Pitman High School alumnus and University of Nevada ace Kade Morris heard his name called early on Monday morning as he was selected by the New York Mets in the third round of the 2023 MLB Draft. The Mets chose Morris with the 101st overall pick to cap off Round 3, making him the third Pride player to ever be drafted in the school’s 21-year history.

Morris, a 21-year-old right-handed pitcher, had been ranked as the 140th prospect in this year’s draft, projecting him to be a fifth-round selection. He described the moment of surprise of learning he would be selected two rounds earlier.

“I got a call from my agent and the rest is history. The immediate reaction was, ‘Let's go. I'm ready to get to work,’” Morris said. “Going into it, there’s a lot of uncertainty and anxiety because you don’t know what the next part of your life is going to look like, so it was a good feeling. I was fortunate enough to get the call that early and I was stoked.”

Morris explained that he had trouble sleeping the night before but described Monday as feeling like “Christmas morning.”

The projected slot value for the 101st pick is $666,500.

Over three seasons with Nevada, he made 50 mound appearances, including 19 starts. In those games, the 6-foot-3, 190-pounder earned 15 victories with three saves while striking out 153 batters over 173.2 innings of work.

Morris broke out as a sophomore in 2022 as he was named to the All-Mountain West Second Team after going 7-5 with 53 strikeouts and three saves. In 2023, Morris earned the nod of being the team’s Friday starter – the top spot in the rotation. Despite going 4-7 with a 5.42 ERA, he struck out a career-high 85 batters over 81.1 innings of work, with two complete games. His team-leading strikeout figure contributed to the Nevada program’s single-season record of 458.

At Pitman High under head coach Andy Walker, Morris similarly solidified himself as a top of the rotation arm. In his junior year in 2019, he had a 2.96 ERA with 68 strikeouts over 49.3 innings enroute to a 4-6 record. He was expected to take his game to another level in his senior year, but his season was cut short after just one appearance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“He’s a great kid, has a great support staff with his mom and dad. I just was super excited for him and his family,” Walker said. “He has obviously been wanting this opportunity for many years, and he has worked extremely hard to get there. I’m so happy for him and looking forward to see what the future holds for him.”

“He has done so many great things already, but I still feel like he has a lot of room for improvement. He can grow physically, mentally and still has a lot more in the tank. I think this is a good organization that’s going to get the most out of him and turn him into a phenomenal professional pitcher.”

Walker also expressed excitement over him being drafted by a team in the biggest baseball market in America – New York.

“Being in a big market like that in New York, it doesn’t get bigger than that for professional sports. It’s pretty cool thing to be in that type of market and that type of city. And just to see him go to an organization that has a strong history of success and have a good history of development, that's a pretty amazing thing,” Walker said.

Morris’ father, Tim, shared similar sentiments, explaining that the family began embracing the New York state of mind as soon as he was picked.

“It’s New York. Let that sink in. New York. We put the Sinatra song on, we were singing it, we popped champagne. It was just a celebration,” his father said.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” his mother, Kim, added. “I think it's really exciting that a really storied franchise and a big name chose him.”

The organization has a long history of developing top pitchers, including players like Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, Dwight Gooden, Jacob DeGrom, Matt Harvey and Noah Syndergaard, just to name a few.

“That's a pretty good list, so I’m thrilled,” Morris said. “I'm just ready to get fully immersed. I'm going to be the same guy every single day. I’m going to walk into that place and show my work ethic and let my work ethic talk for itself…  I'm willing to work. I'm willing to carve this thing out and really be a polished pitcher, so I hope the Mets are ready for that.”

Morris’ excitement to join the Mets organization was made extremely clear in the minutes following his third round selection. After spending some time celebrating with family, he drove to Vintage Faire Mall in Modesto to purchase Mets hats for him and his parents. Not only that, but he had an inscription of “Morris 101” stitched into his father’s hat, commemorating his 101st draft slot.

“I had no clue he went to do that,” Tim shared. “Listen, I was crying when he got the call, and I picked myself up after that, but when he came home and I saw the hat and the stitching, it all came again… I’ve been wearing it all day.”

The Mets have until 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 15 to sign Morris and the rest of their 2023 draft picks.