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Hayden Morris 2025

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Current pitcher Morris, former Buccaneers stars Dudley and McGinnis chosen in MLB draft

Morris is the first active Blinn player to be drafted during head coach Dusty Hart's three season with the Bucs

Baseball

Current pitcher Morris, former Buccaneers stars Dudley and McGinnis chosen in MLB draft

Morris is the first active Blinn player to be drafted during head coach Dusty Hart's three season with the Bucs

The Blinn College baseball program made a splash on the final day of the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft. 

On Monday, former Buccaneers pitcher Bryson Dudley was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the seventh round, and infielder Connor McGinnis was selected in the 10th round by the New York Yankees. Current Buccaneers pitcher Hayden Morris was a 19th-round selection by the Yankees. 

Blinn head coach Dusty Hart said he was excited to see the dreams of his three players come true, noting that the draft was shortened from 40 rounds to just 20 rounds beginning in 2021. 

"Any way you look at it, it's so incredibly hard to get drafted, so it's extremely special when it happens," Hart said. "With the shorter draft, it makes it a bit more meaningful when your name gets called because it means that that organization really wanted you. I couldn't be happier for those three young men." 

?Bryson Dudley 2023-24
(Pictured: Former Blinn pitcher Bryson Dudley delivers a pitch during the NJCAA Division I Baseball World Series on May 31, 2024)

Dudley, a right-handed pitcher who spent two seasons with Blinn (2023-24) while playing a key role in the Bucs' national championship run in 2024, was the 218th overall choice. He is now Hart's first Blinn player to be selected in the MLB Draft. 

In 2024, Dudley went 4-3 with a 4.35 earned run average, five saves, and 52 strikeouts across 39 1/3 innings for the national champion Buccaneers. His biggest outing of the season came in the semifinal round of the JUCO World Series, where he tossed 4 1/3 frames of one-run relief against Georgia Highlands College to send Blinn to a 15-10 victory and into the national championship game. 

Dudley played his 2025 season at Texas State University, where he emerged as one of the top arms on the Bobcats' staff. He finished his junior season with 24 appearances (two starts) and posted a 5-1 record to go with a 3.93 earned run average, two saves, and 53 strikeouts in 50 1/3 innings. 

McGinnis, who the Yankees nabbed with the 314th pick, spent one season with Hart at Grayson College in 2022 before making his return from an injury in 2024. 

Connor McGinnis 2024
(Pictured: Former Blinn infielder Connor McGinnis puts a ball in play during the NJCAA Division I Baseball World Series on June 1, 2024)

In his lone season as a Buc, McGinnis established himself as one of the top hitters in NJCAA baseball behind a team-high .399 batting average, a team-best 93 hits, 16 doubles, 15 home runs, and 56 runs batted in. McGinnis hit .538 (15 for 28) in the 2024 JUCO World Series with four doubles, a homer, and seven RBIs. He received Region XIV co-Player of the Year recognition and was named to the NJCAA Division I All-America list as a third-team honoree. 

In 2025, McGinnis played his junior season for the University of Houston, batting .343 with a team-high 14 doubles to go with four home runs and 25 RBIs in 31 games. 

Morris, a right-handed pitcher who would be a sophomore next season should he forgo a professional contract, was selected 584th overall by the Yankees. 

Hayden Morris 2025
(Pictured: Blinn pitcher Hayden Morris delivers a pitch during a game May 10, 2025)

Morris shined in his debut season for Blinn, as the flame-thrower regularly touched the mid- to high-90s on his fastball velocity en route to a team-best 106 strikeouts. He finished his season with a 9-0 record and a 4.17 earned run average while earning Region XIV all-region first-team honors. He was a key piece to a pitching staff that helped guide the Bucs to a third consecutive berth in the NJCAA Division I Baseball World Series. 

Morris is the first active Blinn player to be drafted during Hart's three seasons leading the team. 

Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 53 national championships since 1987.
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Players Mentioned

Hayden Morris

#44 Hayden Morris

P
6' 8"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Hayden Morris

#44 Hayden Morris

6' 8"
Freshman
P