The 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft opened with the much-anticipated drafting of junior infielder Roch Cholowsky of UCLA at number one overall. Then, after two days of continuous drafting, Zach Bates, a junior left-handed pitcher out of Illinois State was the last draftee selected. In between those drafts, two Anteaters received the call and were drafted by big-league organizations.
The two Irvine players named in the 2026 Draft class marks a decline from the 2025 Draft Class, coinciding with a slide in the team’s fortunes in the Big West this season. The 2025 ‘Eaters saw seven players selected, the earliest being right-handed pitcher Riley Kelly in the early fourth round. This class was the largest since that of 2019, and clearly saw the team deprived of vital talent going into 2026. Whereas the 2025 UCI Anteaters baseball team won 43 games, the latest success in a 22-year winning-season streak, the 2026 team had a losing record both in-conference and overall, winning just 25 games overall and 14 in the Big West. It’s clear the team had less to give this year.
Nevertheless, the first Anteater drafted was junior right-handed pitcher Trevor Hansen, picked in the ninth round by the Los Angeles Angels as the 259th overall pick. The second ‘Eater selected was redshirt junior left-handed pitcher Ryder Brooks, drafted 538th overall in the 18th round by the San Francisco Giants. The tall southpaw came into the draft unranked, making a late pick — though not entirely unanticipated — welcome.
Throughout the draft’s 20 rounds, junior left-handed pitcher Ricky Ojeda, who on his social media announced his intention to transfer to the University of Tennessee, went undrafted despite being ranked by MLB as the number 243 ranked prospect in the class. This ranking put Ojeda as a late-eighth round pick — however, his name never ended up being selected.
Hansen finished his 2026 season with an earned-run average (ERA) of 4.94. He struck out 96 batters, the sixth most in the Big West, whilst allowing 76 hits and walking 28. His year marks a step back from his sophomore year, where his ERA was over a full run and a half lower at 3.39. Hansen also did not reach his innings total from 2025, pitching 78.1 innings for UCI in 2026.
Nevertheless, Hansen demonstrated a unique ability to go deep into games, pitching into the ninth inning twice in fourteen starts. His three-pitch mix, described as “not sexy” by MLB, includes a 93-94 mile per hour fastball, curveball and changeup. This arsenal powered him to his best year in terms of strikeouts per nine innings, despite regressing in terms of innings pitched and ERA. Nevertheless, his stamina and perseverance, even in rocky starts, provide hope that the tall righty can succeed in Anaheim.
Should Hansen sign, his loss would mark a bittersweet success for the school’s program. Having led the team in strikeouts — and having at least one more year of eligibility — Hansen is the seventh pitcher drafted out of UC Irvine since the draft was reduced to 20 rounds in 2021. His selection would deprive head coach Ben Orloff of a vital rotation arm going into the 2027 season. Hansen’s 2025 season saw him earn All-Big West First Team honors, on top of an All-American Honorable Mention in 2026. Regardless, Hansen’s contributions, which included a six-inning victory over conference champions Cal Poly, will always be appreciated by the Anteater faithful.
Previously a starter in 2024, Brooks initially struggled to find a footing within the rotation. He pitched to an ERA of 5.09, striking out 72 whilst walking 31 and giving up 59 hits in 69 innings. Aside from a complete game shutout pitched against Hawai’i on April 19, he struggled to keep men off base, giving up a WHIP of 1.304. His next year would see much improvement as he was reassigned to a full-time relief role, similar to his role as a redshirt sophomore in 2024.
Brooks pitched to an ERA of 4.86 in 33.1 innings, and struck out 41 batters while walking 11. His 41 strikeouts, while not leading the team, were the highest when adjusting for innings pitched with Ryder holding a team-leading 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings. Such an amount eclipses even that of Hansen. As such, it is unsurprising that Brooks, even with his limited workload and assignment to the bullpen, struck out the fourth most batters of all Anteater pitchers in 2026 and the second-most amongst relievers, only trailing Ojeda.
Additional improvements came with regards to walks, strikeouts and home runs. In 2025, Ryder gave up four walks per nine innings. In 2026, he gave up just three. Similarly, his strikeouts sharply increased, leading his strikeout/walk ratio, statistics heavily correlated with pitcher success, to spike from 2.32 to 3.73. Finally, whereas in 2025 Ryder gave up 0.7 home runs per nine innings, in 2026 he only gave up 0.3 home runs per nine innings, a sharp reduction that, even if the ERA didn’t necessarily reflect, improvements to Ryder’s fundamental process.
With at least one more year of eligibility remaining, Brooks’ drafting deals yet another blow to UCI pitching going into 2027. With underlying metrics improving, his move into professional baseball, whilst a supercharge for his development, deprives the Anteaters of either another starter or a trustworthy bullpen arm. Nevertheless, his journey reflects success for the program’s pitching development overall. His improved command, strikeouts and ability to limit the long-ball will be what hopefully drives a successful future in the Bay. Regardless of his results, Ryder Brooks will be missed in Cicerone Field.
Stanley Shi is a Sports Staff Writer for the summer 2026 quarter. He can be reached at szshi@uci.edu.
Edited by Benjamin Flores and Tracy Sandoval.
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