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TUPELO — Former Tupelo High School All-Stater Cody Airington finally received the phone call he had been waiting for since he first picked up a baseball.
Now he’s hoping the next one comes much earlier.
Airington, a junior pitcher at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 20th round of the 2026 MLB Draft.
It was a surreal moment for the small-town baseball player with big-time dreams.
“The feeling was probably one of the best feelings ever. It’s always been a dream of mine to be able to hear my name being called in the draft,” Airington told The Ada News.
Austin Peay head coach Roland Fanning — another former Coal County resident who graduated from Coalgate High School and excelled as a multi-sport athlete — was thrilled to see Airington’s dream become reality.
“Being drafted in the 2026 MLB draft is an awesome achievement for Cody. We are all very proud of the work he has put in for this to happen on and off the field,” he said.
Airington has elected to return to Austin Peay for his senior season rather than sign with the Rangers, believing another strong year could significantly improve his draft position in the summer of 2027.
“My main reasons for returning to Austin Peay are that I 100% think I can get drafted higher next year,” he said. “I also love Austin Peay and everything about it, and I still have two years of eligibility left. I think I’ll have a better season next year, which will put me in position for a higher selection in next year’s draft.”
As a junior in 2026, Airington led the Governors with 63 1/3 innings pitched while posting a 5.12 ERA, a 1.34 WHIP, 47 strikeouts and 23 walks. As a sophomore in 2025, he went 4-1 with a 3.54 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP in eight starts.
Before arriving at Austin Peay, Airington starred at Cowley County Community College, where he earned NJCAA East Division First Team All-KJCCC honors in 2024.
“We are really fired up to have Cody back at Austin Peay,” Fanning said. “I know there are a lot of really proud Oklahoma supporters of his back in Coal County and southeastern Oklahoma who can’t wait to watch him compete next spring.”
Airington said he has thoroughly enjoyed playing under Fanning. Although the two grew up in the same area, they didn’t know each other well until Fanning recruited him to Austin Peay.
“I knew him, but I didn’t know him as well as people thought I did. But it’s a blast playing for him,” he said. “He’s the most energetic coach I’ve ever played for. He’s a players’ coach and cares more about his players than himself. He’s always telling us to be our best authentic selves and not change anything.”
Airington believes his journey proves talented players don’t have to attend a large school to get noticed.
“I have always said that playing for a small school like Tupelo is better than playing for a big school,” he said. “Everyone always says players get overlooked playing for a small school, but in my case, that fueled my fire to work harder than ever to prove everyone wrong about small-school baseball players.”
Airington also credited retired Tupelo baseball coach Clay Weller for helping shape his successful development as a player.
“He had a pretty big impact on my baseball career. I always thought he was a really good coach,” he said.
The support from his hometown has remained strong throughout his college career.
“I wanna say thank you to Tupelo fans for always being there supporting the baseball team and me and for continuing to support me throughout my college career,” he said.
Continue reading...
Now he’s hoping the next one comes much earlier.
Airington, a junior pitcher at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 20th round of the 2026 MLB Draft.
It was a surreal moment for the small-town baseball player with big-time dreams.
“The feeling was probably one of the best feelings ever. It’s always been a dream of mine to be able to hear my name being called in the draft,” Airington told The Ada News.
Austin Peay head coach Roland Fanning — another former Coal County resident who graduated from Coalgate High School and excelled as a multi-sport athlete — was thrilled to see Airington’s dream become reality.
“Being drafted in the 2026 MLB draft is an awesome achievement for Cody. We are all very proud of the work he has put in for this to happen on and off the field,” he said.
Airington has elected to return to Austin Peay for his senior season rather than sign with the Rangers, believing another strong year could significantly improve his draft position in the summer of 2027.
“My main reasons for returning to Austin Peay are that I 100% think I can get drafted higher next year,” he said. “I also love Austin Peay and everything about it, and I still have two years of eligibility left. I think I’ll have a better season next year, which will put me in position for a higher selection in next year’s draft.”
As a junior in 2026, Airington led the Governors with 63 1/3 innings pitched while posting a 5.12 ERA, a 1.34 WHIP, 47 strikeouts and 23 walks. As a sophomore in 2025, he went 4-1 with a 3.54 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP in eight starts.
Before arriving at Austin Peay, Airington starred at Cowley County Community College, where he earned NJCAA East Division First Team All-KJCCC honors in 2024.
“We are really fired up to have Cody back at Austin Peay,” Fanning said. “I know there are a lot of really proud Oklahoma supporters of his back in Coal County and southeastern Oklahoma who can’t wait to watch him compete next spring.”
Airington said he has thoroughly enjoyed playing under Fanning. Although the two grew up in the same area, they didn’t know each other well until Fanning recruited him to Austin Peay.
“I knew him, but I didn’t know him as well as people thought I did. But it’s a blast playing for him,” he said. “He’s the most energetic coach I’ve ever played for. He’s a players’ coach and cares more about his players than himself. He’s always telling us to be our best authentic selves and not change anything.”
Airington believes his journey proves talented players don’t have to attend a large school to get noticed.
“I have always said that playing for a small school like Tupelo is better than playing for a big school,” he said. “Everyone always says players get overlooked playing for a small school, but in my case, that fueled my fire to work harder than ever to prove everyone wrong about small-school baseball players.”
Airington also credited retired Tupelo baseball coach Clay Weller for helping shape his successful development as a player.
“He had a pretty big impact on my baseball career. I always thought he was a really good coach,” he said.
The support from his hometown has remained strong throughout his college career.
“I wanna say thank you to Tupelo fans for always being there supporting the baseball team and me and for continuing to support me throughout my college career,” he said.
Continue reading...
