Former Southern Miss players Cook, Monistere set for Arizona Fall League

Former Southern Miss baseball players Jake Cook and Nick Monistere will participate in the 2026 Arizona Fall League, which begins Oct. 3 and runs through the championship game Nov. 14. Cook, an outfielder selected by the Toronto Blue Jays, will play for the Mesa Solar Sox, while Monistere, an infielder selected by the Houston Astros, will join the Scottsdale Scorpions.

The six-team league, which began in 1992, combines prospects from across baseball on teams whose affiliations change each year. The Blue Jays are paired with the Los Angeles Angels, the Athletics, the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox on the Solar Sox. The Scorpions include players from the Milwaukee Brewers, San Francisco Giants, Tampa Bay Rays and Detroit Tigers, along with the Astros.

The AFL regular season concludes Nov. 11, with the postseason beginning the following day. Under a format introduced in 2025, all six teams qualify for a three-day, single-elimination bracket, and the top two teams receive quarterfinal byes.

The winners of the semifinals will meet in the AFL Championship, which will air on MLB Network, MLB.com and the MLB App.

Both players were selected by their current organizations in the 2026 MLB First-Year Players draft. Cook was taken in the third round with the 81st overall pick, while Monistere was selected in the fourth round at No. 126.

Source: Southern Miss Athletics.