Four former Flames selected in 2026 MLB Draft

Following an impressive 2026 campaign in which Liberty Baseball reached the NCAA Athens, Ga., Regional, four members of that squad are now taking their baseball careers to the next level with selections in the Major League Baseball Draft over the weekend.

Liberty pitcher Ben Blair became the Flames’ second highest MLB Draft pick in program history after the Tampa Bay Rays selected him in the second round with the 49th overall pick on Saturday. The right-hander’s selection trails only Sid Bream, who was taken with the 48th pick in the second round by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1981.

On Sunday, shortstop Tanner Marsh and pitchers Tyler August and Josh Swink followed suit with selections in the ninth (261st overall), 16th (471st overall), and 17th (494th pick overall) rounds, respectively.

Swink was taken by the Colorado Rockies, with Marsh and August continuing their time as teammates after joint selections by the Athletics.

Liberty has now had 83 players taken in the MLB Draft during the 53-year history of its program. The Flames have had at least one player chosen in each draft since 2000, except for the 2020 draft, which was limited to five rounds due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier this month, Blair was named to both the D1Baseball.com and the 2026 Perfect Game College All-American teams. The pitcher became one of seven Flames to be selected to an NCAA Division I All-America team in school history. Joining Blair as Flames to receive All-America honors during the program’s Division I era were 2026 teammate Cooper Harrington, pitcher Trevor DeLaite in 2021, second baseman Ryan Seiz in 2014, pitcher Jared Lyons in 2015, outfielder D.J. Artis in 2017, and relief pitcher Evan Brabrand in 2019.

Blair became only the second player in program history to be selected to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List.

A 2026 National Pitcher of the Year Semifinalist, Blair posted a 7-5 record with a 3.53 ERA over 94 1/3 innings. In 16 starts, the junior struck out 113 and walked 17 to finish the year with a stellar 6.65 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The right-hander held opponents to a .224 batting average, yielded 1.62 walks per nine innings, and had a 1.03 WHIP.

The Gretna, Va., native finished among the national leaders in several categories. The junior finished the year among the nation’s leaders in strikeouts (22nd), strikeout-to-walk ratio (8th), WHIP (18th), and walks allowed per nine innings (23rd).

In his three seasons at Liberty, Blair, who was a relief pitcher as a freshman, posted a 17-13 record with a 3.58 ERA and three saves over 54 appearances, 33 starts. In 226 1/3 innings, he struck out 249 and walked 70.

Marsh, the 2026 CUSA Player of the Year, was one of the nation’s 50 best shortstops named a 2026 Brooks Wallace Award Semifinalist by the College Baseball Foundation. The top 50 shortstops were selected based on both their offensive and defensive production during the 2026 season.

Also selected as the 2026 CUSA Defensive Player of the Year, Marsh led the Flames with a .336 batting average, 89 hits, and a school-record 70 runs scored. Liberty’s leadoff hitter also led the team with 18 doubles, five triples, 23 stolen bases and 24 multi-hit games. The junior finished the year with 44 RBI, a .498 slugging percentage, a .420 on-base percentage and 40 walks.

Defensively, Marsh committed seven errors in 259 chances for a .969 fielding percentage this past season. The Asheboro, N.C., native had 153 assists.

Marsh finished the year among the national leaders in runs scored (24th) and hits (19th). Defensively, he finished the year fifth nationally with 14.31 defensive runs saved.

The shortstop finished 2026 leading CUSA in runs scored, hits and defensive assists. Marsh was also among the CUSA leaders in batting average (7th), triples (2nd), walks (8th) and stolen bases (4th).

Marsh set a new program record for runs scored in a season with 70. In addition, his season hit total of 89 ties him for eighth on the single-season list.

He became the 22nd player in Liberty history to record 200 or more hits for his career. Marsh finished 2026 with 215 career hits. In addition, he scored 162 career runs, placing him eighth on the program’s all-time list.

Marsh, who started every game of his Liberty career, hit .303 with 46 doubles, seven triples and 11 home runs over 178 games. He had 86 RBI and 45 stolen bases. In the field, he posted a .949 fielding percentage.

August posted his best season as a Flame in 2026. The right-hander posted a 7-0 record with a 3.47 ERA and one save during a team-high 28 appearances. The junior held opponents to a .209 batting average over 46 2/3 innings, striking out 60 and walking 26. In addition, he posted an 11.59 strikeouts per nine innings average.

August finished the year third in CUSA in appearances and tied for fifth in wins. The New Castle, Del., native was considered one of the top relievers in the nation, ranking among the top 30 in D1Baseball.com’s position rankings throughout the year.

In two seasons at Liberty after transferring from Delaware, August posted a 9-2 record with a 3.68 ERA and three saves in 47 games, all in relief. The right-hander struck out 95 and walked 31 over 46 1/3 innings.

Swink went 3-3 with a 4.15 ERA over 21 appearances, five of which were starts, in 2026. The junior left-hander struck out 60 and walked 24 over 56 1/3 innings, holding opponents to a .257 batting average. He earned his second CSC Baseball Academic All-District Team ® honor this season.

In three seasons on Liberty Mountain, the Newton, N.C., native posted a 7-8 record with a 4.82 ERA over 57 career appearances, 13 of which were starts. He struck out 105 and walked 57 over 117 2/3 innings. The left-hander held opponents to a .276 batting average.

Marsh, August, and Swink joined Blair in helping Liberty tie the program record for wins in a season, posting a 43-21 record and receiving an at-large selection to the NCAA Athens Regional. The Flames advanced to their third regional final before being eliminated by College World Series-bound Georgia.