Millard South alumnus Cam Kozeal spent his childhood practicing baseball on a makeshift field his father built with scraps from Rosenblatt stadium. After a strong junior year with Arkansas, the second baseman and shortstop will have a chance to represent Nebraska at the professional level.
The Miami Marlins selected Kozeal in the third round of the 2026 MLB Draft on Saturday, with the 87th overall pick.
“Any kid can do it, you really can,” Kozeal told Hurrdat Sports. “I never had family who played professional baseball before, I never had a family member who played Division I baseball before. I — not came from nothing, but I don’t have family members who have done that before, so I don’t know; it was just my dad’s research. Anyone can do it with the right research and the right resources; you’ve just got to put the work in.”
Kozeal did just that and will have a chance to prove himself soon. He spent draft weekend surrounded by friends and family at his fiancée’s house. He said his agent called him around pick 80 to let him know the Marlins were selecting him.
“I walked back out into the room where some friends and family were sitting there just staring at me,” Kozeal said. “I didn’t say anything, I just sat back down and I was like, ‘If people aren’t in the room, they should probably come to the room now.’ The next four or five picks people were on the edge of their seats; they didn’t know which one it was going to be. Then the 87th pick, the Miami Marlins selected me. It was pretty cool.”
The Millard South product attended the MLB Combine where he met with the Marlins. He said the conversations went well.
“They had a lot of really good things to say about me,” Kozeal said. “They loved my defensive side as much as my offensive side, and they ended up making the pick.”
Kozeal said his younger self would have thought people were joking if they told him he’d get drafted one day.
Cam Kozeal and others pose in front of the makeshift field his dad constructed using parts from Rosenblatt Stadium. Photo courtesy the Kozeal family.
“I knew I loved baseball,” Kozeal said. “I knew I wanted to play the game for a long time. I think it became a lot more real my sophomore year of high school when you’re starting to develop a little bit of college interest, and you’re starting to kind of go through that process. You’re like, ‘OK, I may have a future in this game.’”
The former Patriot had interest from Vanderbilt, Nebraska, Wichita State, Oregon and Coastal Carolina. He began his college career at Vanderbilt, where he spent one season before transferring to Arkansas. Changes in the Commodores coaching staff led Kozeal to the Razorbacks.
“It was a blessing, and I’m glad I landed at Arkansas,” Kozeal said. “It fit my personality, it fit me as a baseball player. Coach Dave Van Horn, and (assistant) coach (Nate) Thompson, and (assistant) coach (Bobby) Wernes were unbelievable, second to none.”
In 2025, Arkansas, made it to the Men’s College World Series in Omaha. The Razorbacks advanced to the semifinals, where their run ended against LSU. Charles Schwab Field was a familiar setting for Kozeal, whose father is on the grounds crew there.
“I grew up around the event, running around the field, just growing up with dad, so when I was actually playing in the event, I was comfortable,” Kozeal said. “I walked around the field my whole life. It just felt different to kind of play in it, which was really cool.”
This past season, Arkansas won 42 games but fell short of a return trip to Omaha, seeing its season end at the Lawrence Regional. Kozeal continued his strong play individually, however.
As a junior, he played in all 62 games starting 45 at shortstop, 16 at second base and one at designated hitter. Offensively, he led the Razorbacks in home runs with 20 and RBIs with 71 while slashing .318/.410/.653.
Defensively, the third-team All-American posted a team leading 28 double plays in conference play. Kozeal only committed seven errors in 234 chances.
Kozeal said he believes his time at Millard South helped prepare him for college.
“Head coach (Greg) Geary, and Coach (Brian) Sulzman and Coach (Tom) Trout and a lot of those coaches just really helped me develop,” Kozeal said. “Coach Sulzman is a really good infield guy. He played at Wayne State and has a lot of background in that area, and then Coach Geary obviously played Division I baseball at UNO, so they know what it takes to play at the next level.”
Kozeal will fly to Miami on Saturday where he’ll sign his contract before meeting the people in the Marlins organization.
“There’s only one league, and that’s the big leagues,” Kozeal said. “That’s where you want to get. You got to enjoy the process along the way, you got to enjoy minor league baseball, but the big leagues is where you want to get, it’s where you want to play, and that’s where you want to stay. If you want to have a 10-plus year big league career, you’ve got to learn how to be consistent as a hitter and an infielder, and that’s what I plan on doing.”
For more on Kozeal’s journey check out his exclusive interview with Ana Bellinghausen on the Hurrdat Sports YouTube page.
