Austin Riley

Michael Austin Riley (born April 2, 1997) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). Riley was drafted by the Braves in the first round of the 2015 MLB draft and made his MLB debut with them in 2019. Austin Riley won a Silver Slugger Award in 2021, as well as that year's World Series, as a member of the Braves.

Austin Riley is the eldest son of Mike and Elisa Riley. Riley attended DeSoto Central High School, where Austin Riley played baseball as a shortstop and pitcher. Riley played American football as a quarterback during his freshman and sophomore years in high school. Though Austin Riley expressed a desire to quit football and focus on baseball, the football coach chose to retain Riley as a punter, a position his father had played at Mississippi State University. Riley was committed to play for the Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball team until Austin Riley was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 2015. MSU had also offered Riley the chance to play football for the Bulldogs.