Cade Fisher, who set an all-time record for high school pitchers in the state of Georgia during his time at Northwest Whitfield, accepted an offer from the Boston Red Sox on Sunday after being drafted to join a storied baseball organization that has won four World Series titles since 2004.
Following a three-year collegiate career with two SEC schools that included a victory and a save in the Men’s College World Series, Fisher was selected by the Red Sox in the 18th round during the second day of the annual Major League Baseball Draft on July 14.
“Obviously, it's really exciting to get picked, but getting picked by Boston made the experience even more exciting,” said Fisher, a six-foot, three-inch, 202-pound lefthander from Dalton who earned a spot on the All-SEC Freshman Team in 2023 and became a Perfect Game Freshman All-American with the University of Florida. “I do know the history of Boston and their fan base. So, just thinking about having the chance to one day play at Fenway as your home field is a pretty awesome thing.”
Fisher, whose clutch performances contributed to two consecutive runs by Florida to the College World Series in Omaha, entered the NCAA transfer portal following his sophomore season with the Gators. Transferring to Auburn last July, Fisher worked to earn the honor of being selected as Auburn’s Opening Day starter for the 2025 season.
Over the course of three seasons as both a starter and reliever for two SEC schools that were ranked among the Top 10 in the country during his time with Florida and Auburn, Fisher struck out 178 batters in the 150 innings he pitched.
When asked about his initial steps with the organization after signing his contract with the Red Sox, Fisher, who is currently at the team’s spring training complex in Fort Myers, Fla., noted that he is scheduled to meet with team officials this week about his first assignment.
“I don't have a preference for what my role could be,” said Fisher of the upcoming opportunities with the Red Sox organization. “I do enjoy pitching out of the bullpen. I think it's really fun, and I also enjoy starting. I just want to show them how much of a competitor I am and how much I love the game. I love baseball and getting this opportunity has always been my dream.”
Fisher’s success as a SEC pitcher that placed him on MLB Draft boards across the sport followed his record-setting accomplishments on the diamond at Northwest Whitfield.
Part of the 2022 graduating class of Northwest, Fisher, a two-time all-state honoree, established the record for the all-time best career earned run average by a high school pitcher in the state of Georgia. While going 17-1 with 300 strikeouts over 157 innings on the mound for Northwest, Fisher’s career ERA of 0.71 is the lowest total ever achieved by any Georgia prep pitcher, according to records kept by the state’s high school baseball coaches association.
“Cade really blossomed between his freshman and sophomore years. His velocity jumped up and he started turning heads. We knew Cade was going to be big for us,” said long-time Northwest Whitfield Baseball Coach Todd Middleton, reflecting back on Fisher’s time in his program. “As a junior and senior, Cade put up some historic numbers and led us into the postseason with some great performances.”
Middleton noted that Fisher has now become the fifth player in the history of the Northwest baseball program (1976-2025) to be drafted by an MLB team.
“Cade represented Northwest Baseball well with two College World Series appearances with Florida and a solid year with Auburn,” said Middleton. “We are excited to see what God has in store for Cade on the professional level, and we are proud of him. We are also happy for Cade and his family on being drafted and getting the opportunity to shine on the next level.”
“I was very fortunate to play under some great coaches at Northwest. Some had played college ball, so they understood what it takes,” noted Fisher of days as a Bruin. “Northwest is a great high school program that helped to teach me how to go about my business my own way. The program really reinforced my love of the game as well.”
Throughout his college career, Fisher demonstrated the ability to pitch under pressure against the nation’s best teams while utilizing an effective arsenal of breaking pitches to go with his fastball that can reach a velocity in the mid 90s. As a freshman with Florida, Fisher allowed just one run on five hits over a career-best seven innings of work to save the Gators’ 2023 season when facing an elimination game against Texas Tech in the NCAA Regionals.
Fisher closed out 2023 by appearing in five of Florida’s six CWS games in Omaha, earning a save in Florida’s victory over Oral Roberts University. That win by Florida placed the team into the CWS Championship Round. Florida finished as the runner-up to LSU in the 2023 College World Series.
Fisher began the 2024 season as the Opening Day starter for Florida. When Florida earned a return trip to Omaha, Fisher was called upon to relieve Gator two-way star and MLB first-round pick Jac Caglianone to begin the second inning against North Carolina State. Fisher kept Florida in the lead over the next four innings to pick up a CWS victory in what was an elimination game for both teams.
“Many of the moments that I get to pitch in are huge, but I just don't think of them as that at the time. I just get to go pitch. I'm just playing baseball really, and it's always been my mindset when dealing with pressure or big moments. I'm just playing baseball,” explained Fisher. “Just because the moment is bigger doesn't mean I have to do anything else different or extremely extraordinary. Getting three outs at the end of the game in a big situation is the same to me as getting three outs at all.”
While serving as this season’s opening night starter for Auburn on February 14, Fisher sustained a lat muscle strain in the game, which impacted much of his junior season with the Tigers. Fisher was limited to 14 total appearances for Auburn in 2025, but the lefthander still managed to make some key contributions for the Tigers, who earned the No. 4 national seeding in the NCAA Baseball Tournament.
Against an LSU team that would become the National Champions at the close of this season, Fisher was on top of his game, throwing five innings of shutout ball with six strikeouts en route to a regular-season victory over the Tigers. Fisher’s win was part of Auburn’s first sweep of LSU since 1988.
In the 2025 postseason, Fisher became a weapon out of the Auburn bullpen, closing out the Tigers’ run to an NCAA Regional Championship title. He pitched four strong innings of relief to earn the save that advanced Auburn to the NCAA Super Regional round and eliminated North Carolina State from the postseason for a second straight year.
“I think any adversity is a way to grow, a way to learn. Sometimes it's a little hard to see it that way, but adversity has helped me to continue to love the game,” said Fisher when asked to look back at the challenges he faced on a college mound and the challenges ahead in the professional ranks. “I think, by going through some adversity in my college career, I've grown to understand that adversity is just part of baseball. To me, baseball is a game of understanding and that has just made me appreciate it more. It makes me want to work harder to get better at what I do.”
While looking back at a high school and college career that earned a draft selection and professional contract with the Red Sox, Fisher noted the support of family, friends and fans of the programs where he has played over the years.
Baseball has been front and center for the Fisher family for most of the past two decades. Cade’s older brother, Ty, was a standout pitcher for Georgia Southern after a strong high school career at Northwest Whitfield.
Chad Fisher, who is an assistant football coach at Calhoun High School, made home and away road trips to see both of his sons pitch for their college teams. Cecillia Fisher, a former All-OVC basketball player and member of the Tennessee Tech Hall of Fame who taught in the Whitfield County School system for 15 years, has also been a continual presence in following her sons’ baseball careers.
When Florida reached the College World Series during Cade’s two years with the program, his entire family, including his twin sister, Haley, made the trip to Omaha, serving as his cheering section.
“I can’t say enough about the support I have gotten over the years,” observed Cade. “It means a lot to me, and I want to say thank you to everyone. There have been people who I have never met, like on Facebook, who are watching me play and supporting me. That’s been great, and I’m really looking forward to making the most out of the opportunity ahead with the Red Sox.”