McLennan’s Josh Breaux named top JUCO prospect for 2018 MLB Draft; two other Highlanders in top 35

McLennan baseball's Josh Breaux is the top-rated 2018 MLB Draft junior college prospect in the nation according to the Top 75 Junior College Prospects list released today by Perfect Game. Tristen Bayless and Bailey Horn also made the list, coming in at sixth and 33rd, respectively.

Breaux, a catcher and right-handed pitcher from Tomball, played in 59 of the Highlanders' games last season, recording the second-highest batting average (.401) on the squad and leading the team with 19 home runs and 82 RBIs. He also made 14 appearances on the mound, picking up two saves and 22 strikeouts in 13.1 innings. He was a first-team all-conference and all-region selection and was selected in the 36th round of the MLB Draft with the 1,081st overall pick by the Houston Astros. He spent the summer playing for the Falmouth Commodores in the Cape Cod League and earned the 2017 Silva Sportsmanship Award. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the University of Arkansas in 2019.

Bayless, a left-handed pitcher from Hutto, joined the Highlanders' squad this fall after spending his freshman season at Texas A&M University. As a senior at Hutto High School, Bayless recorded an 8-1 record on the mound with a 0.93 ERA and was the District 17-5A MVP. He has signed with the University of Texas at Austin.

Horn, a left-handed pitcher from West, appeared in 17 games as a freshman, recording a 7-0 record on the mound with a 3.86 ERA and 77 strikeouts to earn all-conference and all-region selections. He has signed with Auburn University.

This marks the second consecutive year a Highlander has been named the top-ranked position player prospect in the country. Infielder Brendan Venter, now playing for Auburn University, held the spot last year and was ranked sixth overall.