A Milestone for Lindenwood Baseball
Josh Newell a right handed pitcher who spent his college years at Lindenwood University has inked a deal with the New York Yankees as an undrafted free agent marking the first time a Lindenwood product has joined an MLB organization since 2017
Newell closes his collegiate career with a solid 21 win record and a 3.97 earned run average having thrown 297.1 innings across five seasons His most recent campaign in 2026 saw him post a 6 5 slate a 2.65 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 102 innings numbers that helped him earn First Team All OVC honors and the conference’s Pitcher of the Year award in 2025
Path to the Majors
What sets Newell apart is not just raw statistics but consistency He posted the lowest ERA among starting pitchers in conference play and finished his senior year with a 10‑2 record and a 3.15 ERA cementing his status as one of the most reliable arms in the Ohio Valley Circuit
Hailing from St Charles Missouri Newell grew up watching the Cardinals and dreaming of a pinstripe uniform His progression from a modest Division I program to the Yankees farm system illustrates the growing pipeline of talent emerging from non Power Five schools
The signing also underscores a broader narrative for Lindenwood baseball which has seen five of its alumni sign professional contracts since 2015 While the path to the majors remains competitive Newell’s arrival signals that even programs outside the traditional power structure can produce players ready for the highest level