H-Town Reppin'
College World Series loaded with Houston-area baseball stars
Matt Malatesta
Jun 23, 2018, 6:52 pm
Elijah MacName is reppin' Cy Ranch at Mississippi State Vype
The NCAA College World Series is where legends are made.
This year is no different with so many opportunities to make a life-long memories in Omaha, Nebraska, where players can become legends for their respective schools.
Several Houston-area alums are on the biggest stage in college baseball with their eye on the prize of a national championship.
Cypress Ranch is home to a pair of college stars in Elijah MacNamee of Mississippi State and Masen Hibbeler of the University of Texas. MacNamee has already had a "Field of Dreams" moment in the Super Regional against Florida State. The outfielder hit a game-winning bomb to extend the series with the No. 1 Seminoles, which eventually led to a World Series appearance. Hibbeler is the starting infielder for the Longhorns and has been a cornerstone in their lineup.
Texas is also a landing spot for Strake Jesuit’s Zach Zubia and Memorial’s Cody Clemens. Both are big hitters in the Longhorn lineup and both have unique paths. Clemens is the son of MLB legend Roger Clemens, while Zubia was a dual-sport star for the Crusaders and originally signed with Tulane. He led Jesuit to their best showing in Class 6A playoff history.
Hailing from Arkansas is shortstop Jax Biggers, formerly of Ridge Point, while Texas Tech has a pair of arms in Dylan Dusek of Kempner and Ryan Shetter of Friendswood. The Red Raiders are the anchors of the pitching staff. Zach Rheams of Brazoswood has been a mainstay in Texas Tech’s lineup all season.
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The Houston Astros entered the 2025 MLB Draft with limited capital but a clear objective: find talent that can help sustain their winning ways without needing a full organizational reboot. With just under $7.2 million in bonus pool money and two forfeited picks, lost when they signed slugger Christian Walker, the Astros needed to be smart, aggressive, and a little bold. They were all three.
A swing on star power
With the 21st overall pick, Houston selected Xavier Neyens, a powerful left-handed high school bat from Mt. Vernon, Washington. At 6-foot-4, Neyens is raw but loaded with tools, a slugger with plus power and the kind of bat speed that turns heads.
He’s the Astros’ first high school position player taken in the first round in a decade.
If Neyens develops as expected, he could be the next cornerstone in the post-Altuve/Bregman era. Via: MLB.com:
It’s possible we’ll look back at this first round and realize that the Astros got the best power hitter in the class. At times, Neyens has looked like an elite hitter who’d easily get to that pop, and at times the swing-and-miss tendencies concerned scouts, which is why he didn’t end up closer to the top of the first round. He was announced as a shortstop, but his size (6-foot-4) and his arm will profile best at third base.
Their next big swing came in the third round with Ethan Frey, an outfielder/DH from LSU who was one of the most imposing college hitters in the country.
He blasted 13 home runs in the SEC and helped lead the Tigers to a championship.
Filling the middle
In the fourth round, the Astros grabbed Nick Monistere, an infielder/outfielder out of Southern Miss who won Sun Belt Player of the Year honors.
If Kendall likes the pick, I like the pick. https://t.co/NQKqEHFxtV
— Jeremy Branham (@JeremyBranham) July 14, 2025
He doesn’t jump off the page with tools, but he rakes, hitting .323 with 21 home runs this past season, and plays with a chip on his shoulder.
They followed that up with Nick Potter, a right-handed reliever from Wichita State. He projects as a fast-moving bullpen piece, already showing a mature approach and a “fastball that was regularly clocked in the upper-90s and touched 100 miles per hour.”
From there, Houston doubled down on pitching depth and versatility. They took Gabel Pentecost, a Division II flamethrower, Jase Mitchell, a high school catcher with upside, and a host of college arms, all in hopes of finding the next Spencer Arrighetti or Hunter Brown.
Strategy in motion
Missing multiple picks, Houston leaned into two things: ceiling and speed to the majors. Neyens brings the first, Frey and Monistere the second. And as they’ve shown in recent years, the Astros can develop arms with late-round pedigree into major league contributors.
The Astros didn’t walk away with flashy headlines, they weren’t drafting in the top 10. But they leave the 2025 draft with a clear direction: keep the farm alive with bats that can produce and arms that can fill in the gaps, especially with the club managing injuries and an aging core.
If Neyens becomes the slugger they hope, and if Frey or Monistere climbs fast, this draft could be another example of Houston turning limited resources into lasting impact.
You can see the full draft tracker here.
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