Grady Emerson was named the Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year after a stellar senior season that saw him lead Fort Worth Christian to their eighth TAPPS state title game, and Emerson could soon find his name called in the first few picks of the MLB Draft in July.

Emerson, the number 1 high school prospect in the country, is committed to play baseball at the University of Texas. He’ll have to decide between that and going pro straight out of high school.

“I’m just letting it play out for now. You know, just focusing on what I need to do this offseason to get my body in shape and make sure I’m ready for whatever that next step is,” said Emerson. “Whether that is the University of Texas or whether that is professional baseball, like, I’m just making sure right now that I’m focused on the right things. I’m not worrying too much about the future.”

Emerson’s been preparing himself for a very prosperous future for years, however. After a dominant freshman season starting for Argyle High School, Emerson was on the MLB’s radar. He’s won a gold medal for Team USA’s youth teams and played in national all-star games around the country. He still remembers his trip to Okinawa, Japan.

“I think that was cool because the culture as well, like, obviously, the stadium we played in was really nice. I think it held like 15 to 18,000 people, which we had at our gold medal game against Japan. But just seeing how much baseball meant to them over there was really crazy for me,” Emerson said. “You go to Japan, it’s like, that’s all they care about. Like, baseball is their life. And you get to see how much it means to not only the players, but the fans as well, watching. I think that created an atmosphere that created that competitive drive, and I loved every second of it.”

Emerson followed up three great seasons at Argyle by transferring to Fort Worth Christian to learn under the tutelage of former Texas Ranger Rusty Greer.

“I’ve been very fortunate. I’ve known Rusty since I was 9, 10 years old at his little infield camps. And so I, we’ve had a great relationship throughout the years, but really being able to have him in person and get to sit down and talk with him day in, day out, and just hear his advice and hear what he went through and what helped him, and maybe, you know, add some of that to my game as well.” Emerson said, “I think it was a really big thing for my success.”

The big move worked. Previous National Gatorade Players of the Year from North Texas include Bobby Witt, Jr., whom Emerson told The Dallas Morning News he wanted to be one day; Kyler Murray, who won for football but was also drafted in baseball; and Clayton Kershaw. Emerson was humbled to join the list.

“Obviously, being surprised like this, early in the morning, was a pretty fun, fun thing to have happen to me. But know this, the award is super special. You know, obviously, seeing the list,” Emerson said. “Saying that my name is with them now is is super cool to see because it shows me that the work I’ve done … paid off and I’m on the right direction to hopefully becoming a big leaguer one day.”

Emerson knows he’s one step closer to his goal.

“You get to watch them on TV and, you know, see the careers that they’re having, or they’ve had, and, you know, they’ve had a bunch of success. And seeing that I’m on that same path, and hopefully I can get to that one day, is really cool. You know, it’s obviously something I’ve dreamed of since I was 2 years old and started watching the Rangers, like getting to be able to see, like, I’m on that path. I’m on that trajectory. And, you know, this is a real possibility,” Emerson said, “it just makes me want to work hard to make sure I get there.”

Emerson also credits his parents for giving him a strong foundation:

“My dad and my mom, my family, they’re probably the biggest reason, you know, they’ve pushed me to my limits, you know, they’ve done everything that they can to help me get to my goal. And so I, I owe it all to them, you know, I mean, without them, I wouldn’t be where I’m at,” Emerson said.

The Texas Rangers have the 16th pick in July’s draft. Emerson is a fan, but is not expected to be available that late in the draft.

“Corey Seager, he’s my favorite player, you know, watch him. And now that he’s a Ranger, he’s definitely my favorite player,” said Emerson, who also bats left-handed. “He just gets the job done. My dad and I call him a silent assassin, and I love the way his left-hand swing works and all that stuff. So he’s one of them,”

Emerson hopes to be the inspiration for the next generation, like the many players he looked up to were for him. “For any young kids out there that are watching, you know, I just want to encourage you all to keep working hard and, most importantly, just have fun,” Emerson said. “You know, it’s a child’s game. You know, you can be very fortunate to play that for a long time. As long as you work hard and you keep the right mindset throughout the journey.”