PHILADELPHIA – Saint Joseph's pitchers Andrew Gaines, Christian Coppola, and Duke McCarron were selected in the 2026 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Sunday afternoon.
 
Gaines was selected with the 311th overall pick in the 10th round by the Milwaukee Brewers, Coppola went in the 12th round at number 369 to the hometown Philadelphia Phillies, and McCarron was drafted by the Miami Marlins in the 17th round with the 505th overall selection.
 
In addition, incoming freshman infielder Brayden Fry was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 16th round with the 470th pick and incoming freshman outfielder Eddie Rosado, Jr., was drafted in the 20th round with the 612th overall pick by the Toronto Blue Jays.
 
"Another big day for the Hawk baseball program!" head coach Fritz Hamburg said.  "We are all very happy for Andrew, Christian, and Duke.  They were a big part of the special year we had and it's great to see them all getting the opportunity to continue their baseball journey into the pro side of the game.
 
"It's also exciting to see two of our incoming freshmen, Eddie Rosado and Brayden Fry, be taken in today's rounds.  They obviously have a decision to make in signing or coming to Hawk Hill, but we are very happy for them as well."
 
Hailing from Marlton, New Jersey, Gaines earned Second Team All-Conference accolades after leading the Atlantic 10 in saves with 10, tying the program's single-season record, leading the Hawks with 24 appearances.  He has posted a better than 4-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio during the regular season that jumped past 5-to-1 in league play and struck out 13.9 batters per nine innings.  Gaines held batters to a .221 average overall and a .170 average in conference play, and after starting the season with nine consecutive scoreless outings, was named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year watch list.
 
Coppola appeared in 13 games for the Hawks this season, with 12 of them coming in relief; he posted a sparkling 1.69 earned run average with a WHIP of 0.88 across 37 and a third innings on the way to First Team All-Region honors.  He struck out 69 batters, good for second on the team, and posted a strikeouts-per-nine ratio of 16.63, a rate that would lead all of Division I had he thrown enough innings to qualify.  The native of Galloway, New Jersey, fanned 11 in his lone start of the season at Sacramento State on February 20, and struck out seven or more in six of his 13 appearances.  Coppola also unfurled an "immaculate inning" against Saint Louis on April 3, retiring all three batters in the top of the fifth inning on three-pitch strikeouts.
 
McCarron served as the Hawks' Friday starter, ranking second on the team in innings pitched, third in strikeouts, and fourth in wins.  He notched his first victory as a Hawk as part of a combined shutout at Bucknell on March 6, and would go on to complete five or more innings in seven of his starts in 2026.  He also struck out a season-high seven against the Bison before matching that total against VCU on May 8.  All told, McCarron allowed two or fewer runs in eight of his starts.
 
The three combined to help lead to Hawks to a program-record 36 overall wins, an Atlantic 10-record 25 conference victories, and the program's second Atlantic 10 regular season championship in four seasons.
 
"With having 10 guys currently in MLB organizations and one in the Mexican League, and now having Andrew, Christian, and Duke moving along, it's really special to have so many guys living out their baseball aspirations," Hamburg said.  "I am very proud of our development process within the program."
 
Gaines, Coppola, and McCarron bring Saint Joseph's all-time total of MLB draftees to 37, with 17 of those coming during Hamburg's tenure on Hawk Hill.  It is the second time in three years that three or more Hawks were chosen in the same draft; Matt McShane, Ryan Cesarini, Luke Gabrysh, and Ryan Picollo were all selected in 2024.