{"id":370729,"date":"2026-07-13T01:40:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T01:40:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/370729\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T01:40:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T01:40:12","slug":"four-cougars-selected-on-day-two-of-the-mlb-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/370729\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Cougars Selected on Day Two of the MLB Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

HOUSTON \u2013\u00a0Four Houston Baseball players were selected on the second day of the MLB Draft to bring the total to five Cougars selected during the weekend event.\u00a0
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\nPitchers Alex Solis<\/a> (418th\u00a0overall) and Ryne Rodriguez<\/a> (433rd\u00a0overall) were selected in the 14th\u00a0Round by the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively. Pitcher Richie Roman<\/a> heard his named called by the Kansas City Royals in the 17th\u00a0round with the 509th\u00a0overall pick and first baseman Carsten Sabathia III<\/a> rounded out the Cougar draftees in the 20th\u00a0round at 631st\u00a0overall as he was chosen by the Milwaukee Brewers.\u00a0
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\nThe quartet of second-day picks join Tre Broussard<\/a>, who was taken in the third round on Saturday by the Cleveland Guardians, as Houston’s 2026 draftees.\u00a0
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\nDRAFT NOTES<\/p>\n


\n\tHouston’s five players drafted this season tied for 21st\u00a0nationally and second in the Big 12 Conference.\u00a0
\n\tThe Cougars’ five draftees are the team’s most since five were also taken in the 2019 Draft. It’s the first time Houston has had five selected in the Top 20 rounds since five were taken in the first 10 rounds of the 2017 Draft.
\n\tHouston had multiple position players taken in the same draft for the first time since Connor Wong and Joe Davis were selected in 2019.
\n\tHouston had multiple players drafted for the 41st\u00a0time in program history. They’ve had multiple picks in 41 of the 59 MLB Drafts since 1968.\u00a0
\n\tThe five players drafted are tied for the ninth most in program history. Houston posted its 13th\u00a0year with five-or-more draft picks.
\n\tWith a trio taken, the Cougars have had 92 pitchers taken in the MLB Draft.
\n\tWith five taken in this year’s Draft, Houston has had 171 players selected in program history. <\/p>\n

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\nABOUT ALEX SOLIS
\nSolis, a three-year member of the Cougars, sits with a career 6-6 record and 6.19 ERA. He’s amassed 102 strikeouts across 61 appearances and 93.0 innings on the mound. He struck out multiple batters in 18 of his 26 career outings.
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\nIn 2026, Solis posted career highs with three wins, 23 appearances, 37.2 innings pitched and 37 strikeouts while limiting opposing batters to a .285 average. He led Houston in appearances while also picking off a pair of runners, tying for the team lead. Within the first three weeks of the season, he had secured two wins for the Cougars, earning the decision in victories against Manhattan and Sam Houston.\u00a0
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\nSolis was the ninth Cougar to be drafted by the San Francisco Giants. He’s the first Houston player to be taken by the club since it picked Ashford Fulmer in the 28th\u00a0round with the 846th\u00a0overall pick in 2015.
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\nABOUT RYNE RODRIGUEZ
\nRodriguez joined Houston for his senior season after spending two years with Ole Miss and a season at Weatherford College. During his three Division I seasons, the southpaw earned three wins and four saves with a 4.24 ERA in 85.0 innings across 54 appearances.\u00a0
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\nThe Fort Worth native had a breakout season in 2026, setting new career-bests with four saves, two wins, 55.1 innings pitched and 57 strikeouts. He led the team in ERA and punch-outs while posting multiple strikeouts in 16 of his 21 appearances. Rodriguez was a reliable late-game presence, finishing seven games for Houston and earning nearly half of the team’s nine saves on the season, including against #2 Texas.
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\nRodriguez was the seventh Cougar to be drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was the first to be selected by the club since it picked Connor Wong in the third round with the 100th overall pick in 2017.
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\nABOUT RICHIE ROMAN
\nAnother three-year member of Houston Baseball, Roman collected a 5-6 collegiate record while also adding 98 strikeouts on a 5.55 ERA. He appeared in 40 games, making 12 starts. He spent much of the 2025 season operating as a closer, notching seven saves.\u00a0
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\nAnother 2026 breakout player, Roman knocked nearly three runs off his previous season’s ERA as he notched a 3.86 earned run average in 13 appearances and four starts. The junior tallied a 2-1 record with 31 strikeouts and a .231 opposing batting average.\u00a0
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\nRoman was the seventh Cougar to be drafted by the Kansas City Royals. He was the first Houston player to be taken by the club since it picked Ben Sears in the 14th round with the 415th overall pick in 2022.
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\nABOUT CARSTEN SABATHIA III
\nSabathia wrapped up a four-year collegiate career with a pair of seasons in Houston after spending his freshman and sophomore seasons at Georgia Tech. During his Cougar campaigns, Sabathia amassed a .260\/.355\/.455 slash while collecting eight homers, eight doubles and 36 RBIs.\u00a0
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\nSabathia went out with a bang in 2026, tripling his career home runs total with six on the year and posting a career-high .283 average with 18 RBIs and a .511 slugging percentage. He was named to the Frisco Classic All-Tournament Team after going 4-for-8 during the weekend including a double and homer against Iowa. He was one of two Cougars to hit a grand slam during the season, doing so as part of a five-RBI performance against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on March 7.\u00a0
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\nSabathia was the fifth Cougar to be drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers. He was the first Houston player to be taken by the club since it drafted Aaron Garza in the 29th\u00a0round with the 866th\u00a0overall pick in 2014.\u00a0
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\nCarsten’s father, Hall of Famer C.C. Sabathia, played for the Brewers for part of the 2008 season.\u00a0
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\nSUPPORT THE COUGARS\u00a0
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\nSTAY CONNECTED\u00a0\u00a0
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