Here are 12 MLB Draft prospects set to appear against Missouri State at Hammons Field

Missouri State baseball begins its home schedule this weekend with a three-game series against Central Arkansas — which is coming off an upset win over No. 10 Vanderbilt on Tuesday night.

A handful of Major League prospects will make their way through Hammons Field at some point this season. There are a few with the Bears and some on opposing teams who might be worth the price of admission.

MSU plays UCA on Friday at 3 p.m. with a game on Saturday at 2 p.m. and on Sunday at 1 p.m. Oklahoma State will play a midweek game at Hammons Field on Tuesday at 3 p.m.

Here are the players to keep an eye on this season.

Jake Eddington, Missouri State, RHP

A transfer from Alabama and 2020's top prospect out of Missouri, Eddington is the Bears' No. 1 starter this season. Dozens of MLB scouts have been through Springfield this offseason to watch him throw. He is the No. 43 college prospect in the 2023 class, according to D1Baseball.

Eddington has appeared in 14 games over his career which all came in 2021. He missed the 2022 season after Tommy John surgery which he is more than a year removed from. He's fully recovered and has had a fastball that's getting up to 97 mph, as well as a solid slider and improved strike zone command.

Hayden Minton, Missouri State, RHP

Minton is back with Missouri State after he pitched his freshman and sophomore seasons in a Bears uniform and transferred to Johnson County Community College.

The year away from the Bears has paid off for Minton, who has also caught some MLB Draft attention in recent months. He's the Bears' Sunday starter to begin the season and has made 12 starts for the Bears before. His MSU career has him at 1-7 in 13 appearances with a 3.96 ERA in 63 innings pitched.

Spencer Nivens, Missouri State, CF

Nivens has established himself as the No. 89 college prospect in this upcoming draft class after a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American season. He is the Bears' centerfielder and is someone who gets on base a lot.

His first season with the program saw him bat .346 with 11 homers, a triple and 12 doubles while batting in the leadoff spot. He posted a .443 on-base percentage while starting all 60 games for the Bears last season with 48 in the outfield and 12 at first base.

Zack Stewart, Missouri State, OF/INF

The buzz around the former Lebanon star has already begun as he's D1Baseball's No. 74 college prospect in the 2024 class. He caught a lot of attention this offseason because of his power, which has been said to be up there with some of the great players who have been through the program over the past decade.

Stewart was a second-team all-state selection last season while batting .403 with five home runs and 24 RBI in 26 games. He was the Ozark Conference's top player as a junior with a .425 average with seven home runs to go along with a first-team all-state selection.

Marcus Brown, Oklahoma State, SS — Feb. 28

Brown is a junior shortstop who is coming off an honorable mention All-Big 12 season. He's receiving MLB attention as a shortstop and is ranked by D1Baseball as the No. 81 college prospect for the upcoming draft.

He started 61 games for the Cowboys last season with starts at shortstop and third base. He had 23 multi-hit games and a 13-game hitting streak. Against the Bears in an NCAA Tournament Regional elimination game, he went 5-for-7 with three doubles, three RBI and five runs.

Zach Ehrhard, Oklahoma State, CF — Feb. 28

A 2024 MLB Draft prospect, Ehrhard is ranked No. 61 college prospect in that class. He was a unanimous Big 12 All-Freshman performer with 55 starts for the Cowboys last season.

Ehrhard reached base safely in 23 games and ranked eighth in the Big 12 with 18 stolen bases. He was a 13th-round selection in the 2021 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox before he elected to play ball in Stillwater.

Nolan McLean, Oklahoma State, 3B/RHP — Feb. 28

It looked like Missouri State saw the last of the Cowboys' two-way star but McLean opted to stay in school after being selected in the third round of this past year's MLB Draft.

McLean returns as one of the best two-way players in the nation. He was an All-Big 12 selection at two different positions with 50 stars at third, 10 in right field, three at DH and also made 23 appearances on the mound. He ranked third in the Big 12 with 19 home runs. He also had 20 multi-hit and 11 multi-RBI games. He is the No. 56 college prospect in this upcoming draft.

Roc Riggio, Oklahoma State, 2B — Feb. 28

There are plenty of other Oklahoma State pitchers who appear in prospect rankings but it's difficult to nail down who will play at Hammons Field in the midweek game. But infielder Roc Riggio should make an appearance after earning Freshman All-American First Team honors last year.

The No. 30 college prospect in the upcoming MLB Draft, Riggio is an infielder who started 53 games last season and ended his year on a nine-game hitting streak. He finished his year batting .295 with 11 home runs, 47 RBI and 14 doubles. He was an 11th-round draft pick out of high school.

Noah Edders, Bradley, RHP — April 7-9

Edders is a highly touted redshirt freshman who will make his debut for Bradley this season. He was the No. 11 player out of Illinois in 2021 as a 6-foot-4, 225-pounder. He sat out last season after receiving Tommy John surgery but his measurables make him the No. 138 college prospect in the 2024 class.

Trevor Austin, Mizzou, 2B/OF — April 11

The Tigers will bring the No. 79 college prospect in the 2024 class to their outfield. He was a .297 batter last season with six home runs, 22 RBI and a .417 on-base percentage. He was the No. 23 overall prospect in the state out of Helias in Jefferson City

Peyton Stovall, Arkansas, INF — April 25

The Hogs are loaded with pitching prospects that we don't list in here because they might not throw during this midweek showdown. They will have the No. 13 college prospect in the 2024 class with Stovall playing at first base.

Stovall has been an MLB prospect since he was in high school but he went unselected, likely because his price to go pro was too high and his desire to play in Fayetteville. He was an incredible defender last season with a .995 fielding percentage. Offensively, he batted .295 with six home runs and 31 RBI.

Randal Diaz, Indiana State, INF — May 18-20

Diaz was a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American last season while standing out for the Sycamores. He was a .304 hitter with a team-high 25 extra-base hits, including seven home runs. He is the No. 139 college prospect in the 2024 draft.

Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or Twitter at @WyattWheeler_NL. He's also the co-host of Sports Talk on Jock Radio weekdays from 4-6 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Here are 12 MLB Draft college prospects who will play at Hammons Field