Selected in the first round (No. 9 overall) of the 2023 MLB Draft by the Colorado Rockies out of the University of Tennessee... received a $5,716,900 signing bonus from the Rockies on July 17, 2023... entered the 2024 season ranked by MLB.com as the No. 52 prospect in baseball... was under recruited as a Georgia high schooler, one who didn’t have enough time in the truncated 2020 season to impress big college recruiters, and he headed to Georgia Southern to begin his college career... threw well enough as a freshman to transfer to Tennessee and was Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Year as a sophomore in 2022 -- that set the stage for him to be considered the top pitcher in the Draft as the 2023 season approached... hit 99 mph with his fastball in college... did not pitch for the Rockies in 2023