Across America, it’s every kid's dream to play in the big leagues.
Tonight, Auburn slugger Ike Irish took the next step on his journey to the majors, as he was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles with the No. 19 overall pick in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft.
The No. 19 overall pick has a slot value of $4.42 million.
Irish burst onto the scene as a freshman, hitting .361 with 50 RBIs, earning him a spot on the 2023 SEC All-Freshman Team.
Building on his momentum in his sophomore season, he earned 2024 First-Team All-SEC honors with a .319 average, 14 home runs, and 59 RBIs.
The junior slugger cemented his legacy during his final season on The Plains, leading the Tigers to host the NCAA Super Regional round for the first time in program history. He posted a .364 batting average on the year with 19 home runs and 58 runs batted in, which was enough to make D1Baseball’s First-Team All-American list and earn him recognition as a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist, the sixth player in program history to do so.
Irish was a beloved player on last year’s historic Tigers squad. Plainsman Park was always rocking when the junior walked up to the plate with his iconic walk-up song, “Birdz Flyin’ High” by Big Heavy, playing on the speakers.
For the second consecutive season, he received First Team All-SEC honors and became the first two-time All-SEC honoree since 2000-01.
During postseason play at Plainsman Park in 2025, Irish logged an absurd .467 batting average while hitting three long balls and driving in six runs.
Irish finished his career in a Tiger uniform with 223 hits, 48 doubles, 39 home runs and 167 RBIs — becoming just the fifth player in program history to surpass 200 hits, 45 doubles, 35 homers and 150 RBIs in a career.
Although initially designated as a catcher by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, he is very versatile, having played the majority of this season for the Tigers in right field. It will be interesting to see where Baltimore decides to develop him, as he will join lefty bats Samuel Basallo, Enrique Bradfield Jr., Dylan Beavers, and Creed Willems in the Orioles minor league system.
He is now the tenth player in school history to be drafted in the first round. The small contingent of players includes school legends such as Frank Thomas, Casey Mize and Gabe Gross. Irish is bound for a stellar pro career, especially considering the nine first-round Tigers before him have collectively racked up 10 All-Star appearances, three MVPs, and even a Hall of Fame induction.
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Rory is a freshman majoring in journalism sports production. He started with The Plainsman in the spring of 2025.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @RorymGarvin
