Ole Miss baseball standout Grae Kessinger called up to majors, will play for Astros

Former Ole Miss baseball standout and Oxford native Grae Kessinger has been called up to the Houston Astros and will play Wednesday night in the Astros’ matchup against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Ole Miss baseball fans will remember Grae Kessinger well. The standout shortstop played in Oxford from 2017 to 2019 where he helped the Rebels to a pair of 40-plus win seasons and a couple of deep postseason runs.

Kessinger is an Oxford native, attending high school at Oxford high school before moving on to the University of Mississippi.

Coming from a baseball family, Kessinger’s grandfather, Don Kessinger, also played shortstop in the Majors for several teams throughout the 1960s and ’70s, winning multiple All-Star selections and Gold Glove awards. He then served as the manager for the White Sox for a season in 1979.

His father Kevin was drafted by the Cubs where he played briefly before his career ended due to injury, and his uncle, Keith, would play for the Cincinnati Reds.

Kessinger was drafted in 2016 straight out of high school in the 26th round by the San Diego Padres before he elected to play for Ole Miss. As a junior, he was named an All-SEC First Team selection as well as All-American First Team by the College Baseball Foundation.

He would be awarded the Brooks Wallace Award following the season, presented annually to honor the nation’s most outstanding shortstop. That season he started all 68 games at shortstop for Ole Miss baseball where he led the team with a .330 batting average. He also recorded 89 hits, including 18 doubles and seven home runs.

In 2019 Kessinger was drafted in the second round of the MLB Draft by the Houston Astros following an impressive college career with Ole Miss baseball. Kessinger has spent the last few seasons in the minors, most recently with the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, the Triple-A affiliate of the Astros.