The Gophers had a big day two at the 2026 MLB Draft, with eight players off the board by the time it wrapped up, per Gopher Sports. Cole Selvig went 176th overall in the sixth round to the Miami Marlins, and Isaac Morton followed at 188th overall, also in the sixth round, to the Chicago Cubs. Marcus Kruzan went 371st overall in the 12th round to the Milwaukee Brewers, Jack Spanier went 386th in the 13th round to the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Will Whelan went 387th in the 13th round to the Texas Rangers. Charlie Sutherland went 460th overall in the 15th round to the Seattle Mariners, high school commit Keaton Maiorana went one pick later at 461st to the Brewers, and Weber Neels closed out the group at 566th overall in the 19th round to the Diamondbacks.
The haul keeps Minnesota's draft streak alive at 39 consecutive years with at least one player selected, a run that dates back to 1988 when Jay Kvasnicka went in the eighth round to the Minnesota Twins, per Gopher Sports.
Selvig, a junior right-hander, made 14 appearances and started all of them in 2026, going 5-4 with a 5.21 ERA and 58 strikeouts over 67.1 innings — he led the staff in wins, innings and appearances. Morton, also a junior right-hander, started all 13 of his appearances and posted a 4-2 record with a 3.26 ERA and 63 strikeouts over 60.2 innings, topping the staff in ERA, opposing batting average, win percentage and strikeouts. That earned him Second Team All-Big Ten honors.
Kruzan started 12 of his 14 appearances and went 4-5 with a 4.10 ERA and 54 strikeouts over 54.4 innings, including a season-high six strikeouts in four innings against Michigan. Spanier started all 51 games at shortstop, hitting .291 with a .428 on-base percentage, 16 doubles, four triples, five homers and 35 RBIs, leading the team in doubles, triples and walks.
Whelan worked 12 games in relief, finishing 0-0 with a 6.19 ERA and 19 strikeouts over 16 innings, with a season-high five strikeouts at Penn State. Sutherland played in all 53 games and started 52, hitting .325 with a .434 on-base percentage, 11 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs, 56 RBIs, 63 hits and 47 runs over 194 at-bats — he led the team in hits and RBIs and earned Third Team All-Big Ten honors.
Maiorana, a Class of 2026 commit rather than a current Gopher, is ranked the 43rd-best player overall and 15th-best right-handed pitcher in Colorado by Prep Baseball Report, and the 500th-ranked player and 436th-ranked righty nationally by Perfect Game USA, per Gopher Sports.
Neels, a senior catcher, closed out his Minnesota career by starting 50 of his 51 games and hitting .337 with a .437 on-base percentage, 10 doubles, 13 home runs, 53 RBIs, 62 hits and 49 runs over 184 at-bats. He led the team in batting average, OPS, slugging percentage, hit-by-pitches and sacrifice flies, and earned First Team All-Big Ten honors for his efforts.