Liberty starting pitcher Ben Blair has been drafted in the 2nd round of the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft, taken No. 49 overall by the Tampa Bay Rays. Blair is the 2nd highest draft pick in program history with Sid Bream going No. 48 overall to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2nd round of the 1981 MLB Draft. Blair’s selection comes with a slot value of $2,033,400.
Blair, the 2026 CUSA Pitcher of the Year and a National Pitching of the Year Semifinalist, posted a 7-5 record with a 3.53 ERA over 94.1 innings for the Flames this past season. In 16 starts, the Junior struck out 113 and walked 17 to finish the year with a 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, Virginia native finished among the national leaders in several categories. He finished 22nd in strikeouts, 8th in strikeout-to-walk ratio, 18th in WHIP, and 23rd in walks allowed per nine innings. He led Conference USA in innings pitched and strikeouts. He finished 5th in wins, 4th in ERA, 5th in opponent batting average, and 4th in fewest walks issued. His 113 strikeouts on the year place him second on Liberty’s single-season record list. He is also third on the Flames’ all-time career strikeout list with 249.
Blair played a key role 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, Georgia Regional. The Flames advanced to their third regional final before being eliminated by College World Series participant Georgia.
Blair was dynamite for the Flames on the bump his entire three-year career. As a true freshman, he led the staff with 42.1 relief innings with a 3.51 ERA as he earned a spot on the CUSA All-Freshman Team. As a sophomore, he joined a spot in the rotation finishing the season with 94 strikeouts and 84.1 innings pitched, each second most in CUSA.
