Ethan Holliday, Eli Willits bonded during time with USA Baseball
Stillwater’s Ethan Holliday and Fort Cobb-Broxton’s Eli Willits talk about their friendship, unique matchup between top MLB Draft prospects Friday.
Oklahoma high schools were well-represented in the top five of the 2025 MLB Draft when Eli Willits went No. 1 overall to the Washington Nationals and Ethan Holliday was selected No. 4 by the Colorado Rockies.
Willits ―who became the youngest No. 1 overall pick ― attended Fort Cobb-Broxton High School in Fort Cobb. Holliday ― the son of former MLB star Matt Holliday ― attended Stillwater High School in Stillwater. The two competed against one another in high school.
While the Nationals took Willits No. 1 overall, Holliday nearly joined his brother Jackson Holliday (2022 MLB Draft) as a No. 1 pick in the family, as he was under heavy consideration for the pick.
However it played out, Willits and Holliday have fans in one another as they continue their baseball careers from the Oklahoma prep scene through the minor leagues.
“Holliday’s one of my best friends,” Willits said in a video shared on the MLB.com social media page. “When we were going through the process, we were texting each other and just excited for each other. We’re each other’s biggest fans. He’s one of my best friends and I am thankful to have him in my life.”