WACO, Texas — McLennan Community College pitcher Connor Phillips heard his name called Thursday evening in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft.
"It feels really good honestly," Phillips said. "It's been my dream to get drafted by a team and go chase my dream of being a professional baseball player. "
Phillips was selected by the Seattle Mariners with the 64th overall pick. The freshman right-handed pitcher from Magnolia appeared in six games for the Highlanders in the shortened season, posting a 3-1 record with 27 strikeouts and a 3.16 ERA in 25.2 innings of work.
"I think just going to MCC, Coach (Mitch) Thompson prepares his kids so well to get ready for the next level because that's everybody's end goal. That whole staff is great. He basically harps on the most there is getting kids ready for the next level," Phillips said.
Phillips was the first JUCO player selected in this year’s draft, marking the second time in the last three years a Highlander has held that honor. In 2018, Highlander catcher Josh Breaux was drafted by the New York Yankees in the second round with the 61st overall pick.
"Probably the biggest thing that he did was he matured," Head Baseball Coach at MCC Mitch Thompson said. "He matured on and off the field and I think everybody was able to see that he has a really bright future in the game. He's not a total finished product yet. There's much more development to take place but when you see the high-end stuff that he has, you get really excited and that's where most of the major league baseball scouts and front offices I think are about him."
Phillips pitched for Magnolia West in 2019. He helped his team to the regional finals. During his senior season, he posted a 12-3 record with a 1.13 earned run average and struck out 125 batters in 92.2 innings.
Former MCC Highlander and West Trojan Bailey Horn was selected by the Chicago White Sox with the 142nd pick.
Horn made his way to Auburn from McLennan Community College prior to the 2019 season and played a pivotal role in Auburn's postseason run that culminated in Omaha, Nebraska, for the first time since 1997. Horn gutted out a rain delay and pitched 6.0 scoreless innings in the regional final vs. Georgia Tech en route to being named to the Atlanta Regional All-Tournament Team.
This season, Horn went 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA in four starts. He struck out 27 batters and issued five walks in 17.1 innings of work.
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