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Major League Baseball’s season has been crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic. The season was halted midway through spring training and has yet to resume. Also, MLB announced last week that it will be drastically trimming its amateur draft from 40 rounds down to five. This all but guarantees two local players who could have been selected in the late rounds will be not be drafted.

We had previously highlighted Jace Kaminska who could be the most talented amateur baseball player in Southeast Kansas. The towering right-hander dominated the Tri-Valley League last year, at one point striking out 29 consecutive batters in regular season play. Kaminska also threw in front of scouts from all 30 MLB teams at a showcase event at Kaufmann Stadium in August 2019. Kaminska is slated to play for Wichita State next spring.

Also, Oklahoma Wesleyan slugger Drenis Ozuna, who was an NAIA All-American last year could have been on team’s radars yet again this spring. Ozuna did not post any numbers in abbreviated season in 2020, however he has a track record of power and athleticism. OKWU head coach Kirk Kelley said scouts were eying Ozuna in 2019 as he spent a two-week stint in the Cape Cod League with some of the nation’s best college players.

Both players could have been the first to ever be selected in their school’s history.