Texas A&M’s 2026 season may have ended at the hands of USC in the College Station Regional, but second-year coach Michael Earley accomplished his goal of leading the Aggies back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2024 season, while the offense averaged .301 at the plate, paired with 121 home runs. However, Texas A&M‘s pitching was a consistent issue, leading to the firing of pitching coach Jason Kelley.
This offseason, before the 2026 MLB Draft, Earley and his staff, now including new pitching coach Barry Enright, combined with the return of recruiting ace and catchers coach Nolan Cain, have landed an impressive haul from the transfer portal, now made up of 13 new additions, led by former Clemson catcher Nate Savoie, paired with seven pitchers.
On Saturday, during the first round of the MLB Draft, the first of Texas A&M’s top three batters, former Maryland transfer infielder Chris Hacopian, was selected 11th overall by the Washington Nationals, as the Maryland native will be playing close to home after just one season with the Aggies, slashing .319/.405/.578 with 11 home runs and 41 RBI.
With Hacopian’s selection, Texas A&M has produced a first-round MLB Draft pick for three consecutive seasons, a program record and further indication that Michael Earley is the right man for the job at this time. Starting with Braden Montgomery, who was selected 12th overall by the Boston Red Sox in 2024 and made his debut with the Chicago White Sox this summer, and record-setter and star outfielder Jace LaViolette, who was selected 27th overall by the Cleveland Guardians last summer.
For the first time EVER, @AggieBaseball has produced first-round draft picks in three consecutive drafts 👀
2024: @B_mont_ – Boston, 12th overall
2025: @JaceLaViolette2 – Cleveland, 27th
TODAY: Chris Hacopian – Washington, 11th pic.twitter.com/BA91anYAwC— Richard Zane (@RichardZane32) July 11, 2026
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M sets record with 3 straight first-round MLB Draft picks
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