Liberty baseball finished with 4 players taken in the 2026 MLB Draft as pitchers Tyler August and Josh Swink were selected on Sunday, joining Ben Blair and Tanner Marsh who were drafted earlier in the weekend. August was taken in the 16th round by the Oakland A’s while Swink was selected in the 17th round by the Colorado Rockies.
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. 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.
This talented group that were drafted joined together 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, Ga., Regional. The Flames advanced to their third regional final before being eliminated by College World Series-bound Georgia.
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.
