Just one day after his teammate Ben Blair was taken No. 49 overall by the Tamp Bay Rays, Liberty SS Tanner Marsh had his name called. Marsh was selected by the Oakland A’s in the 9th round.
Marsh, the 2026 Conference USA Player of the Year, was one of the top middle infielders in college baseball this past 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 h itter also led the Flames with 18 doubles, 5 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.
Marsh, who started every game of his Liberty career, committed seven errors in 259 chances for a .969 fielding percentage this past season with 153 assists. He finished the year among the national leaders in runs scored (24th) and hits (19th). Defensively, he finished the year 5th 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. His season hit total of 89 ties him for eighth on the single-season list.
Marsh 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.
With Blair and Marsh’s selections, Liberty has now had 81 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 pandemic.
