NEW ORLEANS – Following a 2025 campaign in which it hosted a pair of NCAA Baseball Regionals and had Coastal Carolina advance to the Championship Series at the College World Series in Omaha, the Sun Belt had 21 players selected in the 2025 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft.
With 21 selections, the Sun Belt ran its all-time tally to 874 picks over the two-day affair from July 13-14.
Coastal Carolina junior catcher Caden Bodine (1st, 30th)—the 2025 Sun Belt Tournament Most Outstanding Player, All-Sun Belt First Team honoree—was the first Sun Belt student-athlete off the board as the 30th overall pick by the Baltimore Orioles—giving the Sun Belt a Day 1 selection in five-straight MLB Drafts.
Another All-Sun Belt First Team honoree in Southern Miss junior right-handed pitcher JB Middleton (2nd, 45th) was next off the board, going to the Colorado Rockies in the second round. Redshirt Sophomore outfielder Jake Cook from Southern Miss came off the board in the third round with the 81st pick to the Toronto Blue Jays. Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year and All-Sun Belt First Team honoree Jacob Morrison from Coastal Carolina was selected in the third round by the Milwaukee Brewers with the 94th overall pick. The Sun Belt was one of five conferences to have four or more players drafted in the top three rounds.
2025 Sun Belt Player of the Year—Southern Miss junior second baseman Nick Monistere (4th, 126th – Houston Astros)—was the next Sun Belt student-athlete to hear his name called. Junior right-handed pitcher Bryson Dudley from Texas State was the next student-athlete selected in the seventh round (7th, 218th – Kansas City Royals).
Georgia Southern junior outfielder Josh Tate (8th, 233rd) was an eighth-round pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates, joined by a pair of Sun Belt student-athletes in the eighth round. Junior left-handed pitcher from Old Dominion Dylan Brown (8th, 238th) was tapped by the Boston Red Sox, while Troy’s junior catcher Brooks Bryan (8th, 248th) was picked by the Kansas City Royals.
Coastal Carolina redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Riley Eikhoff (9th, 256th)—a ninth-round pick by the Chicago White Sox—and App State redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Jackson Steensma (9th, 272nd)—a ninth-round pick by the Seattle Mariners—rounded out the Sun Belt’s selections through the first ten rounds. Old Dominion junior left-handed pitcher Ben Moore (12th, 351st) was the first Sun Belt student-athlete selected in the second half of day two at the draft, by the Washington Nationals with the 351st overall pick.
Texas State junior right-handed pitcher Carson Laws (14th, 408th) came off the board two rounds later as the Miami Marlins 14th-round selection. The Chicago Cubs took Troy junior right-handed pitcher Noah Edders (15th, 451st) the following round. Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year in Georgia State senior outfielder Kaleb Freeman (16th, 466th) heard his name called the following round by the Chicago White Sox.
Southern Miss senior right-handed pitcher Landen Payne (18th, 526th) and Troy senior right-handed pitcher Jay Dill (18th, 530th) were selected four picks apart in the 18th-round by the Chicago White Sox and Oakland Athletics, respectively. Coastal Carolina redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Matthew Potok (18th, 551st) closed out the 18th-round selections from the Philadelphia Phillies.
A trio of 19th-round selections—Marshall senior right-handed pitcher Nick Weyrich (19th, 556th – Chicago White Sox), Old Dominion senior left-handed pitcher Blake Morgan (19th, 567th – Tampa Bay Rays) and App State redshirt senior right-handed pitcher Liam Best (19th, 570th – St. Louis Cardinals), rounded out the Sun Belt’s 21-player draft class.
Each of the Sun Belt’s two NCAA Baseball Regional hosts produced multiple 2025 MLB Draft selections with four apiece from both Coastal Carolina and Southern Miss. Old Dominion (3), Troy (3), App State (2) and Texas State (2) also boasted multiple draft picks. Georgia Southern, Georgia State and Marshall each had a student-athlete picked, giving 9-of-14 Sun Belt baseball programs representation in this year’s draft class.
The Chicago White Sox (4) and Kansas City Royals (2) each selected multiple Sun Belt student-athletes during the 2025 MLB Draft.
2025 MLB Draft Picks
Caden Bodine, Coastal Carolina (1st, 30th – Baltimore Orioles)
JB Middleton, Southern Miss (2nd, 45th – Colorado Rockies)
Jake Cook, Southern Miss (3rd, 81st – Toronto Blue Jays)
Jacob Morrison, Coastal Carolina (3rd, 94th – Milwaukee Brewers)
Nick Monistere, Southern Miss (4th, 126th – Houston Astros)
Bryson Dudley, Texas State (7th, 218th – Kansas City Royals)
Josh Tate, Georgia Southern (8th, 233rd – Pittsburgh Pirates)
Dylan Brown, Old Dominion (8th, 238th – Boston Red Sox)
Brooks Bryan, Troy (8th, 248th – Kansas City Royals)
Riley Eikhoff, Coastal Carolina (9th, 256th – Chicago White Sox)
Jackson Steensma, App State (9th, 272nd – Seattle Mariners)
Ben Moore, Old Dominion (12th, 351st – Washington Nationals)
Carson Laws, Texas State (14th, 408th – Miami Marlins)
Noah Edders, Troy (15th, 451st – Chicago Cubs)
Kaleb Freeman, Georgia State (16th, 466th – Chicago White Sox)
Landen Payne, Southern Miss (18th, 526th – Chicago White Sox)
Jay Dill, Troy (18th, 530th – Oakland Athletics)
Matthew Potok, Coastal Carolina (18th, 551st – Philadelphia Phillies)
Nick Weyrich, Marshall (19th, 556th – Chicago White Sox)
Blake Morgan, Old Dominion (19th, 567th – Tampa Bay Rays)
Liam Best, App State (19th, 570th – St. Louis Cardinals)