09-07-2025
How Chase Shores, Ike Irish and the top unsigned Class of 2022 baseball recruits fared in college
Recruiting in college baseball is like no other sport, especially for the top programs. Securing a commitment from an elite prospect is only the first step. Getting him to campus, and keeping him away from the MLB Draft, is often the most stressful part of the process.
In the Class of 2022, 17 of the top 20 high school prospects, according to the Perfect Game rankings, never enrolled in school. The top player to make it through the draft, Andrew Dutkanych IV, was ranked No. 15.
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After that, colleges had a decent amount of success — 16 players ranked No. 21 through No. 50 played college baseball.
And with this crop of players having completed their third season — and eligible for the 2025 MLB Draft — we thought it would be a good time to check in on how things have gone for these former top recruits.
Here are the top 20 prospects (according to Perfect Game) from the Class of 2022 who played college baseball and how their college careers unfolded.
15. Andrew Dutkanych IV, RHP, Vanderbilt (Indianapolis, Ind.): Dutkanych threw only 17 innings over two seasons at Vanderbilt, missing significant time as a freshman with a hamstring injury and then going down with a UCL injury early in his sophomore season. He was a draft-eligible sophomore and, despite undergoing Tommy John surgery last spring, was selected in the seventh round by the St. Louis Cardinals.
16. Gavin Turley, OF, Oregon State (Chandler, Ariz.): Turley capped off an outstanding three-year career with a banner junior season, hitting .351 with 20 home runs and 69 RBIs for an Oregon State team that advanced to the College World Series. For his career, he had a 1.072 OPS with a school-record 53 home runs. He is a projected top-five-round pick in the 2025 draft.
Gavin Turley. Clutch gene. #GoBeavs
— Oregon State Baseball (@BeaverBaseball) June 14, 2025
19. Paxton Kling, OF, LSU (Roaring Spring, Pa.): Kling had a solid freshman season — .913 OPS in 57 games (22 starts) — on a team that won the national championship. He took a step back as a sophomore (.727 OPS while starting 39 games) and transferred to Penn State following the season. He played well back in his home state, hitting .358 with a 1.102 OPS and 13 home runs.
21. Levi Huesman, LHP, Coastal Carolina (Hanover, Va.): Huesman struggled in his first two seasons, the first at Coastal Carolina (9.36 ERA, 2.35 WHIP in 33 2/3 innings) and the second at Vanderbilt (6.00 ERA, 2.00 WHIP in 12 innings). He was much better as a junior and emerged as a key left-handed option out of the Commodores' bullpen. He threw 16 innings over 18 games, with a 2.81 ERA and 1.06 WHIP.
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23. Chase Shores, RHP, LSU (Midland, Texas): Shores missed his entire sophomore season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in April 2024. His numbers in 2025 were rather ordinary — 5-3 with a 5.51 ERA and 1.46 WHIP — but he was terrific down the stretch in the Tigers' run to the national title. He pitched the final 2 2/3 innings of the CWS-clinching win over Coastal Carolina, allowing only one hit and striking out four. He is likely to be picked in the first four rounds of the upcoming draft and could be quick to the majors if he stays in the bullpen.
27. Malcolm Moore, C, Stanford (Sacramento, Calif.): Moore lived up to the hype in his two years at Stanford. As a freshman, he hit .311 with 15 home runs and 63 RBIs to help the Cardinal advance to the College World Series for the third straight season. His numbers dipped a bit in 2024 — he hit. 255 with 16 home runs and 36 RBIs — but he was still highly thought of by Major League Baseball and was the No. 30 pick in the 2024 draft by the Rangers.
29. Brady Neal, C, LSU (Tallahassee, Fla.): Neal started 59 games in two seasons at LSU, including 33 in 2024 when he hit .276 with nine home runs. He transferred to Alabama after his sophomore season and hit .219 with three home runs while playing in 41 games (40 starts) in 2025.
31. Ethan Petry, 3B, South Carolina (Land O' Lakes, Fla.): Petry had a massive freshman season, slashing .376/.471/.733 with 23 home runs and 75 RBIs. His production dipped a bit as a sophomore, but he still hit .306 with 21 homers. His power numbers were down considerably in 2025 — 10 home runs in 44 games (missing the final month with a shoulder injury) — but he is still regarded as a top-75 prospect in the upcoming draft.
33. Jaden Noot, RHP, LSU (Oak Park, Calif.): Noot missed all but one game of his first two seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He was used mostly as a reliever in 2025, going 2-1 with a 4.13 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in 32 2/3 innings. He pitched one scoreless inning in the 2025 College World Series.
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34. Jurrangelo Cijntje, BHP, Mississippi State (Pembroke Pines, Fla.): Cijntje was a true switch-pitcher, although he threw primarily from the right side during his breakout sophomore season in 2024 (8-2 with a 3.67 ERA and 1.10 WHIP). He was a draft-eligible sophomore and went No. 15 to the Mariners in the 2024 MLB Draft.
SWITCH PITCHER Jurrangelo Cijntje who was recently drafted by the Mariners.
— Baseball's Greatest Moments (@BBGreatMoments) June 25, 2025
35. Jayson Jones, SS, Arkansas (Savannah, Texas): Jones hit under .200 in two seasons at Arkansas — .196 in 46 at-bats in 2023 and .194 in 72 at-bats in 2024. He transferred to Oklahoma State but hit only .217 with a .660 OPS in 50 games with the Cowboys in 2025. He is back in the portal looking for a third school.
36. Michael Gupton, OF, NC State (Raleigh, N.C.): Gupton played sparingly as a freshman at NC State (six games, seven plate appearances) and then spent the 2024 season at Gulf Coast (Miss.) Community College. He returned to the Division I ranks in 2025 and enjoyed a solid season at Samford, slashing .333/.401/.630 with 15 home runs and 50 RBIs. He is back in the transfer portal.
39. Ike Irish, C, Auburn (Hudsonville, Mich.): Irish did nothing but hit since he arrived on campus. His career numbers: .350 batting average, 1.060 OPS with 39 home runs and 167 RBIs. He was at his best in 2025, slashing .364/.469/.710 with 19 home runs for an Auburn team that was the No. 4 national seed in the NCAA Tournament. He is expected to be a first-round pick in the 2025 draft, either as a catcher or outfielder.
41. Riley Stanford, OF, Georgia Tech (Gainesville, Ga.): Stanford has been a two-way player for the Yellow Jackets but has seen far more time on the mound. He was limited to two games (both at the plate) as a freshman due to injury. He appeared in 31 games on the mound the last two seasons, going 3-1 with a 5.40 ERA and 1.91 WHIP. He did not have an at-bat in 2025.
42. Kassius Thomas, RHP, Duke (Los Angeles): Thomas pitched only 5 1/3 innings as a freshman at Duke in 2023 and then transferred to Stanford. He made 23 appearances for the Cardinal in 2024 but struggled (9.31 ERA and 2.21 WHIP in 29 innings). He threw a total of eight innings in 10 games in 2025.
45. Oliver Santos, LHP, Duke (Newport Beach, Calif.): Santos sat out his freshman year at Duke with a shoulder injury. He transferred to Texas but had a setback while working his way back from injury and medically retired.
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47. Jared Jones, C, LSU (Marietta, Ga.): Jones won two national championships in three seasons at LSU. He hit a combined 50 home runs in his final two seasons, with an OPS of 1.201 in 2024 and 1.027 in 2025. He had several huge hits in the '25 CWS, including a three-run home run vs. UCLA and a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning in the wild 6-5 win over Arkansas.
JARED JONES WALKS IT OFF AND LSU ADVANCE TO THE MEN'S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES FINALS
— MLB Walk Offs & Game Winning Plays (@MLBWalk_Offs) June 19, 2025
48. Adonys Guzman, C, Boston College (Valley Cottage, N.Y.): Guzman was a part-time starter at Boston College as a freshman and then transferred to Arizona. He flourished in 2025, his second season with the Wildcats, hitting .325 with nine home runs and 44 RBIs for a team that advanced to the College World Series.
50. Luke Heyman, C, Florida (Longwood, Fla.): Heyman was a consistent power source for the Gators. He hit 41 home runs in three years, with a high of 16 in 2024. He was slashing .310/.397/.578 with 13 home runs when he was lost for the 2025 season in mid-May after breaking a bone in his arm. He will likely be selected in the top five rounds of the upcoming draft.
53. Cam Smith, SS, Florida State (Lake Worth, Fla.): Smith was solid as a freshman (.258, 12 home runs and 36 RBIs) and sensational as a sophomore in 2024 (.387, 16 home runs and 57 RBIs) as the Seminoles returned to the College World Series for the first time since 2019. He was a draft-eligible sophomore and was picked No. 14 by the Cubs in the 2024 MLB Draft. He's already reached the big leagues with the Astros.
55. Gavin Kilen, SS, Louisville/Tennessee
59. R.J. Austin, OF, Vanderbilt
69. Dakota Jordon, OF, Mississippi State
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78. Devin Taylor, OF, Indiana
84. Chris Stanfield, OF, Auburn/LSU
86. Mason Neville, OF, Arkansas/Oregon
88. Tucker Biven, SS/RHP, Louisville
92. Max Williams, OF, Alabama/Florida State
95. Nolan Schubart, OF, Oklahoma State
Coming at this from a different angle, here's a look at where the top college prospects for the upcoming draft were ranked coming out of high school. Keith Law had 55 college players in his most recent top-100 big board. Of those 55:
(Photo of Chase Shores: Steven Branscombe / Imagn Images)
