From West Michigan to the MLB: Ike Irish’s journey to the show

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A West Michigan native will likely begin the Road to the Show Sunday.

Ike Irish is projected to be a top pick in the first round of the upcoming 2025 MLB Draft. He previously spent three years at Auburn, where he morphed into one of college baseball’s best hitters, hitting .364 in his senior season to go along with 19 home runs.

His journey to stardom was forged on baseball diamonds and dugouts in Hudsonville, where his father passed down his passion for the game onto Ike.

“It was every car ride,” Ike said of talking baseball with his dad while growing up. “It was all year round, except in football season. Then when we were trying to figure out why I didn’t run the ball more or throw it better. But outside of that, it was pretty much every day.”

Irish, who played two seasons of high school baseball at St. Mary’s Orchard Lake on the east side of the state, had the opportunity to be drafted out of high school, but decided to forgo the draft for college, where he grew both on and off the diamond.

“It made me grow so much as a baseball player,” Ike said of his experience at Auburn. “I think I got a ton better there. Playing in the SEC was a big thing. It’s the best amateur baseball conference. It’s the best competition you could play at.”

For many college stars, staying focused on the present can grow difficult when a bright future of getting drafted and beginning a professional career is within reach. Irish acknowledged the mental hurdles that came with his projected first-round status, but said that he was able to separate those challenges when games began.

“I’d be lying if I said you don’t think about it,” Irish said of the future. “You think about it a lot. But once you’re on the field, for me it was just trying to play the game and play it the right way. But off the field, yeah, it’s a battle with the mind of you know you could be drafted in the first round, but if you think about it too much it’s gonna distract you from why you play baseball.”

Irish, who played catcher and outfielder in college, is now set to walk into the future he’s dreamed of when his name is inevitably called Sunday. Regardless of where he’s picked, he’ll be ready to step into the batters box.

“I just want to hit,” he said. “So wherever I can play, that’s why I’m in this position. That’s why I’m supposed to be a first-round draft pick, is because I can really hit. Which is kind of crazy. My freshman year at Hudsonville, I think I hit about .200. And so that’s kind of crazy to look back and see that.”

The road to Major League Baseball is a winding one for even the game’s brightest young stars. Irish’s path will likely begin on a minor league field, alongside other prospects aiming for the same spots.

However, that will all have to wait until after Sunday, when he and his family will savor the culmination of a dream that is only beginning.

“It would mean a lot,” Irish said of getting drafted. “I think it would be a lot of emotion, but a lot of praising the Lord that I was able to stay healthy for 21 years and not have an injury and just be super thankful. It’d mean a lot.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.

From West Michigan to the MLB: Ike Irish’s journey to the show

Tags: