Four Cougars Selected on Day Two of the MLB Draft

HOUSTON – Four Houston Baseball players were selected on the second day of the MLB Draft to bring the total to five Cougars selected during the weekend event.

Pitchers Alex Solis (418^th overall) and Ryne Rodriguez (433^rd overall) were selected in the 14^th Round by the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively. Pitcher Richie Roman heard his named called by the Kansas City Royals in the 17^th round with the 509^th overall pick and first baseman Carsten Sabathia III rounded out the Cougar draftees in the 20^th round at 631^st overall as he was chosen by the Milwaukee Brewers.

The quartet of second-day picks join Tre Broussard, who was taken in the third round on Saturday by the Cleveland Guardians, as Houston's 2026 draftees.

DRAFT NOTES

Houston's five players drafted this season tied for 21^st nationally and second in the Big 12 Conference.
The Cougars' five draftees are the team's most since five were also taken in the 2019 Draft. It's the first time Houston has had five selected in the Top 20 rounds since five were taken in the first 10 rounds of the 2017 Draft.
Houston had multiple position players taken in the same draft for the first time since Connor Wong and Joe Davis were selected in 2019.
Houston had multiple players drafted for the 41^st time in program history. They've had multiple picks in 41 of the 59 MLB Drafts since 1968.
The five players drafted are tied for the ninth most in program history. Houston posted its 13^th year with five-or-more draft picks.
With a trio taken, the Cougars have had 92 pitchers taken in the MLB Draft.
With five taken in this year's Draft, Houston has had 171 players selected in program history.

ABOUT ALEX SOLIS
Solis, a three-year member of the Cougars, sits with a career 6-6 record and 6.19 ERA. He's amassed 102 strikeouts across 61 appearances and 93.0 innings on the mound. He struck out multiple batters in 18 of his 26 career outings.

In 2026, Solis posted career highs with three wins, 23 appearances, 37.2 innings pitched and 37 strikeouts while limiting opposing batters to a .285 average. He led Houston in appearances while also picking off a pair of runners, tying for the team lead. Within the first three weeks of the season, he had secured two wins for the Cougars, earning the decision in victories against Manhattan and Sam Houston.

Solis was the ninth Cougar to be drafted by the San Francisco Giants. He's the first Houston player to be taken by the club since it picked Ashford Fulmer in the 28^th round with the 846^th overall pick in 2015.

ABOUT RYNE RODRIGUEZ
Rodriguez joined Houston for his senior season after spending two years with Ole Miss and a season at Weatherford College. During his three Division I seasons, the southpaw earned three wins and four saves with a 4.24 ERA in 85.0 innings across 54 appearances.

The Fort Worth native had a breakout season in 2026, setting new career-bests with four saves, two wins, 55.1 innings pitched and 57 strikeouts. He led the team in ERA and punch-outs while posting multiple strikeouts in 16 of his 21 appearances. Rodriguez was a reliable late-game presence, finishing seven games for Houston and earning nearly half of the team's nine saves on the season, including against #2 Texas.

Rodriguez was the seventh Cougar to be drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was the first to be selected by the club since it picked Connor Wong in the third round with the 100th overall pick in 2017.

ABOUT RICHIE ROMAN
Another three-year member of Houston Baseball, Roman collected a 5-6 collegiate record while also adding 98 strikeouts on a 5.55 ERA. He appeared in 40 games, making 12 starts. He spent much of the 2025 season operating as a closer, notching seven saves.

Another 2026 breakout player, Roman knocked nearly three runs off his previous season's ERA as he notched a 3.86 earned run average in 13 appearances and four starts. The junior tallied a 2-1 record with 31 strikeouts and a .231 opposing batting average.

Roman was the seventh Cougar to be drafted by the Kansas City Royals. He was the first Houston player to be taken by the club since it picked Ben Sears in the 14th round with the 415th overall pick in 2022.

ABOUT CARSTEN SABATHIA III
Sabathia wrapped up a four-year collegiate career with a pair of seasons in Houston after spending his freshman and sophomore seasons at Georgia Tech. During his Cougar campaigns, Sabathia amassed a .260/.355/.455 slash while collecting eight homers, eight doubles and 36 RBIs.

Sabathia went out with a bang in 2026, tripling his career home runs total with six on the year and posting a career-high .283 average with 18 RBIs and a .511 slugging percentage. He was named to the Frisco Classic All-Tournament Team after going 4-for-8 during the weekend including a double and homer against Iowa. He was one of two Cougars to hit a grand slam during the season, doing so as part of a five-RBI performance against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on March 7.

Sabathia was the fifth Cougar to be drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers. He was the first Houston player to be taken by the club since it drafted Aaron Garza in the 29^th round with the 866^th overall pick in 2014.

Carsten's father, Hall of Famer C.C. Sabathia, played for the Brewers for part of the 2008 season.

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– UHCougars.com –

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Tre Broussard

Ryne Rodriguez

Richie Roman

Carsten Sabathia III

Alex Solis

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