FAYETTEVILLE — The SEC has been a bastion of talent for a long time now and that was the case at shortstop this season with three players drafted in the top 68 selections of the 2019 Major League Draft.
Texas A&M’s Braden Shewmake (21, Atlanta), Florida’s Brady McConnell (44, Kansas City) and Grae Kessinger (68, Houston) all were high picks in this week’s draft.
Kessinger and Arkansas sophomore shortstop Casey Martin, who is expected to be a first-round pick next year, will be on the same field in Fayetteville this weekend as the Razorbacks (44-17) and Rebels (45-20) battle for a berth in the College World Series.
The opening game of the best two-of-three series begins Saturday at 11 a.m.
“These are the best players in the country in the best conference in the country and it has been just a special group of talent that came through,” Kessinger said of the SEC shortstops. “It’s been fun to get to know them and play against them for three years now and it is going to be fun to see how everybody ends up.”
Martin agrees it takes a special player to be a shortstop in the SEC.
“You definitely have to have a lot of talent that most kids can’t bring, whether it is speed, arm, arm action, glove, hitting,” Martin said. “You also have to understand the game. That’s what all these guys bring and they are all pretty good.”
There is a mutual admiration society between the two shortstops.
“Kessinger is just is a baller, man,” Martin said. “What he has done for them is just huge for them. He is a definite winner. He brings a lot of talent to the field for that team and they obviously look up to him as a leader and a role model.”
Kessinger, who is batting .332 with five homers, 47 RBIs and 16 stolen bases this season, has kept up with Martin, who is hitting .287 with 15 homers, 52 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.
“He is a guy with a great attitude out on the field," Kessinger said. "When we are playing against each other and are on base, we always talk and mess around. I am happy for him.
“He (Martin) is a great player and we’re alike in that we both struggled earlier this year and then we both turned it on and started playing really good baseball. I know he is going to be a great player for a long time.”
Kessinger is the grandson of former 16-year Chicago Cubs standout and Forrest City native Don Kessinger, who is in Fayetteville to watch the games this weekend.
“He is my role model,” Kessinger said. “If you didn’t know ahead of time, you wouldn’t know he had a 16-year MLB career. He is a godly man and just lives life the right way.
“When it comes to baseball, he has taught me everything about playing shortstop. He is now still giving me tips and after the game I can ask him whatever. He is just awesome to have been on this journey with him.”
Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn is a big fan of both Kessinger and Martin.
“They are both guys that I honestly see playing (in MLB) for a long time,” Van Horn said. “Kessinger for me was like Steady Eddie. He’s got arm strength and range. I don’t coach him, but he looks like he has got a lot of instinct out there, just some good intangibles that you learn by playing.
“This year the bat has really come on for him and he has kind of been a real clutch guy for them in the two hole and he had hit lead-off as well. He’s hit a little bit of everywhere over the years. He is one of those guys in the lineup that you don’t want to see coming up with runners in scoring position because he has a knack for driving in runs, especially when he is hitting in the two hole.”
While Martin has struggled with errors this season with 23, Van Horn wants to put that in a proper context.
“Martin is a guy that is younger, but his tools are off the chart,” Van Horn said. “He has speed and arm strength, too. He has his share of errors this year, but he has also made some plays that other guys would not even get to the ball.
“He has saved us many a run that helped us win many a ball game and he’s also got 15 home runs and 50 RBIs. One day when he cuts down on his strikeouts, his numbers are going to be really, really good and that comes with age.”
Van Horn believes Martin will become much better at the position.
“He gets better every year,” Van Horn said. “This year most of his errors have come on throws or getting the ball out of his glove, dropping it or rushing it. When the game slows down for him just a little bit more with time, he is going to be an outstanding shortstop. He already is, but it will look better on paper.
“As far as watching him physically, you just go wow. You can’t coach those feet. Those feet are outstanding quick. It’s a gift.”
Martin acknowledges that his fielding can improve.
“It has been a little rough this year, but you learn from it,” Martin said. “I played third last year and you don’t have as much time to think about it, it’s just react.
“At shortstop, you have a little bit more time than usual. I am still learning and Coach Van Horn has helped me on the way with that and I am grateful for that.”
Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco believes he has the best defensive shortstop in the SEC in Kessinger, who has eight errors this season.
“There are some guys who run a little faster, may hit a little further," Bianco said, "but when you talk about just playing the position defensively, I don’t know that there is a better shortstop in our league.
“He’s also had two back-to-back good years offensively and he been in the top five in SEC games in almost every category. He has helped us as much as anybody to get where we are.”
Bianco sees Martin as an “electric” player.
“He is just a tremendous athlete,” Bianco said. “I don’t know that you can see or really judge somebody when you only see them like one weekend as well. He is electric when you watch him run and athleticism, speed and power.”