Recruiting baseball at the Power 4 level has to be the most difficult venture for any coach in any sport. Each year you risk your top high school commits going pro, leaving holes in your roster while your juniors also dip their toes in the draft waters, leveraging their final year of eligibility for more signing money.
Perhaps the days of NIL help retain talent from the pros as the life of an SEC baseball player is much more glamorous than grinding it out in the lower minor league levels.
Ole Miss was particularly ravaged by the MLB Draft in 2022 following their College World Series title.
Not only did the Rebels see the departure of Tim Elko, Justin Bench, Hayden Dunhurst, Kevin Graham, Derek Diamond and Dylan DeLucia, they also saw their top two high school prospects in Roman Anthony and Jackson Ferris go in the second round and never make it to campus.
Through the first two days of the 2025 MLB Draft, the Rebels have had nine names called, the most since 2014:
Mason Morris – 3rd Round, 83rd overall, Cincinnati Reds
Luke Hill – 4th Round, 132nd overall, Cleveland Guardians
Will McCausland – 7th Round, 222nd overall, Cleveland Guardians
Riley Maddox – 8th Round, 231st overall, Washington Nationals
Mason Nichols – 9th Round, 267th overall, Tampa Bay Rays
Connor Spencer – 12th Round, 361st overall, Chicago Cubs
Patrick Galle – 17th Round, 508th overall, Boston Red Sox
Brayden Jones – 18th Round, 537th overall, Tampa Bay Rays
Sam Tookoian – 20th Round, 580th overall, Los Angeles Angels
Mason Morris could decide to go as his slot bonus is near a million dollars. It starts to get interesting with Luke Hill as he will likely make more in NIL next season and possibly improve his draft stock.
Hill and McCausland were taken by the Guardians who currently have Doug Nikhazy and Dylan DeLucia in their system.
While none of the high school recruits have been poached, one of the incoming transfers now has a decision to make.
Grant Richardson (Grand Canyon U)- 6th round, 170th overall, Las Vegas A’s