Derek Diamond thought it was all figured out.
The nation’s No. 24 overall prospect for his class committed to Stanford in late 2017 and was ready to finish high school and play baseball about eight hours north of his Ramona, California, home.
But this past November, despite a 4.0 GPA and impressive test scores, the Cardinal admissions office put a severe kink in his plans, denying Diamond admission at the university. While most players were signing, Diamond was starting over.
“It was tough,” the right-handed two-way player said. “I found out on a Wednesday before football practice and it was definitely a blindside. I tried to be positive and knew I’d be able to see cool spots. I did what I thought was right and Oxford was the answer in the end.”
Diamond committed to Ole Miss on Monday, choosing the Rebels over a group of five finalists that included strong pushes from LSU and Virginia. He also visited Wake Forest and California. Ole Miss was his last visit two weeks ago, as the Rebels fought off the conference foe Tigers for his eventual signature.
“I saw Wake and Virginia, but after LSU and Ole Miss I decided the SEC is a different level,” Diamond said. “I really didn’t talk to any SEC schools or schools East other than Harvard the first time. After Stanford I wanted to look everywhere and Oxford really reminded me of where I grew up and the places in Michigan and Illinois that I have family.
“The town and campus were great, and Swayze was way cooler than I thought it would be. I can’t wait to see it with 10,000 in the spring. I knew it was beautiful, and it was the spot for me.”
While Ole Miss’ coaching staff made a quality impression on California’s No. 2 prospect, the school’s The Season documentary series also provided a recruiting push with Diamond learning about a program 1,900 miles from home. The Emmy-winning program highlights most of Ole Miss’ athletics teams throughout their respective seasons and is a weekly production during football season.
“They did an unbelievable job marketing all of it,” Diamond said. “Someone suggested it to me, and I spent two days watching it. I watch a lot of baseball content on the Internet during my season. It really added to my interest… When I met the coaches they were just like I saw on The Season — laid back and really work with all the kids.”
Diamond is the top right-handed pitcher in California, but he’s also proficient with the bat and will play infield with the Rebels. While LSU said it would entertain the two-way idea, Ole Miss made it clear.
“I spent an hour with (assistant coach Mike) Clement and he laid out what they envision for me. There was a clear plan. That was a huge part of it and a deciding factor.”
Diamond, a 6.71 runner in the 60-yard dash, maxes at 93 with his fastball and has been clocked at 90 MPH throwing across the infield. The fastball has arm-side run, and the changeup already shows fade. With the secondary pitches still improving, Diamond is one of the more projectable players in the class, per Perfect Game.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder knows he’s a player of interest in the MLB First Year Player Draft this summer, but he’s doing his best to keep a level head about what’s to come. His parents, Steve and Nancy, were both college athletes in Illinois.
If Diamond plays college baseball, he won’t be draft eligible for three seasons. Ole Miss' 2019 class is currently ranked sixth nationally.
“The Draft is exciting and is a reality, but I’m school-first as evidence by the fact I was going to Stanford,” Diamond said. “My parents have hammered it into me the importance of college and I took ownership and ran with that. I’d be crazy to say if the right thing happened this summer I wouldn’t pursue it, but my plan is to go to school.”
