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Missouri State's Spencer Nivens headlines the list of 10 MVC student-athletes selected in the 2023 Major League Draft (July 9-11). Nivens was taken in the 5th Round and was the highest overall pick (142nd) for the Missouri Valley Conference in this year's draft.  Missouri State had three players taken, while UIC, Illinois State and Southern Illinois each had two.  Indiana State had one player selected. 

Spencer Nivens, Missouri State (5th Round)

Nivens was named the Missouri Valley Conference Joe Carter Player of the Year this season and hit .341 with 14 home runs and 45 RBI. The outfielder reached safely in 53 of 56 games and ranked among the MVC's top 10 in nearly every offensive category. The Columbia, Mo., native's six triples this year were the most by an MSU player since 2016, while his 36 extra-base hits were the most since both Jake Burger and Jeremy Eierman reached that total in 2017. He also hit for the eighth cycle in school history and first since 1998 in February. Nivens is the first MoState outfielder chosen in the draft since Hunter Steinmetz in 2018. His selection marks the 116th time a Missouri State player has been picked in the draft, and he is the 19th Bear to go in the top five rounds. Among MSU outfielders, only Tate Matheny (4/111 in 2015) and Matt Cepicky (4/120 in 1999) have been drafted higher.

Jake Eddington, Missouri State (7th Round)

Eddington made 14 starts on the weekend for the Bears this season, going 4-2 with a 4.20 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 55.2 innings. The right-hander from Doniphan, Mo., held opponents to a .226 batting average and lowered that to a .206 mark in nine MVC starts. Eddington struck out a season-high 10 batters against Murray State in the MVC Tournament, yielded two or fewer earned runs in 12 of 15 total appearances, and gave up more than four hits only three times. Eddington's selection marks the 117th time a Missouri State player has been picked in the draft.

Hayden Minton, Missouri State (9th Round)

Minton started on all 15 weekends for the Bears this season, going 6-2 with a 4.07 ERA as an honorable mention all-conference selection. He ranked second in the Missouri Valley Conference and 66th nationally with 96 strikeouts and sat third in the league in strikeouts per nine innings (10.29) and second in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.56). The Collinsville, Okla., native tossed the Bears' only complete game of the season, a five-hitter with one run allowed against Belmont on April 21, and fanned a season-high 10 batters against SIUE on March 12, retiring the final 16 batters he faced in the game. Minton also earned all-tournament honors at the MVC meet by throwing seven shutout innings with seven strikeouts in a victory against UIC.

Charlie Szykowny, UIC (9th Round)

Szykowny, a transfer from Wisconsin-Stout, made an immediate impact offensively for the Flames in 2023. The graduate transfer third baseman hit .335 for the season and ranked among the top five in the MVC with 55 RBI and 16 home runs. He led the team in batting average, runs scored, hits, triples, home runs, RBI and slugging percentage in his only season in Chicago.

Pier Olivier-Boucher, Southern Illinois (10th Round)

Boucher, a Saint-Joseph-de-Bauce, Quebec native, was named Second Team All-MVC following a strong season on the diamond. The senior started all 57 games for the Salukis and led SIU in average (.335), slugging (.619), hits (77), runs (46) and stolen bases (19-22). Boucher finished second on the squad in home runs (16) and RBIs (43).

Cole Conn, UIC (12th Round)

Conn, a St. Charles, Ill. native, played three seasons in Chicago for the Flames, batting .273 in over 500 at bats. He started 51 of 53 of UIC's games in 2023 behind the plate, sporting a .986 fielding percentage. The junior fielded over .980 for his entire three-year career at UIC, making only 14 errors in over 800 chances. He rounded out his Flames career by being named to the 2023 MVC All-Tournament Team.

Paul Bonzagni, Southern Illinois (12th Round)

Bonzagni saw action in 24 games on the mound in his first season with SIU. The Grapevine, Texas product finished second in the MVC with eight wins while putting together an 8-4 overall record to go with three saves. After starting the first four games of the season, Bonzagni moved to the bullpen where he shined for the Salukis. He finished the season with a 4.94 ERA while striking out 50 batters.

Elijah Dale, Illinois State (13th Round)

Dale, a native of St. Louis, Mo., established himself as one of the MVC's premier arms in his first season as a Redbird. He tallied 65 strikeouts (the second-most by a Redbird in relief since 2000) over 43 innings pitched and a team-high 19 appearances in 2023. Dale, who threw just 7.1 innings in two seasons at Kansas State, walked just 13 batters while holding a 5.02 ERA.

Matt Jachec, Indiana State (18th Round)

Jachec (Pick: 548) becomes the first Sycamore to be taken in the MLB Draft since 2019 and the 14th Indiana State baseball player selected in the Mitch Hannahs coaching era. He is also the 90th Sycamore to be taken in the MLB Draft since 1965. Jachec finished the 2023 season earning First Team All-Conference honors for the second consecutive season. He wrapped up the year with a 7-4 record and a 4.05 ERA over 104.1 innings pitched. He posted a career-best 104:17 strikeout-to-walk ratio while allowing opponents to hit just .256 from the plate.

Derek Salata, Illinois State (193th Round)

Salata, a native of Westchester, Ill., amassed 193 innings pitched and 197 strikeouts over five seasons as a Redbird and tallied a career 4.24 ERA. Salata, who moved from a relief role to a starting role prior to the 2022 season, was named Honorable Mention All-MVC in 2022 but had his best season in 2023 in which he struck out 88 batters over 75 innings pitched.