Kstate

K-State's Kaelen Culpepper Taken At No.21 In MLB Draft

Shandel Richardson|
Jul 14, 2024; Ft. Worth, TX, USA; MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred takes a photo with Kaelen Culpepper after he was drafted by the Minnesota Twins with the 21st pick during the first round of the MLB Draft at Cowtown Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 14, 2024; Ft. Worth, TX, USA; MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred takes a photo with Kaelen Culpepper after he was drafted by the Minnesota Twins with the 21st pick during the first round of the MLB Draft at Cowtown Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports | Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Kaelen Culpepper tried to hold back his emotion Sunday night.

In the end, it was just too much.

Culpepper choked up a bit while speaking of his journey from Kansas State to being the No. 21 pick of the Minnesota Twins in the MLB Draft.

"When you look back at the journey I've been through, all those hard times, all the adversity I've been through, it just means so much," Culpepper said on the MLB Network after he was chosen. "This is the result of it. All my family back there, they all understand how hard I worked and what it took to get here."

Last year Culpepper, a shortstop, was a key cog in the Wildcats advancing to the NCAA Super Regional. A three-time All-Big 12 selection, he ranked fifth in the league with 59 RBI, sixth in hits (80) and a conference-best six triples. He also had a career-high 11 home runs while starting all 61 games.

"We are so happy for Kaelan," K-State coach Pete Hughes told the school's website. "He has earned every bit of his good fortune. He embodies the K-State way. He has been a first-round person, student and teammate since he stepped foot in Manhattan. I know I speak for our entire program when I say that it's been a privilege to be a part of his journey."

Culpepper said he's ready to start the next stage of his career.

"I can do everything on the field," Culpepper said. "You're going to get a dog on the field. I'm ready to go. I'm ready to start my journey."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of K-State On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here