SENATOBIA - As Minor League Baseball begins the 2023 season this week, three former Northwest pitchers can be seen on Opening Day rosters scattered across the south.

Grant Black, Jarod Wright and Peyton Plumlee will all begin their seasons at either the Triple-A or High-A levels. Black is a part of the St. Louis Cardinals organization, while Wright and Plumlee are members of the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros' systems, respectively.

A native of Newport, Ark., Black will get his season underway with the Memphis Redbirds, just one day after initially being assigned to Double-A Springfield. Black spent the 2015 season at Northwest before signing with Arkansas-Monticello, where he pitched from 2016-17. From there, he bounced around several independent and semi-pro leagues before earning his shot with the Cardinals' organization in February 2020.

Though COVID-19 wrecked spring training and put a pause on his Major League pursuit, Black resumed his journey in 2021, first being assigned to Springfield, then Memphis. Since then, he has bounced between Springfield and Memphis, finishing the 2022 season with the Redbirds after being called up on July 1, 2022.

Black has a career record of 6-8 since 2021, including a 5-5 mark last season. He has thrown 136.1 innings with 119 strikeouts against 70 walks, compiling an ERA of 4.42. He also has four saves to his credit and 11 total starts.

Much like Black, Wright also had a similar path from independent baseball into the minor leagues. The Arlington, Tenn. native and former Southern Miss pitcher spent the 2016-17 seasons with Northwest, landing a stint in the United Shores Professional Baseball League in 2020. While in the USPBL, he made the league's all-star game and was later drafted in the 2021 Frontier League Draft, only to be signed with the Chicago Cubs' farm system days later.

Wright was assigned to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans in June 2021, before eventually climbing to High-A South Bend last summer. On September 5, 2022, he was called up to the Double-A Tennessee Smokies, where he concluded the 2022 campaign. This season, Wright will start out with the South Bend Cubs.

Entering the 2023 season, Wright has a 4-9 record on the mound with 123.1 innings thrown throughout his stint in the Cubs' organization. He has 100 strikeouts against 59 walks, with six saves and a 4.52 ERA.

After spending the 2016 season with Northwest, Plumlee signed with Mississippi State, where he spent the 2017-19 seasons with the Bulldogs. He was selected in the 31st round of the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft by Houston and has remained in the Astros' system since, most recently being assigned to High-A Asheville Tourists on Monday.

Aside from a short stint with the Tri-City Valley Cats in 2019, Plumlee has spent the majority of his minor league career battling injuries with the Fayetteville Woodpeckers. He has made 20 appearances in his career, earning 49 strikeouts and two saves, holding a 2-3 record on the mound and a 3.69 ERA.