Kennesaw State University has had a player taken in the MLB First-Year Player Draft for 15 straight seasons, a credit to the coaching staff who developed these players.

2021 saw Kennesaw State’s catcher; Tyler Tolve, be selected by the Atlanta Braves. He started playing baseball when he was 5-years-old, and says he fell in love with the challenge baseball provides. Tolve played for Sprayberry High School in high school, where Kennesaw State recruited him.

“My biggest jump in baseball came in college,” Tolve said. “The entire coaching staff worked to make me better.”

After a dominant 2021 season, the Braves took a chance on bringing the catcher to Atlanta. He has played in their minor league system since, and on February 2, Tolve was invited to the team’s upcoming Spring Training.

In 2022 Josh Hatcher was drafted by the Texas Rangers. Hatcher started playing baseball when he was 6-years-old. To him, failure pushed him further into baseball, as he wanted to chase perfection. He spent four seasons at Mississippi State, where he played outfield and first-base. He struggled to consistently hit while there, and decided to transfer for his final year of college baseball.

“Coach Coe believed in me and gave me an opportunity to come play in Kennesaw,” Hatcher said.

He says he improved greatly in college, especially during his time at Kennesaw State. Hatcher credits assistant coach Derrick Tucker for helping him get his hitting on the right track. Their changes resulted in the best season of his career, where he led the NCAA in both hits and doubles.

“I can’t say enough about the entire coaching staff at KSU,” Hatcher said. “From Coach Tucker working on things behind the scenes, to Coach Way being there for me mentally and instilling confidence in myself. They made sure we had everything we needed to be the best versions of ourselves and always looked out for us.”

The most recent draft pick coming out of Kennesaw was Blake Wehunt, selected by the Boston Red Sox in 2023. Wehunt is a 6-foot-7 pitcher, who transferred to Kennesaw State after three seasons at The University of Southern Mississippi. He started playing baseball at the age of 7, and quickly fell in love with the game.

“I was good at baseball from the beginning, all my friends played and I found it very fun,” Wehunt said. “I quickly became obsessed.”

Wehunt’s potential in baseball became apparent when he grew 5 inches between his sophomore and junior years of high school. However, he struggled to find his footing during his time at Southern Miss. Coach Ryan Coe decided to reach out to Wehunt, a decision that worked wonderfully for both parties. Wehunt became the team’s best pitcher, leading the team in strikeouts and innings pitched. He says that pitching coach Matthew Passauer made the greatest impact on his play at Kennesaw State and that their relationship was the closest he’s ever had with a coach, but he is still thankful for Coe believing in his ability to succeed in Kennesaw.

“He really took a gamble on me coming out of the transfer portal,” Wehunt said. “I couldn’t be any more grateful to Coach Coe and the entire staff at Kennesaw State.”

Kennesaw State’s coaching staff will hope to continue their success in the coming years, possibly extending their streak of draftees.