By Tim Best

Two former Utica Blue Sox players were selected in the 2024 MLB draft on Tuesday, extending the franchise’s streak of having at least one alum getting drafted to four straight years. Both players were on the pitching staff of the 2021 team that won the PGCBL Central Division.

Xavier Kohlhosser, a relief pitcher on the 2021 Blue Sox, was selected in the 13th round by the Minnesota Twins. Kohlhosser arrived in Utica in July alongside fellow St. John’s commit Jude Zern for the second half of the season. The Wappingers Falls native made six appearances out of the bullpen and struck out a dozen batters over nine innings of work. In his last appearance for the Sox, the team’s home finale against Watertown, he threw two scoreless innings in relief in a historic 20-3 thumping where the team set the single-game record for most runs scored and captured the Central Division crown. After redshirting his first year at St. John’s in 2022, Kohlhosser earned a spot in the Red Storm’s rotation, compiling a 3-0 record with a 2.56 ERA over 31.2 innings pitched. The following year, he went 9-2 in 76 innings with a 3.43 ERA over 15 appearances, 12 of which came as a starter. On May 25, Kohlhosser was the winning pitcher in the Big East championship game against Georgetown as he threw three innings of one-run ball in relief with the only hit he allowed being a solo homer in the 9th inning. He then got the start for the team’s NCAA tournament opener against Mississippi State in the Charlottesville regional, where he pitched all the way into the 9th inning, allowing just two runs over 8.2 innings of work.

Aidan Layton, a fixture in the 2021 team’s starting rotation, was selected in the 17th round by the Oakland Athletics. The righty from Seton Hill University arrived in Utica in late June after his school reached the Division II College World Series. In his Blue Sox debut on June 20, Layton struck out seven hitters over five innings of one-run ball in an 11-1 rout of Watertown. He would make five more starts, going at least five innings in all but one of those starts and posting a 2-3 record. His 31 strikeouts were the third-most of any Blue Sox pitcher that summer, trailing only Ryan Figueroa and Dewey Roden. Back at Seton Hill, Layton became a mainstay in the Golden Griffins’ rotation, saving his best for last as a senior this year. As the team’s ace, Layton made 15 starts and went 7-2 with a 3.15 ERA over a whopping 88.2 innings on the bump with five complete games. His best performance came on May 16 in the Golden Griffins’ opener in the Atlantic regional of the NCAA Division II tournament against Millersville. Layton blanked the Marauders for eight straight innings, yielding just five hits with a career-high 14 strikeouts. His individual accolades including being named to the 2024 All-PSAC West first team, as well as multiple All-Atlantic Region honors, which include being named to the ABCA/Rawlings and D2CCA all-region teams this season after earning all-region honors from the NCBWA in 2023.