SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Three Sacramento State baseball players were selected on day two of the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft on Monday, as right-hander Carson Latimer (Cincinnati), infielder JP Smith (Minnesota), and right-hander Kade Brown (Athletics) were among the 615 players chosen overall during the league's two-day event.
This year's trio becomes the 30th, 31st, and 32nd Hornets either to be drafted or to sign a professional contract with a Major League club under Head Coach Reggie Christiansen since 2011, and marks the 19th consecutive season that a Sacramento State baseball player has been drafted or signed since 2007.
Taken with the 354th overall pick in the 12th round, Latimer became the highest drafted Hornet since Travis Adams (sixth round) and Scott Randall (seventh round) were top-10 round selections in 2021 and is the seventh Sacramento State player drafted by the Reds in program history — the first since infielder Ray Brown was selected in the 28th round in 1994.
In his first season with the Hornets, Latimer made 15 appearances on the mound and started seven games for Sacramento State, finishing 2-3 overall with 28 strikeouts in 36.2 innings of work. He struck out a season-high five in three innings against Abilene Christian on April 5 and had four more strikeouts in three innings against UT Arlington on March 22. Against California Baptist on April 18, he allowed just one hit over four shutout innings, striking out three Lancers.
Smith was selected with the 509th overall pick in the 17th round by Minnesota and became only the fourth Hornet to be drafted by the Twins in program history joining Tanner Mendonca (17th round in 2013), Tyler Beardsley (16th round in 2016), and the aforementioned Adams, who made his Major League debut earlier this month and picked up his first career victory on July 12.
A first-team All-Western Athletic Conference selection for the second time in his career in 2025, Smith finished the campaign hitting .291 while starting all 58 games, scoring 42 runs, collecting 18 doubles, and slugging 12 home runs to go along with a team-high 52 RBI. A three-time All-WAC selection during his career and the school's all-time leader in home runs with 48 over his three seasons, Smith ranked in the top 15 in the WAC in hits (t12th), RBI (t8th), doubles (6th), home runs (t9th), and total bases (10th) this past year.
Brown became the third Sacramento State player selected on Monday, taken by the Athletics in the 20th round (590th overall). It marked the second straight year that the Athletics drafted a Hornet after taking infielder
Gunner Gouldsmith in the 19th round in 2024, while Brown became the ninth Sacramento State player to go from Hornet green and gold to Athletics green and gold.
A third-team All-America selection and finalist for the "Stopper of the Year" by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, Brown was a first-team All-Western Athletic Conference selection in 2025, finishing 3-2 on the mound with a 2.93 ERA, posted 49 strikeouts over 43 innings of work, and held opponents to a .204 average. He ranked tied for fourth in the NCAA in saves with 14 in his 22 appearances overall, a total that ranks tied for second on the school's single-season list.
The Hornets' three draftees this year mark the first time since 2019 that three Sacramento State players were selected in the same season when Austin Roberts was picked by Pittsburgh in the eighth round, Tanner Dalton was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 17th round and Parker Brahms was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 27th round.
It also represents the first time that three Sacramento State players were drafted in the top 20 rounds since 2003 when right-hander Chris Kinsey was selected by Arizona in the fourth round, Jesse Schmidt was taken in the 10th round by San Francisco, and Mikela Olsen was take in the 15th round by Florida (now Miami).
In all, 10 former Hornets have appeared in a Major League game in the history of the program — five of them currently active on MLB rosters (as of July 14): Rhys Hoskins (Milwaukee), Nathan Lukes (Toronto), Sam Long (Kansas City), James Outman (Los Angeles Dodgers), and Adams (Minnesota).
SACRAMENTO STATE BASEBALL DRAFT PICKS BY THE CINCINNATI REDS
Keith Brown, RHP, 1986 (21st round, 540th overall)
Doug Eastman, OF, 1986 (25th round, 636th overall)
Scott Selner, SS, 1987 (26th round, 643rd overall)
Bob Blankenship, RHP, 1989 (21st round, 547th overall)
Eric Bates, RHP, 1989 (31st round, 807th overall)
Ray Brown, 1B, 1994 (28th round, 772nd overall)
Carson Latimer, RHP, 2025 (12th round, 354th overall)
SACRAMENTO STATE BASEBALL DRAFT PICKS BY THE MINNESOTA TWINS
Tanner Mendonca, RHP, 2013 (17th round, 500th overall)
Tyler Beardsley, RHP, 2016 (16th round, 483rd overall)
Travis Adams, RHP, 2021 (6th round, 189th overall)
JP Smith, IF, 2025 (17th round, 509th overall)
SACRAMENTO STATE BASEBALL DRAFT PICKS BY THE ATHLETICS
Steve Necoechea, 1B/OF, 1975
Dennis Stowe, OF, 1980
John Bulleri, P, 1980
Gary Weinberger, OF, 1981 (23rd Round / 585th Overall)
Tim Doyle, LHP, 1991 (6th Round / 178th Overall)
Blake Crosby, 1B, 2009 (42nd Round / 1,263rd Overall)
Justin Higley, OF, 2013 (13th Round / 401st Overall)
Gunner Gouldsmith, IF, 2024 (19th round, 556th)
Kade Brown, RHP, 2025 (20th round, 590th overall)
ALL-TIME HORNETS IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES
Name (Years at Sacramento State), Major League Teams
La Schelle Tarver (1980), Boston Red Sox
Keith Brown (1984-85), Cincinnati Reds
Gary Wilson (1990-92), Pittsburgh Pirates
Erk Bennett (1988-89), Los Angeles Angels & Minnesota Twins
Roland De La Maza (1992-93), Kansas City Royals
Rhys Hoskins (2012-14), Philadelphia Phillies & Milwaukee Brewers
Sam Long (2014-16), San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics & Kansas City Royals
James Outman (2016-18), Los Angeles Dodgers
Nathan Lukes (2013-15), Toronto Blue Jays
Travis Adams (2019-21), Minnesota Twins
