Ad Disclosure
Ole Miss baseball recruit, highly-rated prospect, withdraws from MLB Draft
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Ole Miss baseball got some big news ahead of the 2024 MLB Draft.
Late Saturday, less than 24 hours before the draft, Rebel signee Owen Paino took to social media to post about his future playing at Swayze Field. Teddy Cahill of Baseball America reported that the post was to announce Paino withdrew from the 2024 MLB Draft. Paino provided confirmation that he’ll be playing for Ole Miss in 2025.
I’m told Owen Paino is withdrawing from the draft
— Teddy Cahill (@tedcahill) July 14, 2024
Let’s do it https://t.co/2gsyESozfZ
— Owen Paino (@OwenPaino) July 14, 2024
Out of Poughkeepsie, New York, Paino is listed at 6-3, 205 pounds. Paino, who bats left and throws right-handed, projects as a shortstop but can also play outfield. In the 2024 recruiting class, Paino is rated by Perfect Game as the No. 1 player in the state of New York, No. 6 shortstop and No. 20 prospect overall nationally. As an MLB Draft prospect, MLB.com ranked Paino No. 142 in the 2024 pool.
Daily Fantasy Sports action is heating up! Use the SDS guide to the best fantasy betting apps and get in on the action today!
Perfect Game describes Paino as having a projectable build with a “free-and-easy stroke” from the left-handed batter’s box. Shortstop is one of the move valuable defensive positions on the diamond, and Paino is described as a “smooth defender with plenty of twitch and arm strength” to play on the left side.
Paino will be part of an Ole Miss 2025 squad looking to bounce back from a disappointing season. The Rebels missed the NCAA Tournament, posting an overall record of 27-29 and 11-19 mark in regular-season conference play.
Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco is set to return for his 25th season with the Rebels in 2025. He has a record of 1,006-614-1 in his multi-decade coaching career. Bianco’s 906 wins at Ole Miss (906-543-1) are the most in program history.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
