The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Harrison selected in eighth round of 2026 MLB Draft
07.12.2026 | Baseball
Left-hander made 79 appearances during five-year career in burnt orange
AUSTIN, Texas — University of Texas standout Luke Harrison was picked in the eighth round (No. 234 overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2026 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Sunday afternoon.
Harrison became the fifth Longhorn to hear their name called in the draft, alongside Minnesota Twins' second-round choice Carson Tinney (No. 42 overall), New York Mets' third-rounder Aiden Robbins (No. 92 overall), Philadelphia Phillies' third-round selection Ruger Riojas (No. 100 overall) and Twins' eighth-round pick Thomas Burns (No. 227 overall).
A 6-foot-2, 220-pound left-hander, Harrison blossomed into a stalwart in Texas' rotation over his final two seasons on The Forty Acres.
Across his time on The Forty Acres, he notched a 12-5 ledger with three saves and a 3.83 ERA. Harrison tallied 214 strikeouts over 200 innings in 79 appearances, including 33 starts.
In 2026, the graduate student logged a 6-4 mark and a 4.10 ERA in 83 1/3 frames, the second-most on the club.
Harrison eclipsed the century mark in punchouts, as he teamed up with Riojas (120) and Dylan Volantis (135) as the first trio of Longhorns to record 100 strikeouts in a single season since 1988.
Behind Harrison and one of the top pitching staffs in the country, Texas reached its NCAA-best 39th Men's College World Series.
Following his collegiate career, the Friendswood, Texas, native earned a spot on the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.
Earlier on Sunday, Harrison collected six strikeouts over five innings of two-run baseball, guiding USA to a 10-6 win over Chinese Taipei in its World Collegiate Baseball Championship opener in Taichung City, Taiwan.
