GROVES, Texas — The Toronto Blue Jays selected McNeese pitcher Grant Rogers in the 11th round of the MLB Draft.
Rogers spent the last two seasons in Lake Charles. In 2023, the two-time Southland Conference Pitcher of the Year posted a 12-1 record with a 1.82 ERA.
Rogers set a new single-season record for McNeese with his 12 wins while also leading the league with his ERA. His 1.82 ERA was the third-best in the nation.
Rogers started the season 10-0, including a win against Lamar. That record made him the first pitcher at McNeese to win 10 games without a loss. On top of that, he threw four complete shutouts and two combined shutouts.
"All the hard work I put in this past off season, the changes I had to make to be great, that's all I really want to do," Rogers said. "I want to be a good teammate. I just want to be myself and play the game I like."
"It's been a crazy three days, and we have just been praying that the right place would give him an opportunity, and just that he would get the chance to do something that he dreamed of, probably since he could talk since is what he's wanted to do," Aimee Rogers, Grant's mom, said.
"Yeah, very exciting and just ready to watch his next adventure," Mike Rogers, Grant's dad, said.
"I'm pretty scared of birds," Grant said. "That's one of my worst fears, but go Blue Jays."
On day three of the draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Khristian Curtis in the 12th round not long after Rogers got his call.
Curtis went 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA at Texas A&M. Then, Curtis went 4-3 with a 7.03 ERA in 15 appearances with 14 starts for the Arizona State Sun Devils.