Junior infielder Colin Yeaman was selected with the 124th pick by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2025 Major League Baseball draft.
The pick came in the fourth round of the draft, and Yeaman, the 97th-ranked prospect, could earn around $605,000 if he decides to sign with the Orioles.
However, sociology major Yeaman could decide to return to UC Irvine as he has collegiate eligibility remaining.
Yeaman was the 2025 Big West field player of the year and a member of the 2025 All-Big West First Team.
Before UC Irvine, Yeaman played at Saugus High School and then played at College of the Canyons, a community college in Santa Clarita.
On May 6 at California Baptist University, Yeaman scored two runs as he walked and hit a home run, and was a critical piece in the Anteaters’ 9-8 victory.
In a game at Anteater Ballpark vs UC Los Angeles on April 22, Yeaman had two hits and two RBIs, including a home run, which proved decisive, in a 5-3 Anteater victory.
On April 13 at UC Davis, Yeaman had three RBIs and a home run in a 13-2 UC Irvine victory.
At Oregon State University on April 6, Yeaman had two hits and two RBI’s which included a home run in a 4-7 loss.
On April 1 at Anteater Ballpark against the University of San Diego, Yeaman had three hits, three runs and four RBIs, including a home run in the 16-7 win.
Again at Anteater Ballpark – this time against UC Riverside on March 30 – Yeaman’s contributions of three hits and three RBIs, including a home run, were crucial for a 7-4 UC Irvine victory.
An opponent Yeaman played well against was the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. On March 23 in Santa Barbara, Yeaman scored twice, including a home run in the 9-4 win. On March 21 against junior right-handed pitcher Tyler Bremner, Yeaman hit a two-run home run. In the same game, Yeaman scored another time and had two other hits in a 10-0 victory.
A defining day of Yeaman’s collegiate career was on March 15 at California State University, Northridge. In the second game of a doubleheader, Yeaman had his best game of the 2025 season as he batted four runs in, including two home runs in a 15-2 win. In the first game of the doubleheader, Yeaman had two hits and two runs, including a home run, for a total of three home runs on March 15.
On Feb. 28 against the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Yeaman hit two runners in a 7-4 victory.
Yeaman’s play was critical in an 11-10 victory over Texas Tech on Feb. 23 where he had three hits, two runs and two RBIs, including a home run.
Yeaman finished the 2025 season with a batting average of .336, which included 62 runs, 83 hits, 16 doubles, four triples, 13 home runs and 56 RBIs.
Jack Fedor is the 2025-2026 Sports Editor. He can be reached at jfedor@uci.edu.
Edited by Benjamin Flores and Joshua Gonzales