Go west, young men.
Three of Jacksonville’s top high school ballplayers are headed to Arizona after their selections for the Major League Baseball draft combine, scheduled for June 23-26 at Chase Field in Phoenix.
Bishop Snyder pitcher Cole Dennis, Trinity Christian outfielder Brady Harris and St. Johns Country Day pitcher Brayden Harris are among a grand total of 334 prospects from both high school and college baseball selected to attend the combine at the home of the National League’s Arizona Diamondbacks.
Scouts and executives will evaluate those prospects before the league’s draft, scheduled for July 11 and 12 in Philadelphia ahead of the All-Star Game.
All three locals are very much in the spotlight after quality high school careers. Dennis enjoyed a breakthrough season with Region 1-2A finalist Bishop Snyder, batting .432 with 12 home runs, 31 RBI and a 1.552 OPS, to go with a 10-1 record, 2.01 ERA, 101 K and an 0.926 WHIP. He is signed with Jacksonville University.
Florida commit Brady Harris batted .296 with four homers and 20 RBI for Florida High School Athletic Association Class 2A champion Trinity and has 16 home runs in his high school career. Scouts have for years projected him as a potential first-round selection.
Brayden Harris, headed for Florida State, repeated as state strikeout leader with 165, finishing with 526 for his high school career. He went 12-2 with a 1.07 ERA and an 0.753 WHIP, to go with a .400 average, seven home runs, 31 RBI and a 1.117 OPS. He placed third in voting last week for Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Baseball, an award that went to Gio Rojas of Parkland Douglas.
Baseball’s 2025 draft ranked among the most successful for Northeast Florida on record, including six selections in the first three rounds.
Bolles’ Tietze chooses Marshall football
Bolles wide receiver Camden Tietze is officially headed for the Herd.
Tietze committed June 16 to play college football with the Thundering Herd of Marshall, the latest in the ever-lengthening parade of high school commitments from Northeast Florida.
Entering his second year as starter for the FHSAA Class 2A runner-up Bulldogs, the 6-foot, 170-pound Tietze caught 35 passes for 689 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2025. He further impressed during the Bulldogs’ spring game with a pair of acrobatic touchdown catches.
He selected Marshall over numerous other offers, including Minnesota and Wake Forest.
BK grad Massa to race youth nationals
Former Bishop Kenny distance runner Tessa Massa is among the qualified runners for the USA Track & Field U20 Outdoor Championships, which begin June 18 in Eugene, Ore. The meet will help determine the national team for the World Athletics U20 Championships in August at the same location.
Massa, who just completed her freshman season at Appalachian State University, is listed as a qualifier in the women’s 3,000 meters. She placed 11th in the fall at the Sun Belt Conference cross country championships, and sixth this winter in the conference’s indoor mile.
At Bishop Kenny, she helped the Crusaders to consecutive FHSAA cross country team championships in 2023 and 2024. In an unusual feat, she also played inside the top 100 in the 15-kilometer Gate River Run only 12 hours after winning the 1,600 in a high school meet.
Around the area
Atlantic Coast pole vaulter Ramell Walley signed with Eastern Michigan men’s track and field. … West Nassau outfielder Madison Bechem committed to Florida Gateway College softball. … Former Bolles School volleyball outside hitter Hannah Schellenberg Helow was selected to the Belmont AbbeyAthletics Hall of Fame, following her older sister Kay Schellenberg (a 2019 inductee) into the university’s hall. The induction ceremony will take place Oct. 1 in Belmont, N.C. … Eagle’s View announced Cam Hunter as its next boys basketball coach. He takes over from Kiryn Williams, who remains the school’s athletic director but stepped away from the head coaching role earlier in June. … Atlantic Coast named Lenny Roger head volleyball coach. … Tocoi Creek promoted Amber Weber to head volleyball coach, after Adis Imamovic stepped down at the end of the season. … Former St. Johns Country Day slugger George Gilson announced his transfer from Flagler to TCU baseball. … Former Mandarin outside hitter Paola Aviles Morales, formerly at St. Johns River State College, committed to Valdosta State volleyball. … Nick Borthwick of South Walton was named Florida Dairy Farmers baseball coach of the year.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: MLB Draft invites 3 Northeast Florida baseball stars. What’s next?
Reporting by Clayton Freeman, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Clayton Freeman, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union | USA TODAY Network
