App State Baseball had a big day on Monday during the 2025 MLB Draft, with two of their pitchers hearing their names called. The Seattle Mariners selected Jackson Steensma in the ninth round, while the St. Louis Cardinals picked Liam Best in the 19th round.
With these selections, Steensma and Best became the 48th and 49th players in App State history to be drafted. It’s also a testament to the impact of head coach Kermit Smith, who took over the program in 2017. Since his arrival, eight Mountaineers have been drafted, and the team has had at least one pitcher taken in five of the last nine drafts.
Steensma was chosen 272nd overall, and Best came off the board at pick No. 570. This marks the first time since 2012 that App State has had two players taken within the top 20 rounds of the same draft. Back then, pitcher Nathan Hyatt and catcher Tyler Tewell were selected in the 13th and 14th rounds, respectively. You’d have to go all the way back to 1985 to find the last time the program had one player drafted in the top 10 rounds and another within the top 20 rounds.
It’s also worth noting that the last time two App State pitchers were drafted in the same year was 2013, when Rob Marcell and Sam Agnew-Wieland were selected. So, this year’s draft class marks a rare and exciting achievement for the Mountaineers baseball program, showing the continued growth and development under Coach Smith’s leadership.
Jackson Steensma was one of the standout pitchers in the Sun Belt Conference during the 2024 season, serving as the ace of the App State pitching staff. He put together a strong campaign, finishing with a 6-2 record and a 4.03 ERA. His performance placed him among the conference’s best in several key categories—he ranked sixth in opponents’ batting average (.235), seventh in total strikeouts (74), fifth in strikeouts looking (24), and ninth overall in ERA.
Unfortunately, Steensma’s momentum was halted in 2025 when he had to sit out the season due to Tommy John surgery, using a medical redshirt to preserve his eligibility.
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His 2024 season included several impressive performances. One of his best came against Troy, where he struck out a career-high 10 batters and allowed only one run over six innings. In his next start, he went a personal-best 6.1 innings in a win over Arkansas State. That stretch was part of a dominant month where he totaled 26 strikeouts while walking just one batter—a sign of his control and command.
Originally from Byron Center, Michigan, Steensma arrived at App State in 2023 and made an immediate impact as a freshman, taking on the role of the team’s closer. That year, he posted a 3-1 record with a 4.28 ERA and notched seven saves, tying him for eighth all-time in single-season saves for the program. One of those saves was especially memorable—he shut the door against No. 16 Southern Miss in the Sun Belt semifinals, keeping App State’s season alive in a high-pressure elimination game.
From closer as a freshman to rotation leader in his second year, Steensma proved himself to be a valuable and versatile arm for the Mountaineers.
Liam Best made a strong return to the mound for App State in 2025, showing off a powerful fastball that touched the high 90s. After dealing with injuries earlier in his career, he bounced back to make an impact for the Mountaineers. He finished the season with a 2–5 record, a 5.36 ERA, and two saves, while striking out 50 batters over 40.1 innings. He started the year as a go-to reliever in high-pressure situations but eventually earned a spot in the starting rotation during the final stretch of the season. One of his most notable outings came in the Sun Belt Tournament against Texas State, where he pitched a career-best 4.2 innings and struck out six.
Best really found his rhythm late in the season. Over his last five appearances, he struck out 26 batters in just 16.2 innings—that’s a strikeout rate of 14 per nine innings, a sign of just how dominant his stuff could be when everything was clicking. Some other standout moments from his season included striking out four batters—three in one inning—during a three-inning relief appearance in extra innings against Texas State on March 15. Later in the season, he notched a personal-best six strikeouts in a start against nationally ranked No. 22 Southern Miss on April 26.
A native of Sterling, Virginia, Best came to App State with a solid baseball background. He graduated from Potomac Falls High School, where he earned recognition as a Perfect Game Preseason All-American twice. His college career began at George Washington University in 2022. From there, he transferred to the State College of Florida, where he played in both 2023 and 2024 before landing at App State and making the most of his final season.