The 2026 MLB Draft has set a new benchmark for the West Coast Conference, with nine of its players hearing their names called across nine rounds. The selections were spread across four programs, but it was Saint Mary's that led the pack, producing four draftees — the most of any single school in the conference's recent history.
Notable Picks
Max Bayles from Santa Clara was chosen by the Minnesota Twins in the seventh round, while Jayden Lobliner from San Diego went to the St. Louis Cardinals in the ninth round. Diego Castellanos from Saint Mary's was drafted by the New York Yankees in the fourteenth round, and Tanner Griffith became the first Gael selected in the eleventh round. Jacob Johnson from Saint Mary's was picked by the St. Louis Cardinals in the seventeenth round, and Luke Alwood from Seattle U was taken by the Chicago Cubs in the tenth round.
Programs Making an Impact
Santa Clara and San Diego each contributed two players to the draft, rounding out a balanced effort across the conference. The clustering of selections in the later rounds, with three conference players chosen in the seventeenth round, underscores the depth of talent beyond the early picks.