We were holding our breath (hoping) it was going to be Dax on our board,” said Damon Oppenheimer, their VP of domestic amateur scouting.

Taylor was selected 48th by the Athletics as Sunday kicked off the 2025 MLB Draft. It's the highest Hoosiers selection since Schwarber was picked fourth by the Chicago Cubs in the 2014 draft. Though Taylor could return to school for his final season of eligibility, he was drafted at a slot value of $2.03 million, a starting point for negotiations.

Byron Center graduate and Appalachian State pitcher Jackson Steensma was the 272nd overall pick in the 2025 MLB draft.

The deal could signal a sweeping series of sell moves by the O's, who now have seven picks in the top 100 on Sunday.

The 30 Major League teams chose 510 players in 17 rounds on Monday to conclude the 2025 draft. The 36 players picked on Monday joined five selected in the first three rounds on Sunday as the prospects with Alabama baseball roots among this year’s choices. The five prospects selected on Sunday included:

Tyler Bremner, the No. 2 pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, broke down in tears on Sunday, July 13 as he was selected. A month earlier, his mother died of breast cancer.

Day 2 of the MLB Draft involved rounds four through 20. Pitcher Riley Kelly from Tustin High and UC Irvine went to the Rockies with the 107th overall pick.

This marks the first time Jax State has had multiple draftees since 2019, according to a spokesperson within the team.