K-State's Kaelen Culpepper Taken At No.21 In MLB Draft
Kaelen Culpepper tried to hold back his emotion Sunday night.
In the end, it was just too much.
Culpepper choked up a bit while speaking of his journey from Kansas State to being the No. 21 pick of the Minnesota Twins in the MLB Draft.
"When you look back at the journey I've been through, all those hard times, all the adversity I've been through, it just means so much," Culpepper said on the MLB Network after he was chosen. "This is the result of it. All my family back there, they all understand how hard I worked and what it took to get here."
Last year Culpepper, a shortstop, was a key cog in the Wildcats advancing to the NCAA Super Regional. A three-time All-Big 12 selection, he ranked fifth in the league with 59 RBI, sixth in hits (80) and a conference-best six triples. He also had a career-high 11 home runs while starting all 61 games.
"We are so happy for Kaelan," K-State coach Pete Hughes told the school's website. "He has earned every bit of his good fortune. He embodies the K-State way. He has been a first-round person, student and teammate since he stepped foot in Manhattan. I know I speak for our entire program when I say that it's been a privilege to be a part of his journey."
This kind of emotion is the #MLBDraft.
— MLB (@MLB) July 15, 2024
Kaelen Culpepper, chosen 21st overall by the @Twins. pic.twitter.com/wEAb0hzsC1
Culpepper said he's ready to start the next stage of his career.
"I can do everything on the field," Culpepper said. "You're going to get a dog on the field. I'm ready to go. I'm ready to start my journey."
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of K-State On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com
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SHANDEL RICHARDSON