July 20, 2022
NJCAA well represented in 2022 MLB Draft
Charlotte, NC – NJCAA Baseball was well represented during the 2022 MLB First-Year Player Draft as ninety-one current and former student-athletes heard their names called over the three-day event.
Cam Collier from Chipola (FL) was the association's first current student-athlete to be drafted. As the youngest hitter in the draft, Collier was selected as the 18th overall pick by the Cincinnati Reds. The 17-year-old was slated to be eligibile for the 2023 draft but enrolled at Chipola after graduating early from Mount Paran (Ga.) Christian School. In 52 games with the Indians, the third baseman hit .333 with eight home runs.
Chipola led the way with an NJCAA-best four current student-athletes being selected. Pitcher Kenya Huggins will join Collier as a member of the Reds organization after being selected in the fourth round, 123rd pick overall.
Thirty-three current student-athletes were drafted directly from an NJCAA member college:
| Current NJCAA Student-Athletes in the 2022 MLB Draft | |||||||
| Name | NJCAA Member College | Position | Round | Pick | MLB Team | ||
| Cam Collier | Chipola (FL) | 3B | 1 | 18 | Cincinatti Reds | ||
| Jacob Misiorowski | Crowder (MO) | P | 2 | 63 | Milwaukee Brewers | ||
| Jake Madden | Northwest Florida State | P | 4 | 118 | Los Angeles Angels | ||
| Kenya Huggins | Chipola (FL) | P | 4 | 123 | Cincinatti Reds | ||
| Tyler Woessner | Central Arizona | P | 6 | 192 | Milwaukee Brewers | ||
| Wesley Scott | Walters State (TN) | P | 8 | 235 | Kansas City Royals | ||
| Tayden Hall | State College of Florida | C | 9 | 282 | Milwaukee Brewers | ||
| Wyatt Cheney | McLennan (TX) | P | 10 | 287 | Baltimore Orioles | ||
| Gustavo Sosa | South Mountain (AZ) | C | 10 | 302 | Philadelphia Phillies | ||
| Kohl Drake | Walters State (TN) | P | 11 | 319 | Texas Rangers | ||
| Luke Young | Midland College (TX) | P | 11 | 321 | Washington Nationals | ||
| Magnus Ellerts | Florida SouthWestern | P | 11 | 331 | Cleveland Guardians | ||
| Drew Sommers | Central Arizona | P | 11 | 344 | Tampa Bay Rays | ||
| Alex Cook | Colby (KS) | P | 12 | 374 | Tampa Bay Rays | ||
| Miguel Fulgencio | Cowley (KS) | P | 13 | 380 | Pittsburgh Pirates | ||
| Tucker Flint | Chipola (FL) | P | 13 | 388 | Los Angeles Angels | ||
| Cedric De Grandpre | Chipola (FL) | P | 13 | 395 | Atlanta Braves | ||
| Braxton Hyde | Butler (KS) | P | 14 | 416 | Colorado Rockies | ||
| Sabin Ceballos | San Jacinto (TX) | C | 14 | 418 | Los Angeles Angels | ||
| Kris Bow | Southern Nevada | P | 14 | 430 | New York Yankees | ||
| Shane Murphy | Chandler-Gilbert (AZ) | P | 14 | 431 | Chicago White Sox | ||
| Jose Iazarra | Florida SouthWestern | SS | 14 | 435 | Los Angeles Dodgers | ||
| William Silva | Miami Dade (FL) | P | 15 | 455 | Atlanta Braves | ||
| Satchell Norman | Florida SouthWestern | C | 15 | 462 | Milwaukee Brewers | ||
| Ethan Lege | Delgado (LA) | 3B | 16 | 492 | Milwaukee Brewers | ||
| Carson Dorsey | Gulf Coast State (FL) | P | 17 | 499 | Texas Rangers | ||
| Romeo Sanabria | Indian River State (FL) | C | 18 | 539 | San Diego Padres | ||
| Albert Oliva | New Mexico Military Institute | P | 19 | 567 | Detroit Tigers | ||
| Geo Rivera Jr. | Walters State (TN) | P | 19 | 571 | Cleveland Guardians | ||
| Tyler Chadwick | Iowa Western | P | 19 | 573 | Cincinatti Reds | ||
| Beau Brewer | Paris (TX) | 3B | 19 | 580 | New York Yankees | ||
| Drake Logan | Shelton State (AL) | 3B | 19 | 581 | Chicago White Sox | ||
| Ke'Shun Collier | Meridian (MS) | OF | 20 | 593 | Chicago Cubs | ||
Former Odessa standout and 2022 Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Year, Ivan Melendez was the first NJCAA Baseball alumni to be drafted from a four-year school in the 2022 draft. Melendez was selected in the second round by the Arizona Diamondbacks as the 43rd pick overall.
Fifty-eight draftees with NJCAA ties were selected from four-year institutions:
| Former NJCAA Student-Athletes in the 2022 MLB Draft | ||||||||
| Name | NJCAA Member College | Position | Four-Year College | Round | Pick | MLB Team | ||
| Ivan Melendez | Odessa (TX) | 1B | Texas | 2 | 43 | Arizona Diamondbacks | ||
| Ben Joyce | Walters State (TN) | P | Tennessee | 3 | 89 | Los Angeles Angels | ||
| Gabriel Rincones Jr. | St. Petersburg (FL) | OF | Florida Atlantic | 3 | 93 | Philadelphia Phillies | ||
| Dalton Rogers | Jones (MS) | P | Southern Mississippi | 3 | 99 | Boston Red Sox | ||
| Ryan Ritter | John A. Logan (IL) | SS | Kentucky | 4 | 116 | Colorado Rockies | ||
| Kimmy Crooks III | McLennan (TX) | C | Oklahoma | 4 | 127 | St. Louis Cardinals | ||
| Ryan Jennings | Wharton County (TX) | P | Louisiana Tech | 4 | 128 | Toronto Blue Jays | ||
| Brandon Birdsell | San Jacinto (TX) | P | Texas Tech | 5 | 143 | Chicago Cubs | ||
| Jalen Battles | McLennan (TX) | SS | Arkansas | 5 | 164 | Tampa Bay Rays | ||
| Dylan DeLucia | Northwest Florida State | P | Ole Miss | 6 | 181 | Cleveland Guardians | ||
| Hayden Birdson | Lake Land (IL) | P | Eastern Illinois | 6 | 196 | San Francisco Giants | ||
| Preston Johnson | Hinds (MS) | P | Mississippi State | 7 | 197 | Baltimore Orioles | ||
| Kyle Crigger | Itawamba (MS) | P | Louisiana Tech | 7 | 202 | Miami Marlins | ||
| Seth Stephenson | Temple (TX) | P | Tennessee | 7 | 207 | Detroit Lions | ||
| Blake Robertson | Cowley (KS) | 1B | Oklahoma | 7 | 224 | Tampa Bay Rays | ||
| Zebby Matthews | Walters State (TN) | P | Western Carolina | 8 | 234 | Minnesota Twins | ||
| Jonathan Brand | East Georgia State | P | Miami (OH) | 8 | 249 | Boston Red Sox | ||
| Brandon Johnson | Columbia State (TN) | P | Ole Miss | 9 | 265 | Kansas City Royals | ||
| Dylan Nedved | Hutchinson (KS) | P | Iowa | 9 | 270 | San Diego Padres | ||
| Matt Keating | Southeast (NE) | P | USC | 9 | 280 | New York Yankees | ||
| Brett Johnson | Spoon River (IL) | OF | SIUE | 10 | 288 | Arizona Diamondbacks | ||
| Tanner Tredaway | Seminole State (OK) | OF | Oklahoma | 10 | 290 | Pittsburgh Pirates | ||
| Matt Coutney | Colby (KS) | 1B | Old Dominion | 10 | 298 | Los Angeles Angels | ||
| David Sandlin | Eastern Oklahoma State | P | Oklahoma | 11 | 325 | Kansas City Royals | ||
| Ian Mejia | Pima (AZ) | P | New Mexico State | 11 | 335 | Atlanta Braves | ||
| Jack Pineda | Southern Nevada | SS | Baylor | 12 | 355 | Kansas City Royals | ||
| Paul Gervase | Wake Tech (NC)/Pitt (NC) | P | LSU | 12 | 359 | New York Mets | ||
| Austin Krob | Kirkwood (IA) | P | TCU | 12 | 360 | San Diego Padres | ||
| Tyler Vogel | Eastern Florida State | P | Jacksonville | 12 | 376 | San Francisco Giants | ||
| Dylan Ross | Northwest Florida State | P | Georgia | 13 | 389 | New York Mets | ||
| Chandler Arnold | Odessa (TX) | P | Dallas Baptist | 13 | 397 | St. Louis CardinalsbBo | ||
| Bo Bonds | Chipola (FL) | P | Louisiana-Lafayette | 13 | 398 | Toronto Blue Jays | ||
| Mason Adams | Florida SouthWestern | P | Jacksonville | 13 | 401 | Chicago White Sox | ||
| Nate Dahle | Southern Idaho | P | BYU | 13 | 404 | Tampa Bay Rays | ||
| Cameron Foster | Wharton County (TX) | P | McNeese State | 14 | 419 | New York Mets | ||
| Tyler Robertson | Shelton State (AL) | OF | Louisiana-Lafayette | 14 | 420 | San Diego Padres | ||
| Landon Harper | Pearl River (MS) | P | Southern Mississippi | 14 | 425 | Atlanta Braves | ||
| D.J. Carpenter | Central Arizona | P | Oregon State | 14 | 427 | St. Louis Cardinals | ||
| Tommy Sacco, Jr. | Yavapai (AZ) | SS | TCU | 14 | 433 | Houston Astros | ||
| James Hicks | Crowder (MO) | P | South Carolina | 15 | 437 | Baltimore Orioles | ||
| Josh Day | Copiah-Lincoln (MS) | SS | Missouri | 15 | 438 | Arizona Diamondbacks | ||
| Javier Vaz | LSU Eunice | OF | Vanderbilt | 15 | 445 | Kansas City Royals | ||
| Adam Tulloch | Central Florida | P | Arizona State | 15 | 451 | Cleveland Guardians | ||
| Blake Rambusch | Grayson (TX) | 3B | Auburn | 15 | 456 | Seattle Mariners | ||
| Matt Hickey | Westherford (TX) | P | Tarleton State | 15 | 457 | St. Louis Cardinals | ||
| Graham Firoved | Northwest Florida State | P | Virginia Tech | 16 | 467 | Baltimore Orioles | ||
| Tristan Stivoes | New Mexico JC | P | Texas State | 16 | 491 | Chicago White Sox | ||
| Logan Clayton | Central Florida | P | Houston | 17 | 498 | Arizona Diamondbacks | ||
| Blake Klassen | Eastern Oklahoma State | 1B | UC-Santa Barbara | 17 | 501 | Washington Nationals | ||
| Tyler Hoffman | Mississippi Gulf Coast | P | Tulane | 17 | 506 | Colorado Rockies | ||
| Garrett McGowan | Dodge City (KS) | 1B | Pittsburg State (KS) | 17 | 523 | Houston Astros | ||
| Andrew Walters | Eastern Florida State | P | Miami | 18 | 527 | Baltimore Orioles | ||
| Brad Lord | Gulf Coast State (FL)/Santa Fe (FL) | P | South Florida | 18 | 531 | Washington Nationals | ||
| Javier Ramos | Seminole State (OK) | P | Oklahoma | 18 | 536 | Colorado Rockies | ||
| Garrett McMillan | Shelton State (AL) | P | Alabama | 19 | 564 | Minnesota Twins | ||
| Drew Garrett | Johnson County (KS) | P | Missouri | 19 | 572 | Philadelphia Phillies | ||
| Curtis Washington | Wabash Valley (IL) | OF | Purdue | 19 | 576 | Seattle Mariners | ||
| John Garcia | Monroe College (NY) | C | Grambling State | 19 | 583 | Houston Astros | ||
