PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (July 12, 2026) – ETSU baseball player Michael Harpster was drafted by the New York Yankees in the seventh round (218th overall pick) of the 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft on Sunday afternoon. Harpster is the first ETSU pitcher to be selected by an MLB franchise since Austin Emener in 2023 by the Colorado Rockies and the highest since Landon Knack in 2020 (60th overall) by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"This is such an incredible accomplishment," said ETSU Head Baseball Coach Joe Pennucci. "Harp is a tremendous worker, disciplined in all that he does and a great representative of our program. I'm so happy for Michael Harpster and his wonderful family. Congratulations on this well-deserved opportunity!"
Harpster has been a staple in ETSU's starting rotation since arriving on campus for the 2024 season. For his career as a Buc, Harpster had a 21-6 career record with a 4.73 ERA in 213.1 innings. Harpster, who struck out 209 hitters in an ETSU uniform, was a multiple-time All-SoCon selection and collected a pair of SoCon Pitcher of the Week awards.
In 2026, Harpster paced all ETSU pitchers in nearly every pitching category. The Lynchburg, Virginia native went 6-2 with a 4.00 ERA in 72 innings pitched (14 starts). His 21 wins as a Buc are tied for the fourth-most in program history with Nathanial Tate. Only Jeff Andrews (34 wins), Jeremy Hall (24 wins), and Matt Baber (22 wins) sit ahead of Harpster on ETSU's all-time wins list.
Harpster extends the streak of ETSU players being selected in the MLB Draft to four straight years, joining Austin Emener (2023 – Colorado Rockies), Cameron Sisneros (2024 – Chicago Cubs), and
Cody Miller (2025 – Atlanta Braves). The last time that Bucs had at least one player drafted in four consecutive years was from 1978-1983, when they had a player selected in six straight years.
Harpster is the first ETSU player ever to be drafted by the Yankees. He is the third-highest ETSU pitcher to be selected in the MLB Draft behind only Atlee Hammaker and Landon Knack. Additionally, Harpster is the seventh-highest draft pick in program history.
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