Jacksonville State University Athletics

Cunningham becomes the 10th Gamecock baseball player in the JSU Athletics Hall of Fame and the second of the Jim Case era after Clay Whittemore was inducted in 2019. Cunningham became the highest JSU player drafted since 1989 when he was selected by the Atlanta Braves with the third pick of the second round of the 2010 Major League Baseball first-year player draft. 
 
The switch-hitting outfielder from Jacksonville, Ala., spent just three seasons with JSU prior to his professional career. He was a first-team All-OVC selection his final year in 2010 finishing the season batting .359 with 17 doubles, four triples, 11 home runs and 43 RBI after leading the Gamecocks to the 2010 OVC Tournament Championship and a berth in the NCAA Regionals. Cunningham was an All-OVC second-team honoree as a freshman in 2008, when he also earned Freshman of the Year recognition, before being named to the league’s all-tournament team in 2009. 
 
In the summer of 2009, Cunningham led the prestigious Cape Cod League with a .378 batting average for the Falmouth Commodores to win the Thurmon Munson Batting Award. He also led the league in hits (59) and on-base percentage (.458). He made his MLB debut for the Braves in Atlanta on July 30, 2013 with a single in his first career at-bat against the Colorado Rockies.