USD baseball off to MLB training camp

Four USD baseball players drafted into the big leagues

Taylor Nielsen / Sports Editor / The USD Vista

From July 17-19, Major League Baseball (MLB) teams gathered in Los Angeles, California, to select the next group of athletes ready to start their professional baseball careers. Of the 616 selected players, four came from the University of San Diego baseball program. 

USD baseball is no stranger to their players being drafted into the MLB. The 2022 draft marked the 33rd consecutive year that a MLB team selected an athlete from their program, an accomplishment highly regarded by the program. 

Brycen Mautz

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals drafted San Diego local Brycen Mautz in the second round of the MLB draft, making him the 59th pick overall. The left-handed pitcher has been looking forward to this moment since the first time he picked up a baseball.

“Playing professional baseball has been a dream of mine since I started playing tee-ball, and I’ve never really looked back,” Mautz said. 

The experience of his dream becoming a reality will always be a moment that Mautz looks back on. He celebrated the day with his family, friends and coaches who got him to where he is today. 

“My head was racing the whole day I was drafted, and when I finally got to hear my name be called, it just kinda went blank, and I just remember hugging my parents,” Mautz said. 

Since then, he had the opportunity to travel with his family to St. Louis to walk Busch Stadium, put on his jersey and officially sign his contract. 

From there, he went on to Jupiter , Florida,  to begin training. 

Mautz looks forward to using the skills he gained from playing for USD. He showed a great amount of respect for the USD baseball program and the work they did to prepare him for a professional baseball career. 

“The life skills and people I met at USD not only provided me with a strong foundation but opportunities I never would have been able to have,” Mautz said.   

Ian Churchill 

Toronto Blue Jays 

When the Toronto Blue Jays picked graduate student Ian Churchill in the 10th round of the MLB Draft, Churchill felt the relief of his perseverance and hard work paying off. 

He spent five years playing at three different schools to chase down his dream of becoming a professional baseball player. 

“I had a lot of great coaches and friends in my corner telling me to keep pushing and keep working hard to chase my dreams,” Churchill said. 

When they called his name, Churchill was completely shocked. 

“The whole thing was a blur. I got drafted way sooner than I thought I would. I was in the kitchen watching the draft on my laptop. I celebrated with my mom, who was working from home that day,” Churchill said. 

He relocated from his hometown of San Marcos to Florida to play for the Toronto Blue Jays minor league affiliate team, the Dunedin Blue Jays. 

He has officially signed at the spring training complex. Churchill looks forward to continuing to make connections with other players in the baseball community, especially more experienced players who have already started making an impact on Churchill.  

Caleb Rickets

Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies picked well-accomplished junior, Caleb Rickets as the 212th overall pick in the seventh round. 

His standings as the 2022 West Coast Conference (WCC) Player of the Year and a semifinalist for the 2022 Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year made him a player to watch during his collegiate career. 

“It was a very surreal experience for me, because I knew I was always capable of being drafted and it was just exciting to finally see it happen,” Rickets said. 

As he transitions into his professional baseball career, he shows a great amount of gratitude towards the USD baseball program and the impact they had on his development as a player. 

“I definitely would not be the player or man I am today, if I had not spent four years at USD. My experience at USD allowed me to mature in ways that I needed to mature in order to be ready to play professional baseball,” Rickets said. 

Over the summer, he traveled to Philadelphia to sign his contract and immediately caught a flight to Florida to begin training, which is where he resides now. Rickets  is looking forward to making new friendships in the baseball community and seizing the opportunity to play baseball for as long as he can.

Chase Meidroth 

Boston Red Sox 

Chase Meidroth was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the second round of the MLB Draft.  Meidroth became the 19th pick overall. 

During the 2022 season, he was chosen twice as the WCC Player of the Week and was selected for the All-WCC First Team. In the spring season, Meidroth played in 56 out of the 57 games, where he started infield both at second base and third. His successful 2022 season will set him up for a good start in professional baseball as training begins. 

Meidroth did not respond to the opportunity to interview. 

Although the USD community will no longer be able to cheer on these four players at Fowler Park, their legacy on the team will last.