SAN DIEGO — At least one University of San Diego Torero player has been selected in each of the last 35 MLB Drafts, including the 2024 Major League baseball draft held recently during the all-star break. Not only did USD continue their streak of players being picked but they had their largest draft class in 5 years with five players chosen.
CBS 8's Jake Garegnani caught up with four of the 5 stars who are ready to begin their new journey to the big league.
Josh Randall was the first Torero selected in the third round by the Detroit Tigers, followed by Jakob Christian by the San Francisco Giants and Ariel Armas by the Chicago Cubs in the fifth rounding out. In the tenth round, Jack Costello was selected by the hometown San Diego Padres and in the seventeenth round, Drake Frize went to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Josh Randall | 3rd round selection by the Detroit Tigers
Junior right-handed pitcher Josh Randall was selected in the third round of the 2024 MLB Draft (85th overall pick) by the Detroit Tigers.
When asked about that moment when he heard his name called, Randall told CBS 8, "It was pretty cool. You know, you grow up and you always watch the draft, and you hope that someday you're going to be on that side of it, and then to finally have that dream come to reality is something that's pretty special and pretty surreal."
"A native of San Juan Capistrano, California who attended the University of Arizona for two years before joining San Diego as a transfer, Randall was named to the 2024 All-West Coast Conference Second Team after a high-octane junior campaign. He posted a 4-2 record and a 3.73 ERA across 14 starts and 72.1 innings pitched, striking out a remarkable team-high 84 and walking only 27 while holding opposing batters to a team-low .224 batting average against." according to the USD Athletics website.
Jakob Christian - 5th round selection by the San Francisco Giants
Junior outfielder Jakob Christian was selected in the fifth round of the 2024 MLB Draft (149th overall pick) by the San Francisco Giants.
When asked about that moment when he heard his name called, Christian told CBS 8, " "We're all sitting on the couch just watching the TV, kind of waiting to get the call. I was with my friends and family - and my dog too. That was cool."
"After transferring to San Diego prior to the 2024 season from nearby Point Loma Nazarene — where he was named the 2023 Division II CCA Ron Lenz Player of the Year — he turned in USD's most dominant offensive season since 2013, drawing comparisons to Torero Legend Kris Bryant by batting .364 (72-for-198) with 59 runs scored, 14 doubles, 26 home runs, 67 runs batted in, 28 walks, eight hit by pitches, an .828 slugging percentage, and a .460 on-base percentage while playing in 51 of his team's 56 games and making 51 starts in 2024." according to the USD Athletics website.
Ariel Armas | 5th round selection by the Chicago Cubs
Junior catcher Ariel Armas was selected in the fifth round of the 2024 MLB Draft (153rd overall pick) by the Chicago Cubs.
When asked about that moment when he heard his name called by the Cubs, Armas told CBS 8, "You look back at your family on those sacrifices, my mother, my father, my sister, all my coaches, the hard work that they've helped me put in."
"Armas was recognized as the top defensive catcher in all of amateur baseball last month when he was selected to the nine-player 2024 ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Team. Armas posted a .998 fielding percentage while throwing out 15 would-be base stealers and led the nation with 18.69 Defensive Runs Saved (according to 6-4-3 Charts, as of June 5), 3.58 more runs saved than the next closest player. A native of nearby Chula Vista California who attended nearby Saint Augustine High School, Armas is the first player in San Diego baseball history to earn Gold Glove honors." according to the USD Athletics website.
Jack Costello | 10th round selection by the San Diego Padres
Senior utility player Jack Costello was selected in the 10th round of the 2024 MLB Draft (300th overall pick) by the hometown, San Diego Padres.
When asked about that moment when he heard his name called, Costello told CBS 8, "It's really cool to enjoy it that way, when you have your teammates and friends that care just as much as you and they love you and support you so much and are so happy for you. So it's something that was really cool to see."
"Costello picked up an All-WCC Honorable Mention in 2024 after batting .291 (68-for-234) across all 56 of San Diego's games with 45 runs scored, 17 doubles, two triples, seven home runs, 60 RBIs, a .470 slugging percentage, 21 walks, 10 hit by pitches, and a .369 on-base percentage." according to the USD Athletics website.
Drake Frize | 17th round selection by the Arizona Diamondbacks
Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Drake Frize was selected in the 17th round of the 2024 MLB Draft (524th overall pick) by the Arizona Diamondbacks
"Frize dazzled out of the bullpen for San Diego in 2024, posting a 3-1 record and a 2.38 ERA across 18 appearances and 22.2 innings pitched while striking out 41, walking only nine, holding opposing batters to a minuscule .168 batting average, and notching a pair of saves." according to the USD Athletics website.
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