Baseball | 7/15/2025 7:47:00 AM
The Cloud County Community College baseball program was well represented in the 2025 Major League Baseball draft.
Former T-Bird Mason McConnaughey, a junior right-handed pitcher at the University of Nebraska, was taken by the Texas Rangers with the 115th overall pick in the fourth round of the draft.
McConnaughey started his college career at Cloud County Community College where he was named First-Team All-Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference - West Division and Second-Team All-Region 6 in 2023. In his lone season for the T-Birds, McConnaughey made 16 appearances with 13 starts, compiling an 8-4 record with 93 strikeouts to just 23 walks in 68.1 innings. McConnaughey had six outings with at least seven strikeouts, including a season-high ten strikeouts against Barton, Dodge City, and Pratt, while limiting opposing hitters to a .227 batting average.
A native of Topeka, Kansas, McConnaughey earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors after going 9-3 with a 3.45 ERA in 17 appearances for the University of Nebraska in 2024. In 2025, McConaughey went 1-1 in three starts for the Cornhuskers, before suffering a season-ending arm injury vs. Sam Houston at the Frisco Classic.
McConnaughey wasn't the last former T-Bird to hear his name drafted on Monday, July 14.
The Cincinnati Reds selected
Carson Latimer, a member of the Sacramento State Hornets pitching staff, with the 354th pick in the 12th round of the draft.
Latimer played two seasons for Cloud County. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound right-hander from Delta, British Columbia, Canada, appeared in nine games overall with four starts as a freshman in 2023, finishing with a 1-1 record while striking out 20 hitters over 14.1 innings of work. As a sophomore in 2024, Latimer made four appearances, finishing 1-1 on the mound and striking out 14 hitters while walking only four over 7.2 innings of work.
During his time with the Hornets, Latimer made 15 appearances, including seven starts, finishing with a 2-3 record and a 6.14 ERA. In 36.2 innings pitched, he recorded 28 strikeouts and 26 walks.
