By Sarah Turner, Sports editor 

In his final season as a Falcon in the spring of 2025, Adiel Melendez was one of the most dominant pitchers in the Gulf South Conference. He posted an ERA of 2.38 in 98.1 innings pitched, going 10-5 as a starter and being named first-team All-GSC and All-Region.  

And in July, Melendez became the 10th Falcon to sign as a free agent to a Major League Baseball team after inking a contract with the Atlanta Braves. 

But Melendez’s journey was far from easy. It’s a story of staying faithful, trusting the process, and persevering through setbacks to reach his dreams. 

Growing up in a Puerto Rican family, where baseball has a massive cultural influence, Melendez began playing baseball at seven years old. He said it was his dad’s love for the game, and watching his older brother recently take it up, that sparked his own passion for baseball. 

Almost immediately, Melendez knew he had found his calling. “My whole life it’s been, ‘I want to play baseball. That’s all I want to do,” he said. Out of high school, Melendez committed to Alabama State University as a left-handed pitcher.  

His time as a Hornet, however, fell short of expectations. Melendez struggled to find chemistry with the team, and in 2022, he suffered two major setbacks: surgery to repair his UCL and another to fix an ankle issue. 

“Those were some really hard times,” Melendez explained. The combination of injuries and a tough team dynamic ultimately pushed Melendez to enter the transfer portal in search of a better fit. 

In the process of choosing a new school, Melendez had a good idea of what he was looking for. He said he wanted “a place that worked hard, a place that prided themselves in hard work, prided themselves in getting after it and trying to get better.” 

He landed on Montevallo after extensive conversations with Head Coach Chandler Rose and Associate Head Coach Ivey Starling about the team’s culture and how they would help him improve.  

 Melendez explained that he would not change a thing about his time as a Falcon. “Right now I’m a Brave, and yet I still miss my time at Montevallo,” he said.  

Being able to form a close bond with his teammates and spending every day together grinding out tough practices and lift sessions is something he said he wouldn’t trade for the world.  

After an incredible season in which Melendez played a key role in the Falcons’ upset of the top-ranked, defending national champion Tampa Spartans in February and led the team to the GSC championship game in May, where he struck out nine batters, he said he couldn’t have asked for a better way to end his final year.  

Leading up to July, Melendez was told he had a solid shot at being selected on Day 2 of the MLB Draft. But as each round passed and more names were called, hope began to fade. Despite his high expectations, he was not selected in the draft. 

“I was glued to the TV, and I was glued to my phone, and nothing came,” said Melendez. After years of effort and sacrifice, he said that not hearing his name was crushing. 

After his injuries and transfer, Melendez knew he couldn’t afford a single misstep if he wanted to keep his professional dreams alive. 

“I knew that everything had to be perfect. Like, everything had to go perfect for me to even have a chance. And the thing is that everything was perfect,” he said. 

In October of 2024, Melendez still had not touched a 92-mph pitch. But in an opportunity in front of nearly 20 MLB scouts a short time after that, he sat around 93-mph the entire outing. 

“Those two years, I needed to do this, I did it. I needed to do that, God made sure that I had that,” Melendez said. Amidst hopelessness, his fiancée suggested they pray together. 

“I was saying, God, why did we go through all that we’ve been through the last couple of years?”  

But just as he began to pray, his phone started ringing. 

He answered the scout for the Atlanta Braves that he spoke to throughout the draft process who asked him how he felt about the day. 

“I’m pretty disappointed if I’m going to be honest, but, you know, it happens…and it’s amazing for the other players that did get drafted,” Melendez told the scout. 

The scout explained that he had fought for him and had tried, and Melendez also knew that Coach Rose had been on the phone with scouts at his son’s baseball tournament all day long. 

Just as Melendez was coming to terms with the sting of not being drafted, the conversation took an unexpected turn. 

“And then [the scout] was like, but anyways, how would you feel if you knew that [the scouting director] told me as the draft ended to go get my guy? And that’s why I’m on the phone. And I’m here to sign you on a free agent contract.” 

Melendez couldn’t believe it. Still on the phone with the scout, he started crying. “I told him, ‘I’m gonna work hard for you.” 

Once the celebrations with his closest family and friends ended and he was officially signed, Melendez headed down to Northport, Florida, to join the rest of Atlanta’s draft class at the Braves’ spring training facility. Melendez explained that having access to advanced technology, pitching stats, and recovery tools has been game changing.  

“I spent more time warming up my body than I did actually [pitching],” he said. He also added that the lessons he learned in the purple and gold prepared him well for the next level.  

Having coaches and teammates at Montevallo that demanded a high standard of accountability and discipline hasn’t changed in his professional transition. 

“Every single time we went on the field, we were in the weight room, like every single time we were expected to do 110%,” said Melendez. 

Now, Melendez has five months to prepare for spring training in February. In that time, he wants to gain velocity in his pitching to hopefully have a chance at moving up through the Minor League system. But long-term, Melendez is focused on living out his childhood dreams.  

“I don’t want to just be in the professional level, I want to be in the professional level. In the major leagues,” he explained.  

Melendez says his steady faith keeps him grounded as he pursues his baseball goals. Playing in a way that honors God, he added, is what motivates him to inspire others. 

“While I’m on this side of eternity, I’m going to continue to try to play the game I love for as long as I can,” he said.  

As Melendez begins this next chapter, his focus remains clear. Grow, grind, and give glory where it’s due.  

What he’s taken with him from his time at Montevallo will follow him all the way to the big league ballparks, and no matter how far the journey takes him, Melendez plans to keep doing what he loves, one pitch at a time.