Josh Volmerding, a 2023 graduate of Maria Carrillo High School, heard his name called in the eighth round of the recent MLB Draft, securing a contract slot with the Boston Red Sox.
Draft Night Highlights
The left‑handed pitcher spent his junior year at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where he stood 6‑foot‑4 on the mound and posted a 5.05 earned run average over three seasons, striking out 139 batters in 137 ⅓ innings.
Volmerding’s season was marked by a knee injury that sidelined him for six games, yet he returned to deliver a standout postseason, pitching six quality innings with seven strikeouts in a 5‑2 victory over St. Mary’s that clinched the program’s first ever NCAA regional title in late May.
The Red Sox now face a decision: sign the promising arm or allow him to return for his senior year, a choice that could shape the next chapter of his career.
The draft also highlighted other local talents, including Austin Ehrlicher, a 2021 Maria Carrillo alumnus who is already navigating the minor leagues with the Greenville Drive, the Red Sox High‑A affiliate.
Beyond Volmerding and Ehrlicher, a cascade of area players were selected, from Hideki Prather, a junior catcher at Cal who was taken by the Minnesota Twins, to a host of former college standouts such as Maddox Molony (Detroit Tigers), Derek Schaefer (St. Louis Cardinals), Luke Harrison (St. Louis Cardinals), Cole Stokes (Tampa Bay Rays), Jaden Alba (St. Louis Cardinals), Alex Solis (San Francisco Giants), as well as Paul Gutierrez‑Contreras (New York Yankees), Alfredo Capacete (Texas Rangers) and Mikey Bell (San Francisco Giants).
The depth of talent extends to summer league clubs like the Healdsburg Prune Packers and the Sonoma Stompers, both of which contributed multiple draftees, underscoring the region’s rich baseball pipeline.