Three IMG Academy Alumni Selected in the 2024 MLB Draft

BRADENTON, Fla. (July 17, 2024) - IMG Academy, the world’s leading sports education brand, had three former student-athletes selected in the 2024 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft in Fort Worth, Texas, including the No. 40 overall pick in third baseman Tommy White. He was joined by the No. 68 overall pick in left-handed pitcher Blake Larson and the No. 229 overall pick in right-handed pitcher Aaron Combs. With the selections of White to the Oakland Athletics and Larson to the Chicago White Sox during the Competitive Balance B round. IMG Academy has back-to-back MLB Drafts with two second-round picks with Tommy White (2024) and Blake Larson (2024) in 2024 and Mac Horvath (2023), and Jake Gelof (2023) in 2023.

The 2024 MLB Draft marked the 18th time in the last 20 years that an IMG Academy alumnus was selected and the 17th time in the last 18 years that multiple alumni were selected in the same draft. IMG Academy has had 30 alumni drafted in the MLB Draft since 2019. IMG Academy has had 12 alumni picked in the top-three rounds since 2019 and four consecutive MLB Drafts with a least one second round pick – Tommy White (2024), Blake Larson (2024), Mac Horvath (2023), Jake Gelof (2023), Jackson Ferris (2022), and James Wood (2021).

“The MLB Draft has become a special event for IMG Academy as it marks a chance for us to celebrate and recognize our alumni who are awarded the opportunity to play the game at the highest levels,” said Dan Simonds, Director of Baseball. “To have three alumni drafted this year and 30 over the last five drafts have been a testament to our coaches, teachers, trainers and leaders that have helped these student-athletes win their future.”

Since 2005 IMG Academy has had 67 alumni selected in the MLB Draft to 27 teams, 30 picks directly from high school, and 37 from collegiate baseball teams. The most IMG Academy alumni ever selected in one MLB Draft class was nine in 2023, with three directly drafted from IMG Academy.

Tommy White Louisiana State University, Third Baseman (No. 40 | Oakland Athletics) Class of IMG Academy 2021

White is the eighth second-round pick in IMG Academy history and the second alumni to be drafted to Oakland (Charles Sheffield, 2011). White finished his senior year at IMG Academy, was named an All-American by Perfect Game, and won the Under Armour Home Run Derby. He was named to the College World Series All-Tournament Team, First-Team All-SEC, and was a semifinalist for both the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy. At LSU, he helped lead the Tigers to win the 2023 College World Series and was named an All-American for a second straight year in 2023. White finished his college career ranked No. 8 in NCAA Division I history for home runs with 75 and is the fourth player in NCAA Division I history to have 20+ home runs in three seasons.

Blake Larson IMG Academy, Left-handed Pitcher (No. 68 | Chicago White Sox) Class of IMG Academy 2024

Larson is IMG Academy’s 14th MLB selection directly from high school since 2019 and the second alumni selected by the White Sox (Chance King, 2017). Larson joined the IMG Academy National team for his senior year, where he dominated on the pitching mound with 71 strikeouts in the season in 42.2 innings completed. With his highest fastball hitting 96 mph, Larson allowed only 11 earned runs with an average of 1.80 for the season. Larson was recognized for the preseason All-Prospect Upper-class second team by Perfect Game.

Aaron Combs University of Tennessee, Right-handed Pitcher (No. 229 | Chicago White Sox) Class of IMG Academy 2020

Combs is the third IMG Academy alumni selected by the White Sox (Blake Larson. 2024, Chance King, 2019) and this is the third time two alumni were selected by the same team in the same draft (Milwaukee Brewers, 2014 and Arizona Diamondbacks, 2018). Combs spent his senior year at IMG Academy and was ranked No. 18 among right-handed pitchers in Florida. Combs was named a Perfect Game Preseason All-American and selected for the Florida All-Region second team in 2020. Most recently, Combs helped lead the University of Tennessee to win the College World Series after he struck out the side against Texas A&M University in the final game. Combs also played a crucial role in the Volunteer’s SEC Tournament win by securing the final outs against LSU and earning a win with 2.1 scoreless innings against Mississippi State.

In addition to IMG Academy’s 2024 MLB Draft success, three alumni have made their major league debuts this season. James Wood was the 62nd overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft to the Washington Nationals. Since his debut, Wood has played in 14 games, Wood has a batting average of .245, has one home run, and seven RBIs. Rece Hinds was selected in the second round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds. The Red’s No. 15 prospect was called up and through his first two games made MLB history by having five extra-base hits. Blaze Alexander was selected in the eleventh round of the 2018 MLB Draft to the Arizona Diamondbacks and made the opening day roster this season. He has played in 58 games, with 41 hits, three home runs, 21 RBIs.

Several IMG Academy alumni also had a successful year at the collegiate level. With 11 alumni participating in the 2024 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, two alumni moved on to eventually compete in the Championship Game of the College World Series. Combs and the University of Tennessee won against fellow IMG Academy alumni, Max Kaufer and Texas A&M University. At the high school level, the national baseball team achieved a home game win streak of 27 games, the longest in program history. The program also represented Team USA in the DRD International Baseball Academies Tournament in Puerto Rico, competing against nine countries.

About IMG Academy

IMG Academy is the world’s leading sports education brand, providing a holistic education model that empowers student-athletes to win their future, preparing them for college and for life. IMG Academy provides growth opportunities for all student-athletes through an innovative suite of on-campus and online experiences:

• Boarding school and camps, via a state-of-the-art campus in Bradenton, Fla.
• Online coaching via the IMG Academy+ brand, with a focus on personal development through the lens of sport and performance
• Online college recruiting, via the NCSA brand, providing content, tools, coaching and access to a network of 40,000 college coaches

To learn more about IMG Academy and its on-campus and online experiences, visit www.imgacademy.com.