Major League Baseball’s draft, annually known for being volatile and vexing, had a surreal and serendipitous moment late Monday afternoon.

Former Collierville ace Jack Dougherty, a 2020 grad and an high school all-stater, was selected by the Minnesota Twins— 9th round, 267th overall— after playing three seasons collegiately at Ole Miss.

The selection of the 6'4 right-hander on Day Two of the draft highlighted a continuous pipeline from Collierville to Oxford to professional baseball. Former Dragon standouts, Zack Cozart and Drew Pomeranz, took the same path in hopes to reach the big leagues.

Dougherty's stellar baseball career started as the No. 10 prospect, No. 5 right-handed pitcher out of Tennessee at Collierville High School. He was a 2020 Perfect Game All-Southeast Region Second Team and 2018 TBCA Super Sophomore. In 2019, Dougherty was selected all-state and posted a 0.71 ERA with 86 strikeouts over 59 innings pitched to finish his high school career.

At Ole Miss, Dougherty played a crucial role in the team's 2022 national championship. He earned the win with five innings and six strikeouts in game one of the CWS Finals against Oklahoma. Dougherty and the Minnesota Twins Baseball Club are in contract negotiations.