Earlier this week, Hayden O’Dell passed away in a car accident in Wisconsin, according to AL.com. He was in Wisconsin training for a sales job. Besides that, there is no other information surrounding the accident itself.
O’Dell was 22 years old and just wrapped up a four-year baseball career in college as a left-handed pitcher.
O’Dell’s college baseball journey
O’Dell’s college baseball career started at the junior college level during his freshman and sophomore seasons.
In 2023, he played for Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College where he struck out 24 batters in 22 ⅓ innings. O’Dell also picked up two wins during his time in Perkinston.
For his sophomore season, O’Dell transferred to Bishop State Community College in Mobile, Alabama, which is his hometown.
The return home turned out to be a good thing for O’Dell. He had a 4.26 ERA in 38 innings compared to a 13.30 ERA he had the year before in Mississippi.
After two JUCO seasons, O’Dell transferred to the Division I level to play for the New Orleans Privateers for the 2025 season.
In nine starts with New Orleans during his junior year, O’Dell had a 5.48 ERA in 42 ⅔ innings of work. He also had 29 strikeouts and finished with wins over Southern, Nicholls, and Northwestern State.
O’Dell’s final season of college baseball was with the South Alabama Jaguars in his hometown of Mobile. He was a midweek starter for the Jaguars during the 2026 season. In 46 ⅓ innings, O’Dell finished with a 4.47 ERA and 44 strikeouts.
Much like his season with New Orleans, O’Dell picked up three wins in 2026 with South Alabama.
For more NCAA news: https://worldbaseball.com/news/category/ncaa