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McAllen High alumnus Aaron Nixon is going pro.
A former freshman all-American closer at Texas and relief pitcher for Mississippi State, Nixon decided to forgo his senior season and signed a free agent contract with the New York Yankees organization Monday.
“It’s been a dream of mine since I was little. It’s kind of surreal, but I’m ready to work and take that next step,” he said. “I really appreciate Mississippi State baseball and Texas baseball. Mississippi State this year was something I really appreciated and it was a big year for me, but the ultimate goal was to be a professional baseball player and this is the first step towards that and that was a big part of my decision-making.”
Nixon was a four-year starter at McAllen High School and a two-time all-state selection as a right-handed pitcher and shortstop. He finished his three-year collegiate career with 97 strikeouts, 16 saves and a 3.30 ERA in 84.2 innings pitched at both Texas and Mississippi State.
He’s currently in Tampa, Florida training at the New York Yankees’ spring training headquarters.
“It feels awesome. It’s the beginning of a journey I’m just really excited to be a part of,” he said. “The Yankees are a great organization, one of the biggest in baseball, so it’s really cool and I’m ready to get started and get to work.”
After graduating from McHi in 2020, Nixon spent his first two years at Texas and earned the closer role out of the bullpen during his freshman season, helping the Longhorns reach the College World Series in 2021.
He finished his freshman season at Texas as an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and was named to D1 Baseball’s Freshman All-American Second Team.
Nixon transferred to Mississippi State following his sophomore year at Texas and ran into adversity with an injury that sidelined him for a month during the 2023 season. He returned and bounced back in a big way, finishing the year with two saves, 24 strikeouts and a 2.66 ERA in 20.1 innings pitched for Mississippi State.
“My family helped me a lot to become the man I am today,” Nixon said. “My mom and dad are amazing. My past coaches like Coach (Eliseo) Pompa at McHi, Osiel Flores, Jake Gautreau at Mississippi State, the whole Texas staff was great, all those people really just helped me get to where I am today and I really appreciate them all.”
He’ll now attempt to climb the ladder through the Yankees farm system as a right-handed pitcher.
“The ultimate goal is to get to The Show. That’s a big goal and I’m just going to have to work hard everyday, take it day by day and keep getting better,” he said.
