Baseball

Three Aztecs Chosen on Final Day of 2026 MLB Draft

San Diego State baseball players Rohan Lettow (RHP), Jake Jackson (OF) and Anthony Marnell IV (C) were selected on day two of the 2026 MLB Player Draft in advance of the MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Three Aztecs Chosen on Final Day of 2026 MLB DraftThree Aztecs Chosen on Final Day of 2026 MLB Draft

SAN DIEGO – San Diego State baseball players Rohan Lettow (Chandler, Ariz.), Jake Jackson (San Diego, Calif.) and Anthony Marnell IV (Las Vegas, Nev.) were selected on day two of the 2026 MLB Player Draft Sunday in advance of the MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Lettow was chosen in the 12th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 348th overall pick, while Jackson was taken by the Los Angeles Angels in 20th round with the 589th overall selection, followed by Marnell, who was snapped up by the Athletics organization three picks later in the same round at No. 591 overall.

With their selections, Lettow, Jackson and Marnell give the Aztecs 231 MLB Draft choices since 1965 and 35 picks since 2015. All three players played key roles in San Diego State’ regular-season championship in its final year of Mountain West competition.

A junior transfer from Arizona State, Lettow emerged as the No. 1 starting pitcher in his first season at SDSU, earning first-team all-Mountain West honors after posting a 6-1 overall record with a 3.91 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 78 1/3 innings across 16 appearances.

In 2026, Lettow ranked second in the MW in ERA (3.79), strikeouts (92), strikeouts per nine innings (10.57) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.41) while occupying the third spot in opponent batting average (.251) and tying for the third position in victories (6). The SDSU right-hander fanned six or more batters in 10 games, recording at least 10 strikeouts on four occasions.

In his second start as an Aztec, Lettow combined on a 3-0 shutout of Brigham Young at the Tony Gwynn Legacy, striking out  10 hitters in 6 2/3 innings en route to earning Mountain West Pitcher of the Week honors. Later in the season, the Chandler, Arizona, native recorded a career-high 11 strikeouts in a key home victory over Nevada, helping SDSU surge into first place in the conference standings.

An alumnus of nearby Madison High School, Jackson enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in 2026, winning the MW Tony Gwynn Player of the Year award to go with first-team all-conference accolades. The Aztec center fielder started 56 of 57 games, posting a slash line of .338/.399/.628 with 15 home runs, 49 RBIs and 53 runs scored.

Jackson led the Scarlet and Black in batting average (.338), slugging percentage (.628) and RBIs (49) while tying teammate Tyce Peterson for the top spot in home runs (15). The SDSU junior also paced the squad with multiple hits in 25 games and shared the team lead with two or more RBIs on 13 occasions.

On the conference level, Jackson tied for the MW lead in total bases (145) and home runs (15) while ranking among the league leaders in hits  (3rd, 78), slugging percentage (5th, .628), doubles (T-5th, 18), OPS (6th, 1.027) and RBIs (T-8th, 49).

Not to be outdone, Jackson reached base safely in the final 25 games of the year, featuring a 12-game hitting streak from May 5-24, both of which were team highs.

Listed as a catcher, Marnell was utilized primarily as a designated hitter for the Aztecs in 2026, appearing in 52 games with 46 starts after transferring from the College of Southern Nevada. The Aztec redshirt sophomore hit .257 with four home runs, 11 doubles and 30 RBIs and 24 runs scored.

Marnell finished with multiple hits and RBIs on eight different occasions. The Las Vegas native cracked his first home run in a Scarlet and Black uniform with a solo blast against then-No. 1 UCLA on Feb. 24,  helping SDSU to a huge 4-3 victory.

In his lone season at the JC level with CSN in 2025,  Marnell earned first-team all-conference honors and received Gold Glove recognition, after hitting .301 with three homers, 36 RBIs and 41 runs scored. As a prep star at Bishop Gorman High, he was listed as the No. 1 catcher for the 2023 graduating class in Nevada by Perfect Game, ranking eighth in the state overall.

Under the direction of Mountain West Coach of the Year Kevin Vance, San Diego State captured the league’s regular-season championship in 2026, finishing with a 36-24 overall mark, their best record since the 2018 campaign.

Beginning with the 2027 season, the Aztecs will join Dallas Baptist, Fresno State, Gonzaga, Oregon State, Texas State and Washington State in baseball competition as members of the Pac-12 Conference.