TicketsCINCINNATI – Cincinnati pitcher Nathan Taylor was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the third round of the 2026 MLB Draft on Saturday.
Taylor was the second Bearcat picked in the draft after Jack Natili was picked just 25 selections earlier, going No. 76 overall to the Colorado Rockies.
His selection marks the highest a Cincinnati right-handed pitcher has ever been picked in the draft, and he is the first UC pitcher drafted regardless of handedness since Evan Shawver in 2021.
“Nate leaves Cincinnati as one of the most successful pitchers in school history,” head coach Jordan Bischel said. “His ability to anchor our pitching staff has coincided with our growth into a consistent winning program on a national stage.”
Taylor is just the second Bearcat to be drafted by the Mariners, joining George Glinatsis who was picked by Seattle in both 1990 and 1991.
Taylor became the first UC pitcher to be named an All-American since Tim Burman in 1974 when he received the honor from Perfect Game earlier this summer. He earned his third all-conference nod this season as well and left his mark on the Cincinnati record book, setting career record for wins (22) and finishing third all-time in strikeouts (276) while also breaking the single-season strikeout record this year (115). Taylor ranked 23rd nationally in strikeouts in 2026.
As a freshman in 2024, Taylor started 16 games and was 8-2 with 70 strikeouts in 72.2 frames. He went on to post ERAs under 4.00 in each of the next two seasons and saw his strikeout totals climb to 91 in 2025 and his record-setting 115 in 2026. Taylor took the bump against Wake Forest in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, striking out seven in six innings of work to lead UC to a win.
A local product, Taylor starred at West Clermont High School and helped lead his team to conference and regional titles as a senior in 2023.
Taylor was a 2026 MLB Draft Combine invitee and was one of the Top 250 draft prospects according to MLB Pipeline’s last ranking before the draft.
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