On Wednesday, November 8th, thousands of high school baseball players across the country signed their National Letters of Intent to successfully fulfill their dedication to playing baseball at the collegiate level, with hundreds of players in Missouri alone going through this process. 

Over the next few weeks, our staff will spend some time highlighting those names that signed their NLI to play baseball at the Division I level. We’ll do so by breaking these names up by conference, starting with the SEC last week, which you can find HERE, and working our way throughout the NCAA Division I landscape. At a later date, we’ll spotlight the names that signed to play NJCAA, NAIA, Division II, and Division III. 

Keep reading below to learn more about the names from Missouri that are headed to four different Big 12 programs next fall.

TCU

Fresh off a trip to Omaha for the College World Series, the Horned Frogs have been a force to be reckoned with on a national scale for some time now. 

Joining the powerhouse program in Fort Worth from Camdenton, Missouri, is RHP Kade Durnin (Camdenton, 2024), who finished this year as unquestionably one of the biggest winners in the state. A multi-sport star for the Lakers, Durnin offers plenty of potential on the mound. He was up to 95 mph at the Area Code Games in August, pitching into the low-90s across multiple looks at Creekside throughout the summer. It’s a simple, low-effort operation that appears to hold even more velocity as he continues to get older and fill out a prototypical 6-foot-3, 185-pound frame. His primary secondary pitch is a tighter low-80s breaking ball with depth that’ll flash swing-and-miss at times, and he’s also shown a low-80s changeup before, though it’s spared more often than not. Presently an obvious talent on the mound, Durnin’s capable of taking an even bigger leap following this winter. 

Kade Durnin

KANSAS 

The MVP of the Future Games in 2022, C Xander Schmitt (Lafayette, 2024) is another upper-tier prospect in Missouri that’ll head the Jayhawks way after his senior season. A huge reason why Lafayette won their District championship last spring, Schmitt offers potent production on both sides of the ball within a strong 5-foot-11, 175-pound frame. He creates noticeable bat speed and juice off the barrel from the right side, oozing an exuberant amount of confidence at the plate as well. There’s versatility in his defensive profile too, as we’ve seen Schmitt shift around the diamond, most notably behind the plate or in the outfield. Regardless of his positioning, Schmitt has a loud and accurate arm that’s proven itself both in a workout and gameplay setting in our looks. Primed for a big year in his final season as a prep, Schmitt will be one to follow as he makes his way to Lawrence. 

Xander Schmitt

KANSAS STATE

The Wildcats have had a winning record in each of the last three seasons, and they’re coming off a 35-win season that ended one game shy of a spot in the Big 12 championship game. They’ll add one of the top left-handed arms in Missouri to this recruiting class in LHP Micah Henson (Raymore-Peculiar, 2024). The 6-foot-3, 195-pound southpaw generates hard arm-side run on an upper-80s fastball that we saw touch 92 mph early in the spring season, and he bumped it up to 90 mph a few times on the summer circuit as well. There’s depth and some lateral spin on his slider at 75-79 mph, and he’ll turn over a low-80s changeup that’ll flash feel for the bottom of the zone as well. With three quality pitches, Henson could be a potential impact arm for the Wildcats’ future rotation. 

CINCINNATI

This upcoming spring will be the Bearcats’ first season in the Big 12 and their inaugural recruiting class features one prospect from Missouri in Derrick Pitts (CBC, 2024). A highly athletic outfielder that played a big role in the Cadets’ extremely potent offense last season, Pitts holds noticeable strength throughout a 6-foot, 170-pound frame. He slashed .392/.483/.490 in 123 plate appearances as a junior, showing easy bat speed and a simple, compact swing from the right side. Pitts is a comfortable mover around the outfield as well with above-average arm strength to pair. 

Derrick Pitts

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