Five years ago, Cody Morissette and Hunter Long took the field together as teammates on the Exeter High School football team. Last year, though Morissette has since retired his pads and helmet in favor of a glove and bat, the duo took their respective fields in Chestnut Hill donning maroon and gold. Long’s Boston College career ended in May when he was drafted by the Miami Dolphins. Now, Morissette’s BC baseball service has also come to an end as he will join his old football teammate in Florida with the Miami Marlins.
The Marlins drafted Morissette Monday No. 52 overall in the second round of the 2021 MLB Draft. He is the second-ever second-round pick from BC, with the first being Gary Matz in 1968.
Hours after Morissette’s selection, another BC baseball player’s phone lit up. With the No. 192 pick in the sixth round, the Los Angeles Dodgers selected BC ace Emmet Sheehan. Sheehan was the third Eagle to be drafted in 2021 following Morissette and Sal Frelick, and his selection marked the first time three BC players have ever been taken in the first ten rounds of an MLB Draft.
In his first two years with BC, Sheehan saw just 28 innings on the mound. In 2021, his junior season, Sheehan emerged from the shadows as the undisputed ace of the BC staff. His 4.14 ERA was the lowest of BC starters in 2021, as was his remarkable 1.27 WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched). He also led the staff in strikeouts with 106, 33 more than the runner-up Alex Stiegler. With Sheehan’s rise through the BC ranks came an acceleration up the Draft rankings.
Sheehan started 13 games for BC last season. In six of those starts, he allowed five or fewer hits. One of those was a six-inning, two-hit shutout in his first start of the season against Charleston Southern. His most impressive outing of the season, however, came against Miami when the ace allowed one hit and zero runs in six innings while fanning nine Hurricanes.
Morissette’s 2021 season was equally successful. His .321 batting average was the second highest on the team, and his .895 on-base plus slugging percentage was the third highest. He also led BC in steals, going 8-for-9 on the season while hitting six home runs and driving in 33 runs. Morissette ended his season on a 16-game hitting streak while batting .418 over that stretch.
Morissette was a three-sport athlete in high school, where he also suited up for football and basketball. Baseball, however, was his strongest sport, as he was a USA Today All-American in his junior and senior years, hitting .434 as a senior.
In his first year with BC, he was named a Freshman All-American and made the All-ACC Second and Freshman teams. His sophomore season was cut short due to COVID-19, but he was chosen as an All-ACC pick his junior season.
With the first half of the MLB Draft complete, rounds 10-20 will take place on Tuesday.
Featured Image by Irkam Ali / Heights Editor
