Arlington, Tex. —- The Texas Rangers selected Catawba College first baseman Brandon Crabtree with the 16th round of the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft, the team announced Sunday afternoon.
The First Team All-American was taken with the 477th overall pick, becoming the first Catawba player since 2019 to be taken in the MLB Draft and the 18th player selected under head coach Jim Gantt. He's the highest drafted Catawba Indian since Craig Brooks was selected in the seventh round of the 2015 MLB Draft.
The Pittsboro, N.C. native earned First Team All-America recognition after finishing the season with a .413 batting average with 102 hits, 24 doubles, 18 homers and 73 runs batted in.
Crabtree earned 2026 South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year honors while helping lead Catawba to its third straight SAC regular season title and its second Southeast Region title in three years. The Catawba Indians picked up two wins at the NCAA DII Baseball Championships, finishing the season as a national semifinalist.
