Trevor Austin hits a single to right field, advancing Kaden Peer to third, and Jackson Beaman home. This led the Tigers to take a 2-0 lead in the third inning.
Mizzou baseball inked 10 freshman and three transfers to join the squad ahead of their 24-25 campaign
Editor’s Note:
A previous version of this article included Ethan Bagwell, who was originally committed to the University of Missouri. However, he will not join the team after he was drafted and signed with the Atlanta Braves. He currently plays as a member of the Augusta GreenJackets in Single-A.
After finishing 23-32 during Missouri Baseball Head Coach Kerrick Jackson’s inaugural season, the Tigers hope to put together a much better campaign by adding new helping hands around the diamond.
Jackson and his staff signed 13 freshmen prospects throughout the 2023-2024 season and added three junior college players from the transfer portal. The new faces include six pitchers, four infielders, four outfielders and two utility players.
“We are very excited about this foundational class,” Jackson said in a statement. “Each of these young men truly embody what being a Mizzou Tiger is all about. They are hard-nosed, competitive, humble, all the while possessing a true love of and respect for the game. I am certain they will represent our university, athletic department, fans and alumni in a first-class manner.”
Freshmen
Listed below is the freshman in class in order by national ranking order, according to Perfectgame.org.
Victor Christal: RHP / 6’1 – 180 / Raytown, Kan.
Christal is another impressive right-hander, ranking at No. 1 among all right-handed pitchers in Kansas and fifth among all players in the state. He went to Bishop-Miege High School where he received two All-State selections and helped his school win the class 4A Kansas state title.
Paul “PJ” Green: OF-P / 6’2 – 195 / Tyrone, Ga.
Paul “PJ” Green went to Sandy Creek High School where he spent time on both the mound and the field. He was ranked the No. 6 outfielder among all Georgia baseball prospects and 30th overall. Green achieved 2 All-State selections and was named the Regional Pitcher of the Year.
Clarence “Trey” Callway: C – Util / 6’1 – 215 / Atlanta, Ga.
Clarence “Trey” Callaway attended Dutchtown High School as Georgia’s No.5 ranked catcher and the No. 31 overall prospect. He is the first of two switch hitters in the class, and at the varsity level Callaway batted .336 with 77 RBI along with five home runs, making him one of the stronger bats in the class.
Brady Kehlenbrink: LHP / 6’2 – 205 / Ballwin, Mo.
Kehlenbrink joins Missouri after putting in strong seasons at Parkway South High School. Last year he made 10 starts and had a 1.84 ERA. He was voted the 8th ranked prospect in Missouri and the No. 2 left-handed pitcher.
Justyn Hart: LHP / 6’2 – 218 / Frankfurt, Ill.
Hart enters his time as a Tiger as the No. 2 left-handed pitcher from Illinois and the No. 10 overall prospect in the state. His time at Lincoln Way East high school landed him multiple invitations to showcases across the country including a MLB dream series in Tempe, Arizona.
Deshawn Morgan: RHP / 5’11 – 175 / Acworth, Ga.
Morgan comes to Missouri as the 11th ranked pitcher inGeorgia and the 45th overall prospect in the state. Morgan impressed at North Paulding High School and received an invitation to the 2023 national prospect showcase in Phoenix.
Nikolas Koorse: 3B / 6’1 – 207 / Parkland, Fla.
Coming out of the state of Florida, Koorse was ranked the 15th highest third base prospect, while also playing around the infield and pitching. Going into his senior season at North Broward Preparatory School, he was touted as a preseason All-American in the Florida region.
Trey Lawrence: INF / 6’3 – 180 / Palmetto, Fla.
Coming from the Tampa area, Lawrence is a highly versatile infield talent who spent three years playing shortstop at Palmetto High School. He received invitations to play in multiple showcases like the WWBA workout showcase in 2022 and 2023, and finished ranked as the 15th shortstop in Florida in his class.
Aden Malpass: OF / 6’0 – 165 / Hoover, Ala.
Coming in as the No. 7 outfielder in Alabama, Malpass brings some serious speed to the Tigers. He was a standout athlete in baseball as well as a runner in track and field, winning state titles in the 4×400 and the 300 meter hurdles. In 2022, Malpass hit .418 with 36 steals, hopefully making him an electric addition to MU.
Brady Piracelli: OF / 6’3 – 205 / Eureka, Mo.
Piracelli is a left-handed bat out of the St. Louis area, ranked as the No. 9 outfielder in the state and the 51st overall prospect. He led Eureka High School’s team with a remarkable .443 batting average, while hitting five home runs and adding 25 RBI throughout the year.
Bricen Smith: SS / 6’0 – 180 / Perry, Ga.
Smith joins the Tigers as the 16th ranked shortstop out of Georgia thanks to a very productive bat. During his last year at Mount de Sales Academy, he finished with a batting average of .356 plus an on-base percentage of .473. He played in the 2022 New Balance Future Stars series and the 2023 junior national showcase along with other development programs.
Christopher Patterson: 3B / 6’3 – 192 / Frisco, Texas
Last but not least for the freshmen is Patterson, who joins the Tigers as one of the two switch hitters in the class along with Callaway. During his time at Prestonwood Christian Academy, Patterson rose to the 4th highest ranked third basemen and 54th overall prospect in the state of Texas.
Transfers
Peyton Basler: INF / 6’0 – 190 / Lansing, Kan.
Basler is the first of the three transfers joining Missouri baseball this season. Basler most recently played at Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC) after he spent time at the Division 1 level with Charleston Southern University. Basler played in 59 games for KCKCC, putting up a .328 batting average and knocking in 45 RBI. Basler joins the Tiger team for his third college.
Gehrig Goldbeck: SS / 6’1 – 175 / Kansas City, Kan.
Goldbeck is another junior transfer who was teammates with Basler at KCKCC. Goldbeck finished the 2024 campaign with a batting average of .407 and knocked out 5 home runs, netting 50 total RBI. The shortstop is active on the base paths, with 63 stolen bases in two years of college thus far.
Josh Kirchhoff: RHP / 6’3 – 210 / Little Canada, Minn.
The third and final transfer joining Missouri is Kirchhoff from Iowa Central Community College. The right hander threw a 3.77 ERA through 31 innings with a 1.68 WHIP and 39 strikeouts. At his high school, Kirchhoff received All-State honors in Minnesota, setting new records for single-game and season-long strikeout totals at his high school Concordia Academy.
Missouri baseball will see plenty of roster turnover from the 2024 season thanks to these 13 newcomers. There is hope that Kerrick Jackson and the Tigers have made some needed improvements as they hope to win a game at the SEC Tournament for the first time since 2017.
Edited by Dylan Heinrich | dheinrich@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Emma Short and Hannah Taylor | htaylor@themaneater.com
Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com