Ole Miss Baseball's Jacob Gonzalez and Kemp Alderman were both selected on the first day of the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft, becoming just the second pair of Rebel teammates to be picked in the first two rounds since 2008.
Gonzalez was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the first round as the 15th overall pick of the draft. Alderman was picked by the Miami Marlins in the second round as the 47th overall pick in the draft.
Gonzalez becomes the third-highest draft pick in Ole Miss history and is the first position player drafted in the first round since 1970. He is the third player drafted by the White Sox over the last three years, joining Tim Elko in 2022 and Taylor Broadway in 2021.
Both Gonzalez and Alderman become the highest drafted position players in Ole Miss history since Chris Coughlan was drafted as the 36th overall pick in 2006.
Gonzalez led the Rebels in walks (35) and doubles (18) in 2023 and had the second-highest batting average on the team at .327. He was also ranked second on the team in on-base percentage (.435) and RBI (51) while finishing third in slugging percentage, runs scored, and hits.
The shortstop's 18 doubles were the sixth-most in the SEC during the regular season and his seven sacrifice flies were on short of the league-lead. Gonzalez only committed five errors all season while playing arguably the most important defensive position on the field.
The Glendora, Calif., native earned ABCA All-South Region and All-SEC honors along with being named a semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Award.
Gonzalez finished his career at Ole Miss with the third-highest total number of runs scored in a career at 186 over three seasons. His 73 runs scored during 2021 are the second-highest total in a single season, trailing only Chris Coughlan who scored 75 in 2006.
His 40 career home runs are tied for the fifth-most in Ole Miss history and his 158 career RBI is the ninth-best total in program history.
Gonzalez was named the D1Baseball National Freshman of the Year in 2021, is a five-time All-American, a three-time All-SEC honoree, and was the starting shortstop for the 2022 U.S. Collegiate National Team.
Alderman earned All-America honors from two publications in 2023, being named to NCBWA's Second Team and ABCA/Rawlings' Third Team. The Decatur, Mississippi native led Ole Miss in nearly every offensive category, hitting .376 with a slugging percentage of .709 and on-base percentage of .440. He had 80 hits with 61 RBI, 19 home runs, and 151 total bases. He also led the team in two-out RBI (23) and batting average with runners on base (.393).
His 80 hits and 151 total bases were the fourth-highest in the SEC during the regular season and his batting average and RBI were the seventh-highest. Alderman finished the regular season ranked 25th in the country in total bases, 35th in home runs, and 51st in hits.
Alderman's 19 home runs in 2023 were the third-highest single-season total by a Rebel in program history and his .376 batting average was the highest in a season since 2012 when Alex Yarbrough hit .380.
The junior was named the winner of the 2023 Ferriss Trophy, presented annually to the most outstanding college baseball player in the state of Mississippi. He was the first Rebel to win the award since Austin Bausfield in 2014.
MSU's Ledbetter taken in second round
STARKVILLE – Junior outfielder Colton Ledbetter heard his name called on the opening day of the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft, held on Sunday (July 9) in Seattle. This marks the fourth straight season that MSU had a student-athlete taken in the first two rounds.
Ledbetter was the No. 55 overall pick by the Tampa Bay Rays in the second round.
In the MLB Draft, Mississippi State has heard 187 student-athletes names called at the event for a total of 228 draft picks overall.
Under head coach Chris Lemonis, Mississippi State has seen 27 student-athletes drafted in the MLB Draft, including five going in the first round. Lemonis also has 12 draft picks in the first five rounds during his MSU tenure.
Ledbetter is the seventh Mississippi State player to be drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays and the first since third baseman Kamren James in 2022.
Harris, Dougherty picked on day Two
SEATTLE, Wash. – Two more Rebels were picked up in the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft Monday afternoon as Calvin Harris and Jack Dougherty were both selected to play professional baseball at the next level.
Harris was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the fourth round as the 116th overall pick in the draft. He joins Jacob Gonzalez as one of the White Sox's draft picks in this draft and is now the fourth Rebel drafted by the team from Chicago's south side in the last three drafts.
The junior becomes the highest-drafted catcher from Ole Miss since Stuart Turner was drafted at No. 78 in 2013. He is also the sixth Rebel catcher to be drafted in the first 10 rounds since 2016.
Dougherty was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the ninth round as the 267th overall pick in the draft. He is the first Rebel to be drafted by the Twins since 2013.
Harris hit .321 and led Ole Miss in runs scored in 2023, crossing the plate 52 times in 54 games. He had a slugging percentage of .579, 121 total bases, 12 home runs, 67 hits, and 46 RBI, all top-three on the team.
On May 6 against Missouri, Harris set two new Ole Miss single-game records and tied a third when he hit four home runs in one game. He had 16 total bases in the game, which was a new program record, and his 10 RBI tied a record set by Charlie Conerly in 1947. Harris became the first SEC player to ever hit four home runs in a conference game and just the third SEC player to do it in any game. He is also now just the fourth player in SEC history to have 16+ total bases in a single game.
During Ole Miss' 2022 National Championship run, Harris was named to the College World Series All-Tournament Team after hitting .400 with two home runs, six RBI, and five runs scored at the tournament.
Dougherty made 15 appearances on the mound in 2023, making nine starts after working out of the bullpen for the majority of his career. He led all starters in ERA while finishing second on the team in opposing batting average (.261), saves (2), innings pitched (60.1), and strikeouts (65). He threw a career-high six innings three times over the course of the season and struck out a career-high seven batters three different times.
The Collierville, Tennessee native made a career-high 17 appearances in 2022, posting a 4-3 record with a 4.91 ERA and 61 strikeouts. He made three-consecutive scoreless appearances during Ole Miss' postseason run in 2022, picking up a win against Arizona in the Coral Gables Regional and a save against Southern Miss in their Super Regional. Dougherty started game one of the College World Series Finals against Oklahoma and earned the win, going five-plus innings and striking out six.
Cade Smith picked by Yankees
STARKVILLE – Junior pitcher Cade Smith heard his name called on the second day of the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft, held on Monday. Smith was the No. 192 overall pick by the New York Yankees in the sixth round.
Smith is the twelfth Mississippi State player to be drafted by the New York Yankees and the first since pitcher Jackson Fristoe in 2022.
Smith a right-handed pitcher from Southaven was the Friday night starter for the Diamond Dawgs this season.
He pitched 43 innings during his junior season. He tallied 46 strikeouts on the season and held opponents to a .230 batting average. He made ten appearances, with nine starts, and had an ERA of 5.23.
During his sophomore season, Smith pitched 72.1 innings and tallied four wins. He had a 3.86 ERA and 66 punchouts, all a career-high. A 2021 National Championship team member, the Southaven, Miss., native made three appearances in the College World Series, combining to pitch 3.2 innings of relief. He earned the win when the Dawgs beat Virginia.
Smith made 34 appearances on the mound for his career while making 24 starts. He compiled eight wins and an ERA of 4.14 over his 130.1 innings pitched. He struck out 132 batters and limited opponents to hit .213 off him.
In the MLB Draft, Mississippi State has heard 188 student-athletes' names called at the event for a total of 229 draft picks overall.
Under head coach Chris Lemonis, Mississippi State has seen 28 student-athletes drafted in the MLB Draft, including five going in the first round. Lemonis also has 12 draft picks in the first five rounds during his MSU tenure.
