WATCH: Off to the Windy City, Jacob Gonzalez makes one final bit of Ole Miss history
Four current Ole Miss baseball Rebels have been selected through 10 rounds of the 2023 MLB Draft.
Star shortstop Jacob Gonzalez was the first off the board. The Chicago White Sox took Gonzalez No. 15 overall. Kemp Alderman, another now-former Rebel slugger, wasn’t far behind. He went No. 47 to the Miami Marlins.
Gonzalez and Alderman are the first pair of Ole Miss teammates picked in the first two rounds of the draft since 2008. Gonzalez is the third first-round amateur draft pick for Ole Miss since 2018 and the eighth all-time. He’s the third-highest selection in school history.
He’s the first Rebel position player drafted in the first round since 1970.
Gonzalez wrapped his Ole Miss career No. 3 all-time in total runs scored in a career (186). His 73 runs scored in 2021 are the second-highest in a single season, trailing only Chris Coghlan, who scored 75 in 2006.
Gonzalez’s 40 career home runs are tied for the fifth-most ever at Ole Miss.
His three-year RBI total (158) is the ninth-best total in program history. He hit .319 for his career and walked 123 times to boost a career .427 on-base percentage. He hit .327 with 10 home runs, 51 RBI and 35 walks last season.
D1Baseball named Gonzalez its National Freshman of the Year in 2021. He was a five-time All-American and three-time All-SEC honoree. Gonzalez was the starting shortstop for the 2022 U.S. Collegiate National Team.
He started all 65 games at shortstop as Ole Miss secured its first-ever national championship last summer. He had three hits in four at-bats with a solo home run, two RBI and two runs scored in the championship-clinching game against Oklahoma.
