said he was fine throughout minicamp in Orlando but suffered from dizzy spells and light-headedness around the time of the team's first game.

Tellor visited doctors near where the Advanced Rookie Level affiliate Braves are based in Danville, Virginia, before being flown to Atlanta to see a specialist.

"It's kind of a combination of a few things, but I saw a neurologist out there, and she kind of said she sees it in a lot of athletes," Tellor said. "There's no really root cause to it, and it just kind of something that comes up, but I'm just glad that we got it taken care of."

Tellor's feeling like his normal self again after medication, and he played in his second professional game Friday.

"It was rough because I had to sit there and watch all the games, and I wasn't allowed to participate in much activity," Tellor said. "It's different when you're not out there playing every day, not taking batting practice or ground balls. It was just a tough time, but I'm glad I'm back out there now."

Tellor, a switch-hitter, recorded his first professional hit during his return, going 2 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI in a 7-5 win.

"I'll never forget my first professional hit," Tellor said. "A right-handed line drive to right center, so that's something I'll always remember."

He's batted .320 in six games.

Southeast Missouri State baseman Matt Tellor drives a two-run, home run over the left-field fence in the third inning of the Redhawks' 8-6 win over the Thoroughbreds Saturday, May 3, at Capaha Field. Tellor hit two-home runs and had four RBIs during the game. (Adam Vogler)

"I've been seeing the ball a lot better than I thought I would after sitting out for a month, so that's a good start," Tellor said. "I just hope I can continue to work on my game and seeing the ball well, and hopefully the results will come."

Tellor, an All-American and Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year who batted .386 with 15 home runs, 18 doubles and a school-record 71 RBIs as a senior, noticed differences between the college level in just a handful of professional games.

"The biggest difference from college is definitely the game speed," Tellor said. "It's on another level. People run faster, people hit harder, pitchers throwing harder, so that's probably the biggest difference I've noticed."

The Danville Braves are 18-12 and lead the Appalachian League East, and minus being sidelined with illness, Tellor has enjoyed the early part of his career.

"The coaches are great guys up here. They know their stuff," Tellor said. "All of them played professional baseball, so they're definitely helping me out and helping the whole team out and teaching us everything they know. It's a good time. I like all my teammates and everything. They're all going through the same experience I am -- a lot of them are new college guys that got drafted this year or last year -- so we're all going through this together."

There wasn't any one particular baseball-related skill or concept he's learned from his coaches that stood out to Tellor, but rather the idea there will always be new things he can learn as he tries to work his way up through the minor leagues.

"One thing that really caught my attention was that there's so much about baseball that people never understand, people in the crowd that don't know what's going on," Tellor said of what he's learned from the coaches. "Even the coaches [were] saying that baseball is so big ... it's such a complex game that they're learning new things every day, and they've been around baseball for 20 to 30 years. So it's a learning sport and that caught my attention. And I think it's really interesting that guys that have been around the sport that long, they're still learning things everyday. I thought that was pretty cool."

Gibson competes in Gulf Coast League

Former Southeast outfielder Derek Gibson has played in 18 games for the Gulf Coast League Cardinals, the St. Louis Cardinals Rookie Gulf Coast League affiliate.

Gibson, from Bonne Terre, Missouri, is batting .281 with three triples and 11 RBIs.

The two-time first-team All-OVC selection had a team-best .403 batting average as a senior. He drove in 70 runs, hit six home runs, four triples and 12 doubles.

The GCL Cardinals are 19-8 and in first place of the GCL East division.