Former GTCC baseball player Clay Edmondson selected by the San Diego Padres in major league draft
Clay Edmondson worked tirelessly building his baseball skills on the high school fields of Guilford County and then for the GTCC Titans. That persistence and hard work paid off July 14 when he was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 2025 Major League Baseball draft.
Edmondson played one season for the Titans, posting impressive numbers on the mound, at third base, and with his bat. His 13 home runs drew attention from Division I colleges, and he transferred to the University of North Carolina Asheville after the 2021 season.
"I'm ecstatic. This has been a life-long dream since I was a child and now it's reality. I need to come back down to earth. That's how excited I am," said Edmondson, who was picked in the 14th round of the draft. "This has all been surreal. I know something good is going to come out of this."
Edmondson's offensive skills drew the spotlight while at GTCC. He had 13 home runs in the 2021 season, three coming in one game.
"One of my favorite memories at GTCC was at Patrick Henry (in Martinsville, Virginia). I had three home runs back-to-back-to-back," said Edmondson.
His pitching stats, though limited as a Titan, were impressive. In just two appearances, he struck out 17 batters in 12 innings and allowed only one earned run.
"Another of my favorite GTCC memories was my first college outing … a complete seven-inning win with 11 strikeouts."
It was Edmondson's arm and not his bat that caught the attention of the UNCA coaching staff. "They saw me throw in the bullpen one day and the next week I visited" UNCA.
After a steady 2023 season, the 2024 season got off to a painful start for Edmondson. He suffered a season-ending injury to his throwing arm in his second game of the season against the University of Georgia that required surgery.
"I worked hard all summer and fall, ramping back up to come back," he said.
His hard work paid off with a breakout season this year.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound side-arm pitcher made 13 starts this spring for UNCA, earning five wins in a Big South Conference leading 81.2 innings during the regular season. The right-hander who has topped 95 miles-per hour with his fastball, finished tied for the league lead with 87 strikeouts and posted the best ERA in the conference.
Edmondson was named Big South Conference Starting Pitcher of the Week twice and was named to the College Baseball Hall of Fame Pitcher of the Year Midseason Watch List. He was a first-team all-conference selection and the first Bulldog since 2008 to be named Big South Conference Pitcher of the Year. Edmondson was later named a Second Team All-Atlantic Region selection by the American Baseball Coaches Association.
Originally, Edmondson had planned on transferring to NCAA powerhouse University of Tennessee for his senior season, but having the Padres call his name in the draft short-circuited those plans.
"It was just the right time (to turn pro). I'm 22 years old and getting ready to be 23. If I stayed in college, I would be 23, almost 24 next year. That's old to be starting in pro ball," said Edmondson. "But the main reason I decided (to turn pro) was this is my dream. It was a dream that turned into a goal. Now the goal is to get to the big league."