Lodise cousins, Witherspoon twins among locals

The next step on the road to the MLB Draft is here -- and for some, it's a family celebration.

A half-dozen players with Jacksonville-area ties, including Dick Howser Trophy winner Alex Lodise from Florida State and Bartram Trail High School, are on the list of players invited to the 2025 MLB Draft Combine scheduled from June 17-21 at Chase Field in Phoenix.

It's the last major showcase for players ahead of the draft itself, which takes place July 13-14 in Atlanta in conjunction with the All-Star Game. In all, the league has included 322 players on its list for the combine.

That list includes Alex Lodise, coming off a career year at FSU that also included a memorable hometown walk-off grand slam against rival Florida, as well as his cousin, Kyle Lodise, a former Brunswick High School standout now playing shortstop at Georgia Tech.

Also on the list are twin aces from Fletcher High School and current Oklahoma teammates Kyson Witherspoon and Malachi Witherspoon. A top SEC hurler this year, Kyson Witherspoon is widely projected as a first-round pick.

And then there's Trinity Christian's Aaron Watson : After allowing barely a baserunner every two innings against the toughest high school schedule statistically in Florida, and throwing two postseason no-hitters, the pitcher has a chance to become Jacksonville's highest-drafted player directly out of high school since Javier Baez at No. 9 out of Arlington Country Day in 2011.

From colleges across the Sunshine State, invitees are Florida State's Alex Lodise, Clay High graduate Max Williams, Jamie Arnold, Evan Chrest, Drew Faurot, Peyton Prescott and Joey Volini; Florida's Jake Clemente, Pierce Coppola, Brody Donay and Colby Shelton; Miami's Griffin Hugus and Brian Walters; UCF's Antonio Jimenez and DeAmez Ross; Florida A&M's Broedy Poppell; Florida Gulf Coast's Justin Henschel; and Stetson's Lorenzo Meola.

Here's the list of players from Jacksonville-area schools.

SS Alex Lodise

2025 stats : .394/.462/.705, 18 2B, 17 HR, 68 RBI, 62 runs, 1.167 OPS.

Notable : Big-time breakout year for former Bears infielder, the Jacksonville area's first-ever Dick Howser Trophy winner.

SS Kyle Lodise

Notable : Second-team ACC selection thrived after transfer from Division II Augusta University.

P Aaron Watson

2025 stats : 9-0, 0.53 ERA, 78.2 IP, 30 hits, 15 BB, 126 K, 0.572 WHIP.

Notable : One of 11 Florida high schoolers invited to the combine, UF commit Watson is widely projected as a possible first-rounder after an electric season against an elite schedule.

CF Max Williams

Notable : Alabama transfer earned second-team All-ACC honors as Noles reached Super Regional.

P Kyson Witherspoon

Notable : All-SEC ace has continued meteoric rise; projected as high as top 10 in some mock drafts.

P Malachi Witherspoon

Notable : Former closer saw more action as a starter for Sooners compared to previous years.