What Missouri State baseball having 3 players picked in first 10 rounds says about program

Only three times in Missouri State baseball's history have three players been drafted in the first 10 rounds of the MLB Draft. One of those times happened on Monday.

Spencer Nivens, Jake Eddington and Hayden Minton each dealt with their phones blowing up from congratulatory text messages and phone calls when their dreams of being selected by big league ballclubs came true.

"It was super cool," Nivens, a fifth-round pick by the Kansas City Royals, said. "I would've been happy to get an opportunity with anybody but to be able to do it with the team I grew up going to games and watching is super cool."

The last time Missouri State had three players drafted in the first 10 rounds followed the 2015 season (Jon Harris, Tate Matheny, Matt Hall) in which the Bears made the NCAA Tournament Super Regionals. The only other time followed 2003 when Missouri State made the College World Series (Shaun Marcum, Bob Zimmermann, Chad Mulholland).

Each of the 2023 draftees took unique paths to get to where they are, but they all said the development they went through in a Bears uniform made them into professional baseball players.

Nivens, the 142nd overall pick and a star centerfielder from Rock Bridge High in Columbia, was the last player to make the Bears' roster before the 2022 season. He finished his career as the Missouri Valley Conference's player of the year in 2023.

"Looking back on it, it definitely says more about the program than it says about me," Nivens said. "Just the amount of development that they put into the guys there... they can turn anybody into whatever they wanna be as long as you go there and you have an open mind and you trust what they're doing."

Jake Eddington and Hayden Minton were two pitchers who were selected in the top 10 rounds. They became the first two arms to be selected since Nick Petree took over as the team's pitching coach before this past season.

Eddington was a transfer from Alabama coming off Tommy John surgery. A highly-saught after recruit out of high school, Eddington never allowed doubt to creep into his mind as he worked back into a coveted draft prospect.

Eddington was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the seventh round with the No. 223 overall pick.

"(Petree) was with us all the time and he just wanted to see us get better," Eddington said. "We could always come in and watch videos of our mechanics before the game and after. He welcomed us with open arms and that's exactly what I needed coming to Missouri State. I'm really hands-on, maybe more than others, and he provided that for me and I'm super thankful.

"This was a long process and kind of a bumpy road but it's all been worth it. I wouldn't change a thing because it helped make me the man I am now and I'm grateful for everything that's happened to me and I'm just excited for the journey moving forward."

Minton, a ninth-round pick by the Detroit Tigers who was drafted 260th overall, had two different stints with Missouri State.

Minton pitched two seasons with the Bears before transferring to Johnson Community College in 2022. He developed, attracted some draft buzz and transferred back to Missouri State where he was a fixture in the weekend rotation.

"They were open and welcomed me back," Minton said. "I wanted a do-over here, make things right and I think I succeeded at that."

Missouri State has now had 118 total players selected in its program's history with more pro prospects on the current roster. Buzz around Zack Stewart will surely grow over the next year with Taeg Gollert also showing potential. More will be added either through the transfer portal or the incoming freshmen.

The three draftees feel like they left Missouri State in a better place than they found it. They think their accomplishments on Monday will help the program even more moving forward.

"We always talked about getting this program back in the right direction," Nivens said. "I think getting three guys drafted on the second day is a pretty good step in the right direction. I think it's only going to be up from here."

Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or Twitter at @WyattWheeler_NL.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri State baseball had 3 players selected in 2023 MLB Draft