Ole Miss commit Grayson Saunier living in the moment as MLB Draft looms
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (BVM) — Grayson Saunier grew up as a three–sport athlete playing baseball, basketball and football. But nothing stood out like all of the small intricacies in America鈥檚 favorite pastime.
鈥淚 just liked the feeling of wearing the uniform,鈥� Saunier said. 鈥淚 liked the sound of the ball hitting the mitt and the bat hitting the ball. All of the sights and sounds of baseball. That鈥檚 how I fell in love with it.鈥�
Saunier was tall, but pretty thin growing up, so he was not sure how long he鈥檇 get to play. But that changed in a year鈥檚 span when his fastball velocity shot up from the 78-80 mph range to 91 mph.
鈥淯ntil I made that jump throwing-wise, baseball was more of just a fun thing for me,鈥� Saunier said. 鈥淎fter that, I was like, 鈥極kay, maybe I can go pretty far with this.鈥欌��
With his fastball gaining some heat, along with his slider that he locates to a tee, Saunier skyrocketed up prospect rankings.
Now a senior at Collierville High School in Memphis, Tennessee, Saunier is the consensus top player in the state for the Class of 2022.
Once Saunier was done filling out into his 6-foot-4 frame, colleges across the country ramped up their pursuit of the righthander out of the Volunteer State.
鈥淚t was really cool getting to call schools and having coaches talk to you,鈥� Saunier said. 鈥淚 got to learn a lot about different colleges, different programs and what they鈥檙e all about.鈥�
Ultimately, Saunier fell in love with the coaching staff, campus and the overall pedigree of the baseball program in Oxford.
鈥淭he end goal is MLB, so I wanted to go somewhere that had a history of producing pitchers that have been drafted,鈥� Saunier said. 鈥淥le Miss has produced a good deal of pitchers over the past 20 years, 10 years, that have gotten drafted. And some big names.鈥�
While Saunier was impressing the Rebels鈥� coaching staff, he was also drawing the attention of big–league scouts. According to , he is the No. 144 prospect in this summer鈥檚 upcoming draft.
Saunier will likely have a decision to make between going to Oxford or starting his minor league journey.
鈥淚 try not to think about it too much,鈥� Saunier said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 my senior year and I just graduated. I鈥檝e just been trying to stay present in life right now, enjoy the moment, and enjoy my last year of high school baseball. I think the best thing to do is let everything take care of itself.鈥�
With Saunier looking to leave the Dragons program with a bang, he was sidelined a month prior to the start of his senior season with a lat strain.
Thankfully he was able to return in early April, giving him enough time to build his arm back up for Collierville鈥檚 ongoing run at a state title.聽
Whenever the Dragons鈥� postseason comes to an end, Saunier can focus on his next goal: making it to the show.
鈥淢LB is the main goal whether it is this year or a couple of years down the road,鈥� Saunier said. 鈥淚 just want to keep getting better at baseball and see where God takes me.鈥�
