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It was quite the week for two local names who are now officially part of professional organizations following this year’s MLB Draft! Central Illinois was represented well, with two picks taken… one on the first day of the draft, the other on day two. Now the climb through their ballclub’s farm systems begins!
A BIG splash came on Day 1, when Effingham High School graduate Josh McDevitt heard his name called in the fourth round. The Arizona Diamondbacks selected the right-handed pitcher out of the University of Missouri with the 116th overall pick, making him one of the higher-profile local draft picks in recent times. He joins names like Hayden Birdsong and Ben Hess, in terms of excitement surrounding his development.
It was McDevitt’s “reward” for what can only be described as a breakout season in one of the toughest conferences in college baseball.
McDevitt started 15 games for the Tigers in 2026, leading the Mizzou rotation with a 4.42 ERA over a team-high 79.1 innings. He struck out 102 batters on the season, which was good for 11th most in a single season in Missouri program history. The strikeouts he collected weren’t the only impressive stat he tacked on his resume. McDevitt held opposing hitters to a .211 batting average, second lowest on the team among pitchers with 25 or more innings. He struck out six or more batters in 12 of his 15 starts and held opponents to four hits or fewer in 10 of those outings.
His fastball was elite by most measures, he ranked sixth nationally and second in the SEC among all pitchers throwing 500-plus fastballs with a 30.8 percent whiff rate, according to D1Baseball’s “Synergy Stats.” Those numbers were good enough to land him at number 54 on D1Baseball’s Top 100 Starting Pitcher rankings earlier this spring. McDevitt and his Mizzou teammate Kam Durnin, who was selected by the Houston Astros five picks later, became just the sixth pair of Tigers to each be chosen within the first four rounds of the same draft.
Then came Day 2, and it was a name that Shelbyville fans have been keeping up with for years. Ty Brachbill, a Shelbyville native who pitched last at High Point University, was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 14th round with the 425th overall pick. Brachbill struck out 81 batters in just over 90 innings during the 2026 season, capping off a college career that started with a stop at Northern Illinois University before transferring to High Point University just last year.
At NIU, Brachbill put together back-to-back quality seasons. In 2025, he led the Huskies with 75 strikeouts across 70 innings and made 14 appearances with 13 starts. He had multiple standout performances that year, including eight strikeouts in five innings at SEMO and another eight-strikeout outing at Bowling Green. His 2024 season at NIU was equally strong, he led the program with 59 strikeouts across 74.1 innings and made 15 appearances. His standout performance that year was likely the complete game he threw in NIU’s 2-1 win at Central Michigan, where he allowed just one unearned run on four hits with six strikeouts.
But for those who followed Brachbill at Shelbyville High School, none of this comes as a surprise. He was a three-year letterwinner for the Rams and helped Shelbyville win the Central Illinois Conference championship and a regional title in each of his varsity seasons. His senior year was something special, Brachbill went 8-1 on the mound, striking out 104 batters in just 49.2 innings with an ERA of 0.85. That performance set the school’s single-season strikeout record, and he still holds Shelbyville’s career records for both strikeouts and wins. He also lettered in football and track during his time with the Rams.
Both McDevitt and Brachbill now begin their professional careers in the minor league system or “farm” system, each chasing the same goal… a spot on a Major League Baseball roster. Two pitchers. Two dreams. Two organizations that believed they were worth picking. Pretty cool for Central Illinois if you ask us!
Congratulations to both Josh McDevitt and Ty Brachbill!
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