SEATTLE — The 2023 MLB Draft took place this week and some top prospects from North Carolina’s prestigious institutes were selected, as well as a standout high school star from Southport being taken. The Draft lasted over three days with over 20 rounds of selections and concluded this Tuesday. LSU was the first school in history to have players go with the first and second pick of the draft. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Paul Skenes with the number one pick and the Washington Nationals selected Dylan Crews with the number two pick. Wake Forest had one of the best teams in the ACC and they held the top spot in the Top 25 of the national rankings for much of the ‘23 season.
Ten players from the Demon Deacons roster were selected over the past three days to continue their baseball careers at the next level. Rhett Lowder was the go-to man for the Demon Deacons on the mound last season and he was selected with the seventh overall pick from the Cincinnati Reds. The second player from the Demon Deacons to be selected was third-basemen Brock Wilken by the Milwaukee Brewers with the 18th overall pick in the draft.
The UNC Tar Heels had five of their players taken in the draft over these last few days with Mac Horvath being the first Tar Heel selected by the Baltimore Orioles with the 53rd overall pick. A couple of Tar Heel recruits were selected out of high school with Zyhir Hope going in the 11th round and Southport native Walker Jenkins was selected by the Minnesota Twins.
Jenkins went with the fifth overall pick and is slated as one of NC’s brightest stars as he finished his season with South Brunswick with an impressive stat line. He averaged a .417 BA and scored over 30 runs in his senior season with South Brunswick. Standing at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, the outfielder has all the physical attributes to be a very good player in the Major League.
NC State’s third-basemen Gino Groover was one of the few names from the Wolfpack to be selected in the draft. He was taken in the second round by the Arizona Diamondbacks and will get a chance to show his worth in the minors. Dukes Jay Beshears, Alex Moony, and Adam Boucher were all selected in the draft on Monday.