Ole Miss’ baseball season ended with a loss to Tennessee Tech in last night’s regional final at Swayze Field, but it wasn’t all bad for Rebel pitcher Ryan Rolison.
While standing in the dugout, cameras panned to Rolison as the 2018 MLB Draft had begun. Rolison, a projected first-round pick, waited for a call from a big-league squad, and that call eventually came from the Colorado Rockies. He became the 22nd pick in the draft’s first round after ending his sophomore season with a 10-4 record with a 3.70 ERA.
The left-hander from Jackson, Tennessee became just the third player in program history to record 10 wins and 100-plus strikeouts in a season, and opposing batters were hitting just .235 against him.
Rolison is now the 100th Rebel to be drafted during Mike Bianco’s time at Ole Miss, and he’s the first 1st round pick since Drew Pomeranz was selected by the Cleveland Indians in 2010.
After the game was over, Bianco praised the young pitcher but expressed frustration with the timing of the draft.
“I heard everyone clapping and I knew beforehand. We talked in between the games. It’s a shame that we can’t figure it out, meaning we as in college baseball and Major League Baseball to where it doesn’t happen like this, to where it can be celebrated more. Very proud of him obviously, very deserving.”
What a difference a few years will make as Rolison was drafted in the 37th round of the 2016 draft coming out of high school, but chose to play college ball instead.
According to MLB.com, the approximate pick value at #22 is $2.9 million and it appears Rolison will leave Ole Miss to sign his contract.
