Two former Thurston teammates could both be selected in the Major League Baseball Draft this weekend.
Maddox Molony was a senior and Grady Saunders a freshman when they helped the Colts win the 2023 Class 5A state title with a 2-1 win over West Albany. Just over three years later, the two could both be celebrating another milestone.
Molony, a shortstop who just completed his junior season at Oregon, could go in one of the first four rounds of the draft on Saturday. Saunders, a two-way star who has signed to play at Oregon State, might get the call on Sunday when the draft concludes with rounds 5-20.
The 6-foot-2, 208-pound Molony played in 160 games at Oregon while batting .281 with 37 home runs and 115 RBI. He earned all-conference honors during his freshman and sophomore seasons.
Molony is ranked as the No. 135 prospect in the draft according to D1 Baseball and No. 176 by MLB.com. He still has one year of eligibility remaining with the Ducks, but said he’s likely to turn pro depending on where he gets picked.
“Assuming I get drafted, I will likely go pro,” he said. “I am not counting out anything, not closing any doors because that is not smart. I have faith that it is time for me to take the next step and if all goes as planned, that is what I will do.”
Molony attended the MLB Draft Combine in Phoenix last month, but did not go through on-field drills because his postseason run with the Ducks concluded only two weeks before that event with a loss to Texas in Super Regionals.
“That was cool, I met a lot of people there and they took care of us,” Molony said. “I did all the medical evaluations, but I stayed off the field because our season went so long, I needed time to rest. I met with some clubs, so it was a good time.”
Molony will have a small gathering of family and friends with him during the draft.
“I am just waiting to see what happens,” he said. “I expect to get drafted at this point. I talked with my advisor to see what he had to say and what clubs are interested and he heard most of them are interested so that is good news.”
Molony, who spent last summer in the Cape Cod League, said he’s ready to report to the minor leagues and begin playing again.
“This is a little different because most of my life I have been somewhere playing baseball this time of year, but this is the first time I have been able to relax so it has been a little weird,” he said.
Saunders, a 6-2, 185-pound right-handed pitcher and hitter, was named 5A co-player of the year after leading the Colts back to the state final. He batted .531 with 18 extra-base hits while striking out 84 with a 1.89 ERA as a senior.
Saunders is living in Corvallis and working out with the Beavers this summer. If he gets drafted, he would have to choose between attending OSU or turning pro.
“My agent and I talked and I was not slotted to go where I wanted, in the first five rounds, so I will most likely go to college, but you never know,” he said. “My name could get called and things could change, but the plan for now is to go to school.”
Saunders was going to play in the West Coast League for the Corvallis Knights this summer, but he suffered a hamstring injury during the state title game that has kept him out of games.
Saunders will likely pitch for Oregon State while also looking to earn a role in the lineup.
“We will see what happens in the fall, but there are openings on the pitching staff so I might focus on that first,” he said. “We will see about being a two-way player. I am not closing any doors.”
Saunders was recruited by pitching coach Rich Dorman, who recently left for Florida. The Beavers hired former North Eugene and OSU star Andrew Moore as the new pitching coach.
“I hit it off with Andrew, we have talked about pitching and how my year went,” Saunders said.
