Two Kansas baseball players taken Sunday in Major League Baseball Draft
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- Detroit selected KU left fielder Brady Ballinger in the seventh round, No. 216 overall.
- Kansas pitcher Mathis Nayral was taken in the 13th round at No. 402 overall by Toronto.
- The 2026 draft was Kansas’ first time with three Jayhawks taken in the top 10 rounds.
The Detroit Tigers, who selected Kansas shortstop Tyson LeBlanc in the second round of the Major League Baseball Draft on Saturday, chose left fielder Brady Ballinger in the seventh round Sunday.
Also, pitcher Mathis Nayral on Sunday was taken in Round 13 of the draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. Ballinger went No. 216 overall and Nayral No. 402 overall in the two-day draft. Ballinger became the ninth highest drafted position player in KU history.
Pitcher Dominic Voegele on Saturday had been selected in the third round by Baltimore at No. 82 overall.
The 2026 draft marks the first time in school history that three Jayhawks were taken in the top-10 rounds of a draft.
“We have a number of returners who we anticipated getting drafted. It just shows that this is truly the deepest that college baseball has ever been and spots in professional baseball are becoming more and more rare,” KU coach Dan Fitzgerald said.
“For Tyson, Dom, Brady and Mathis to get these opportunities, it’s a real tip of the cap to their ability and their projection as professionals. We’re really looking forward to watching them in the next stage of their career.”
This marks the third time Ballinger and LeBlanc will have played for the same team. They were teammates on the roster of the St. Cloud Rox of the Northwoods League two summers ago. The last pair of KU players selected by the same team in the same MLB Draft were Kodey Shojinaga and Tegan Cain. They went to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2024.
Ballinger, a 6-2 junior from Las Vegas, earned honorable mention all-Big 12 last season.
Ballinger tied for first in the Big 12 in sacrifice flies (nine) and tied for fifth in walks (45). His 45 walks were second on the team and he finished the year with a .993 fielding percentage. He had a team-high 25-game reached base safely streak from March 27-May 8, 2026 and a 21-game on-base streak to open the season.
“Brady had a great two-year run for us,” Fitzgerald said. “He was a key piece of both our NCAA Tournament teams. Brady has a great hit tool and has also shown defensive versatility. Really excited to watch him in his professional career.”
Nayral, the third player from France to ever be taken in the MLB Draft, as a junior this past season went 4-3 with a 4.96 ERA in 69 innings pitched. He recorded 71 strikeouts compared to 28 walks in his 18 appearances. His 17 starts were tied for the fifth most in KU single-season history and tied for 11th most nationally.
“Mathis had a great year for us and has a really bright future ahead of him,” Fitzgerald said. “Toronto did a really nice job of scouting him. Really proud of Mathis and I’m looking forward to following his future,” Fitzgerald said.
This story was originally published July 12, 2026 at 9:56 PM with the headline "Two Kansas baseball players taken Sunday in Major League Baseball Draft."
