TicketsCINCINNATI – Three former Bearcats are set for Major League Baseball's Opening Day on Thursday.
Josh Harrison (2006-08), Ian Happ (2013-15) and Ryan Noda (2015-17) will represent the Bearcats across three different Major League Baseball dugouts for the 2023 season.
Harrison will begin the regular season with a new ball club in the Philadelphia Phillies, while Ian Happ is in his sixth season with the Chicago Cubs. Noda made his first MLB Opening Day roster with the Oakland A's.
// NODA MAKES FIRST OPENING DAY ROSTER
Ryan Noda made the A's Opening Day roster and will make his major league debut when he first appears in a game. He was selected by the A's second overall in December's Rule 5 Draft away from the Los Angeles Dodgers. This spring, he hit .208 with a .362 on-base percentage to go along with one homer and three doubles.
Noda was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 15th round of the 2017 MLB Draft before being traded to the Dodgers as a PTBNL in early 2021. He batted .259 with a .396 on-base percentage while also slugging 25 homers in Triple-A a season ago.
A 2017 Second Team All-American Athletic Conference honoree, Noda led the Bearcats with 43 runs scored and nine home runs while recording 42 hits, 30 RBIs and 12 doubles in his final season with the Bearcats.
// HAPP COMING OFF GOLD GLOVE SEASON
Ian Happ was named the 2022 National League Rawlings Gold Glove winner for the National League in left field, the first of his career. He had 14 defensive runs saved and totaled eight assists in 142 starts at the position last season for the Cubs.
He was selected to participate in the 2022 MLB All-Star Game as a member of the National League. He became the fourth former Cincinnati player to be named an All-Star, joining Josh Harrison (2x), Kevin Youkilis (3x) and Sandy Koufax (6x) on the list.
Happ went on to become the highest draft pick in Bearcats history, being selected ninth overall by the Chicago Cubs in the 2015 MLB Draft. Following his Major League debut on May 13, 2017, he has batted .249 with 116 doubles, 104 home runs and 308 RBI in over 600 career games with the Cubs.
A three-year starter for the Bearcats, Happ batted .336 with 44 doubles, 25 home runs and 107 RBI in 163 games in a UC uniform. He was named the 2015 AAC Player of the Year after leading the conference in several statistical categories including batting average (.369), slugging percentage (.672), on-base percentage (.492) and walks (49). He became just the third player in UC history to be selected as a First Team All-American following his junior season in Cincinnati.
// HARRISON READY FOR YEAR 13
Cincinnati native Josh Harrison, a 13-year veteran, will begin the season with a new ball club in the Philadelphia Phillies. He was a two-time All-Star in eight seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Following his Major League debut on May 31, 2011, Harrison has batted .272 with 215 doubles, 71 home runs and 378 RBI in over 1,100 career games. Last season with the Chicago White Sox, he batted .256 with 19 doubles, seven homers, 27 RBI and 50 runs scored over 119 games. He recorded his 1,000th career hit on July 5 against the Minnesota Twins.
Harrison was inducted into the James P. Kelly UC Athletics Hall of Fame in October 2015. In his final season at UC, he helped guide Cincinnati to a school-record 39 wins and a second-place regular season finish in the BIG EAST. He earned second-team All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball after leading the Bearcats with a .378 batting average, 90 hits and 22 doubles. The 2008 Co-BIG EAST Conference Player of the Year was taken by the Cubs in the sixth round of the 2008 MLB Draft and traded to the Pirates in 2009.
Josh Harrison (2006-08), Ian Happ (2013-15) and Ryan Noda (2015-17) will represent the Bearcats across three different Major League Baseball dugouts for the 2023 season.
Harrison will begin the regular season with a new ball club in the Philadelphia Phillies, while Ian Happ is in his sixth season with the Chicago Cubs. Noda made his first MLB Opening Day roster with the Oakland A's.
Happy @MLB Opening Day!
— Cincinnati Baseball (@GoBearcatsBASE) March 30, 2023
Best of luck to our big-league Bearcats as they begin their season!#Bearcats | #NatiBoyz pic.twitter.com/JShFMHic6X
// NODA MAKES FIRST OPENING DAY ROSTER
Ryan Noda made the A's Opening Day roster and will make his major league debut when he first appears in a game. He was selected by the A's second overall in December's Rule 5 Draft away from the Los Angeles Dodgers. This spring, he hit .208 with a .362 on-base percentage to go along with one homer and three doubles.
Noda was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 15th round of the 2017 MLB Draft before being traded to the Dodgers as a PTBNL in early 2021. He batted .259 with a .396 on-base percentage while also slugging 25 homers in Triple-A a season ago.
A 2017 Second Team All-American Athletic Conference honoree, Noda led the Bearcats with 43 runs scored and nine home runs while recording 42 hits, 30 RBIs and 12 doubles in his final season with the Bearcats.
// HAPP COMING OFF GOLD GLOVE SEASON
Ian Happ was named the 2022 National League Rawlings Gold Glove winner for the National League in left field, the first of his career. He had 14 defensive runs saved and totaled eight assists in 142 starts at the position last season for the Cubs.
He was selected to participate in the 2022 MLB All-Star Game as a member of the National League. He became the fourth former Cincinnati player to be named an All-Star, joining Josh Harrison (2x), Kevin Youkilis (3x) and Sandy Koufax (6x) on the list.
Happ went on to become the highest draft pick in Bearcats history, being selected ninth overall by the Chicago Cubs in the 2015 MLB Draft. Following his Major League debut on May 13, 2017, he has batted .249 with 116 doubles, 104 home runs and 308 RBI in over 600 career games with the Cubs.
A three-year starter for the Bearcats, Happ batted .336 with 44 doubles, 25 home runs and 107 RBI in 163 games in a UC uniform. He was named the 2015 AAC Player of the Year after leading the conference in several statistical categories including batting average (.369), slugging percentage (.672), on-base percentage (.492) and walks (49). He became just the third player in UC history to be selected as a First Team All-American following his junior season in Cincinnati.
// HARRISON READY FOR YEAR 13
Cincinnati native Josh Harrison, a 13-year veteran, will begin the season with a new ball club in the Philadelphia Phillies. He was a two-time All-Star in eight seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Following his Major League debut on May 31, 2011, Harrison has batted .272 with 215 doubles, 71 home runs and 378 RBI in over 1,100 career games. Last season with the Chicago White Sox, he batted .256 with 19 doubles, seven homers, 27 RBI and 50 runs scored over 119 games. He recorded his 1,000th career hit on July 5 against the Minnesota Twins.
Harrison was inducted into the James P. Kelly UC Athletics Hall of Fame in October 2015. In his final season at UC, he helped guide Cincinnati to a school-record 39 wins and a second-place regular season finish in the BIG EAST. He earned second-team All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball after leading the Bearcats with a .378 batting average, 90 hits and 22 doubles. The 2008 Co-BIG EAST Conference Player of the Year was taken by the Cubs in the sixth round of the 2008 MLB Draft and traded to the Pirates in 2009.