Every baseball player’s dream is to play in the big leagues. For three members of the Kent State baseball team, that dream could come true.
Players Joe Whitman, Justin Miknis and Aidan Longwell were selected in the Major League Baseball draft Monday and Tuesday.
Starting left-handed pitcher Joe Whitman was the first Golden Flash to be drafted by the San Francisco Giants as the 69th overall pick in the second round.
Whitman earned a first team All-American selection and won the MAC Pitcher of the Year honor as he finished the regular season with a 9-2 record in 15 starts.
The southpaw also led the team in wins with 9, innings pitched with 81 and strikeouts with an even 100.
Catcher Justin Miknis followed suit with his battery mate as he was drafted in the 16th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates Tuesday.
The four-year veteran was named to the All-MAC team in 2023 and has earned MAC All-Defensive Team the last two seasons. This past year, he threw out 15 runners trying to steal bases behind the dish.
Lastly, the Colorado Rockies selected first baseman and left-hander Aidan Longwell just after Miknis in the 17th round.
Longwell earned third team All-American and first team All-MAC honors by batting .409 at the plate, the highest batting average for a Golden Flash since 2001, and recorded a 1.45 ERA in 19 innings on the mound this past season.
All three players will start in each respective teams’ minor league system. This opens the door to potentially working their way up to play at the major league level in the future.
Matt Kiraly is a TV2 reporter. Contact him at [email protected].
