A promising arm on the move
Hayden Simmerson, a right‑handed reliever who spent the last two seasons at Clemson, entered the transfer portal on June 2 with a single goal: to catch the eye of Major League Baseball scouts before the July draft.
The 2024 draft class is shaping up to be deep in pitching talent, and Simmerson’s mid‑90s fastball has already drawn comparisons to late‑round successes of recent years. Analysts project him as a mid‑to‑late round pick, a slot that could reward a player who combines high velocity with a clean strikeout rate.
In 19 relief appearances this season he logged 46 strikeouts over 32.1 innings, posting a walk rate that ranked among the nation’s best. His four saves helped the Tigers close out a strong campaign, and his 25 career saves at Catawba College earned him first‑team All‑America honors as a sophomore.
Coached by Jim Gantt, a veteran who guided the Indians to multiple conference titles, Simmerson refined his command while at Catawba, where he also amassed 156 strikeouts in 136.2 innings across two seasons. The transition to Clemson gave him a larger stage, but his roots remain in the North Carolina college ranks.
If the draft does not deliver a contract, the reliever has said he will return to the collegiate ranks in 2027, potentially joining another program that can offer a competitive environment for further development. The plan reflects both patience and confidence in his long‑term trajectory.
The move also underscores the growing importance of the transfer portal in shaping college baseball talent pipelines, linking schools in South Carolina and North Carolina through a shared pool of prospects. As the draft approaches, Simmerson’s name will be one of the many storylines that illustrate how quickly a player’s fortunes can shift in the modern era of the sport.