Photo by: Mark Kuhlmann
Ethan Hedges Selected by Rockies in Third Round of MLB Draft
July 13, 2025 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES – Day one of the 2025 MLB Draft was held on Sunday (July 13) and USC baseball's Ethan Hedges was selected by the Colorado Rockies as the second pick of the third round.
Hedges' selection marks the 355th time a USC player has been picked in the draft and continues a streak of a Trojan being taken in every MLB Draft. It is also the second straight year that USC has had a player selected in the third round after Austin Overn was picked by the Baltimore Orioles in the third round of the 2024 draft, marking the first time since 2005-2006 that USC has had top-three round draft selections in back-to-back seasons.
The USC junior is coming off a superb season in which he established himself as one of the top two-way players in the country as the Trojans' starting third baseman and closer. Hedges earned All-American second team honors, All-Big Ten first team recognition, All-West Region second team honors and was one of five finalists up for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award.
At the plate, Hedges posted the 11th best batting average in the Big Ten at .346, and the sixth most hits in the league with 80. He drove in 58 runs and scored 57 more, hitting 14 homers, 11 doubles and five triples. His five triples led the Big Ten and were 19th in the country, while his 143 total bases were seventh in the conference and his .619 slugging percentage was 14th. Hedges also was eighth in the Big Ten with 44 walks and went 10-for-10 in stolen base attempts.
In his first season back on the mound since high school, the junior righty recorded nine saves, which were second most in the Big Ten and 23rd in the nation for the year. Hedges recorded a 2.40 ERA in 15 relief appearances, holding opponents to just a .173 batting average.
Hedges started all 60 games at third base for USC, leading the Trojans to a 37-23 record and fourth place finish in the Big Ten (18-12). In his three years at USC, Hedges has helped the Trojans post their first run of three straight 30-win seasons since 2000-02, their first run of three consecutive top four conference finishes since 2000-02 and make their first postseason appearance since 2015.
For his career at USC, Hedges has a .309 batting average, 118 RBI, 18 home runs, 26 doubles, 12 triples and 125 runs scored. He owns a career OPS of .900, playing in a total of 167 games over the last three seasons. This year, he set career highs in hits, runs, RBI, home runs, triples, doubles, batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, walks and stolen bases.
The 2025 MLB Draft continues on Monday with rounds 4-20.
USC has an unparalleled tradition of producing MLB talent. In addition to the school's now 355 draft picks, 120 Trojans have made it to the Big Leagues, a number no other NCAA program can top. In total, Trojan alums boast 67 MLB All-Star appearances, 29 World Series appearances, nine Cy Young awards, three Hall of Famers, three Rookie of the Year Awards, one American League MVP and one World Series MVP.
Hedges' selection marks the 355th time a USC player has been picked in the draft and continues a streak of a Trojan being taken in every MLB Draft. It is also the second straight year that USC has had a player selected in the third round after Austin Overn was picked by the Baltimore Orioles in the third round of the 2024 draft, marking the first time since 2005-2006 that USC has had top-three round draft selections in back-to-back seasons.
The USC junior is coming off a superb season in which he established himself as one of the top two-way players in the country as the Trojans' starting third baseman and closer. Hedges earned All-American second team honors, All-Big Ten first team recognition, All-West Region second team honors and was one of five finalists up for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award.
At the plate, Hedges posted the 11th best batting average in the Big Ten at .346, and the sixth most hits in the league with 80. He drove in 58 runs and scored 57 more, hitting 14 homers, 11 doubles and five triples. His five triples led the Big Ten and were 19th in the country, while his 143 total bases were seventh in the conference and his .619 slugging percentage was 14th. Hedges also was eighth in the Big Ten with 44 walks and went 10-for-10 in stolen base attempts.
In his first season back on the mound since high school, the junior righty recorded nine saves, which were second most in the Big Ten and 23rd in the nation for the year. Hedges recorded a 2.40 ERA in 15 relief appearances, holding opponents to just a .173 batting average.
Hedges started all 60 games at third base for USC, leading the Trojans to a 37-23 record and fourth place finish in the Big Ten (18-12). In his three years at USC, Hedges has helped the Trojans post their first run of three straight 30-win seasons since 2000-02, their first run of three consecutive top four conference finishes since 2000-02 and make their first postseason appearance since 2015.
For his career at USC, Hedges has a .309 batting average, 118 RBI, 18 home runs, 26 doubles, 12 triples and 125 runs scored. He owns a career OPS of .900, playing in a total of 167 games over the last three seasons. This year, he set career highs in hits, runs, RBI, home runs, triples, doubles, batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, walks and stolen bases.
The 2025 MLB Draft continues on Monday with rounds 4-20.
USC has an unparalleled tradition of producing MLB talent. In addition to the school's now 355 draft picks, 120 Trojans have made it to the Big Leagues, a number no other NCAA program can top. In total, Trojan alums boast 67 MLB All-Star appearances, 29 World Series appearances, nine Cy Young awards, three Hall of Famers, three Rookie of the Year Awards, one American League MVP and one World Series MVP.
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