SOUTH BEND – The Chicago Cubs today named South Bend Cubs right-handed pitcher Dylan Cease the organization’s minor league pitcher of the month for April.

Cease, 21, posted a 1.90 ERA (5 ER/23.2 IP) in five April starts for South Bend, allowing just one home run and 15 walks while striking out 37, good for an average of 14.1 strikeouts per 9.0 innings. He limited opponents to a .177 average (14-for-79), a .305 on-base percentage and a .278 slugging percentage. Cease allowed one or no runs with seven or more strikeouts in four of his five outings, and struck out a season-high 10 batters, April 29 at Fort Wayne.

Selected by the Cubs in the sixth round of the 2014 draft, Cease is 3-3 with a 2.24 ERA (23 ER/92.1 IP) in 28 career minor league games (25 starts). He has struck out 128 batters in 92.1 innings, good for an average of 12.5 strikeouts per 9.0 innings. He has walked 56, allowed just two home runs and surrendered just 5.2 hits per 9.0 innings.

A 2016 Northwest League mid-season All-Star for Single-A Eugene, Cease entered 2017 ranked by Baseball America as the fourth-best prospect in the Cubs system.