Springfield Standard

Missouri State's Nick Rodriguez has been picked by the Los Angeles Angels in the 10th round of the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft, taking the 289th spot. This selection came immediately after his teammate, Jake McCutcheon, was drafted by the Miami Marlins.

Rodriguez had a remarkable senior year for the Bears in 2025. He became Missouri State's seventh recipient of the Joe Carter Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year award and was named First Team All-America by the America Baseball Coaches Association.

The player from Tampa, Florida, achieved a batting average of .368 with 22 doubles, 18 home runs, and 56 RBIs. He amassed 40 extra-base hits, placing him fifth on Missouri State's single-season list for that category. Rodriguez recorded a slugging percentage of .702 and an on-base percentage of .444 while scoring 65 runs.

Rodriguez was also recognized as Missouri State's A.E. "Ted Willis" Team MVP for two consecutive seasons. He set a school record with a 40-game hitting streak from March 9 to May 23, which ties for the 12th longest in NCAA Division I history. This streak included a run of 15 consecutive games with an extra-base hit from March 23 to April 18. While there is no official NCAA record for such a streak, the MLB record stands at 14 games. Additionally, Rodriguez maintained an impressive fielding percentage of .976 over nearly 250 chances while starting all games at second base.

He becomes the 122nd player from Missouri State to be selected in the MLB draft.