By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
Former Hays High and Tennessee Volunteer standout Dylan Dreiling was selected in the second round of the MLB Draft Sunday by the Texas Rangers.
Dreiling was the 65th overall pick, the final pick of the second round.
Dreiling spent much of the first day of the MLB draft with his family and friends, watching the first round and almost the entire second round go by before his name was called just before 10 p.m. central time.
But when his name was called, he was excited.
"It means a lot. I'm excited to go to the Rangers," Dreiling said. "Obviously, it's a good program, and (they) won a World Series last year, so that's pretty big. I'm excited to get down there and get to work."
Dreiling said he had been talking with representatives from the Rangers organization quite a bit over the last couple of days leading up to the draft.
"Not really anything baseball-wise, just about the person I am," Dreiling said. "I didn't know that they were going to pick me or that I was even in their draft considerations, but it was cool to experience that."
This is not the first go-around for Dreiling in the draft process. Going into his senior season at Hays High, Dreiling was among a number of high school standouts who found themselves with a chance to be drafted straight out of high school.
However, Dreiling suffered a hamstring injury early in the season. Despite the injury, he was named the Kansas 5A player of the year. However, he did not hear his name called in the 2022 MLB draft, and he headed to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
After splitting time as a freshman for the Volunteers, Dreiling cemented his role in the starting lineup this past season in Knoxville, finishing with a .341 average with 23 homeruns and a team-best 75 RBIs while being named to the first-team All-SEC.
But it was what Dreiling did on the way to the Volunteers winning the College World Series title in Omaha that earned him the title of “Mr. Clutch.”
In the six CWS games, Dreiling batted .541 with 11 RBIs and three homeruns. All three of those homeruns came in the CWS finals against Texas A&M. He is the first player to ever accomplish that feat. He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2024 College World Series.
Dreiling said his ascent to stardom after the injury and his freshman season showed his drive to win.
"It shows that I'm a hard worker and that I'm willing to do whatever to get better," Dreiling said. "I'm a winner. I want to win as bad as anybody."
For Dreiling, the last few weeks have been “crazy.”
After helping to lead the Volunteers to the program's first CWS Championship in Omaha, he returned to Hays and said he had been overwhelmed by the community's support.
"The support from the community was unreal since I've been home, and it's just been really cool to see," Dreiling said.
Dreiling was honored Saturday at Larks Park during the team's matchup with the Fort Collins Foxes. A proclamation from the Hays mayor declared Sunday, July 14, Dylan Dreiling Day in the city.
Dreiling was one of four Tennessee Volunteers taken in the first two rounds of the MLB, a new program record.
“It’s the best place to develop in college baseball, hands down,” Dreiling said. “We just have so many coaches that help developmentally and just keep you on the right path.”
Dylan added, “I looked at it, the draft, as a high schooler, and going to Tennessee was the best decision I ever made.”