PHILADELPHIA — Following Florida Gulf Coast University junior ace pitcher Evan Dempsey’s historic selection by the Detroit Tigers on the first day of the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft, the FGCU baseball program continued to see players picked during the second day as four more Eagles heard their names called in rapid succession on Sunday, bringing FGCU’s draft class total to a staggering five players.
Left-handed pitcher Hunter Possehl led the surge when the Kansas City Royals selected him in the eighth round with the 239th overall pick. The draft momentum only accelerated from there; right-handed pitcher Chris Diaz went to the Seattle Mariners in the 14th round (430th overall), right-handed pitcher Ashton Pocol was taken by the Chicago Cubs in the 16th round (487th overall), and Javier Gorostola, who split time at third base and catcher, rounded out the class when the Oakland A’s called his name in the 17th round (501st overall).
Here is a closer look at the four Eagles heading to the professional ranks:
RHP Hunter Possehl | Round 8, Pick 239 — Kansas City Royals
A Nokomis, Florida native and Venice High School alumnus, Possehl capped off his two seasons with the Eagles by earning Second Team All-ASUN honors as a redshirt sophomore in 2026. The dependable southpaw anchored the weekend rotation, pitching his way to a 4-1 record across 15 appearances and 14 starts, logging 67 1/3 total innings. In conference and tournament action, he made 13 starts, totaling 63 1/3 innings with 62 strikeouts, 23 walks, 62 hits allowed, and 24 earned runs.
Possehl proved elite at controlling the running game, leading the team with 16 stolen base attempts against and six pickoffs. His season was highlighted by a roaring 10-strikeout performance over just 4 2/3 innings against North Dakota State on Feb. 15, and a season-high seven-inning masterpiece against West Georgia on May 10 where he faced 20 batters and executed two pickoffs. He also registered a runner caught stealing at Jacksonville on May 16, bringing a polished, high-IQ left-handed arsenal to the Royals organization.
RHP Chris Diaz | Round 14, Pick 430 — Seattle Mariners
A Miami, Florida native who attended Miami Christian School, Diaz wrapped up a sensational season with the Eagles by earning Second Team All-ASUN honors and landing an ASUN Pitcher of the Week selection on April 20, 2026. The dominant right-handed starter was a model of consistency, finishing with a 3.98 ERA, a 5-2 record, and starting all 15 games he appeared in while logging 72 1/3 innings pitched with 74 strikeouts against 47 earned runs allowed.
He led the FGCU staff with 14 games started and eight pitching stolen bases against, totaling His defining moment came on April 18 at Queens, where he worked a season-high nine innings to secure a three-hit complete game shutout featuring seven strikeouts and a runner caught stealing. He also flashed unhittable swing-and-miss stuff on May 9 against West Georgia, striking out a season-high 10 batters and logging a season-best 20 pitching first-pitch strikes over eight brilliant frames to prove exactly why the Mariners targeted his premier professional frame.
RHP Ashton Pocol | Round 16, Pick 487 — Chicago Cubs
A proud member of the 2026 senior class, Pocol’s path to the big leagues is forever linked to an iconic moment this spring when he graduated right on the field at Swanson Stadium. In a unique campus ceremony presided over by FGCU University President Aysegul Timur, the St. Johns, Florida native and Bartram Trail High School alumnus walked across the diamond to receive his degree in Health Science before completing his historic pro push.
On the mound, the elite right-handed closing pitcher capped his two seasons with the Green and Blue by capturing All-ASUN Third Team honors and an ASUN Pitcher of the Week selection on May 18, 2026. Pocol finalized a spectacular overall campaign featuring a 3.24 ERA, a 3-4 record, and six saves across 21 appearances, totaling 33 1/3 innings pitched with 50 strikeouts, 12 earned runs, and 24 hits allowed.
His regular-season efforts were highlighted by a season-high six strikeouts against Minnesota on Feb. 18 and a clean defensive display with two putouts at Jacksonville on May 14, proving the Cubs secured a cold-blooded high-leverage reliever with a school-record strikeout rate.
3B/C Javier Gorostola | Round 17, Pick 501 — Oakland A’s
The A’s capitalized on pure, historic offensive production by snatching up Gorostola, an incredibly versatile defensive asset who split time at third base and catcher. A Miami native who attended Florida Christian School, the redshirt sophomore spent three spectacular seasons with the Eagles, highlighted by a legendary, program-record 45-game hitting streak that tied for the sixth-longest hitting streak in NCAA Division I history. The historic run came to a close in his hometown on March 31 during a 12-4 loss to the Miami Hurricanes at Mark Light Field.
Spurring the FGCU lineup all spring, Gorostola took home 2026 All-ASUN First Team honors, posting a stellar .370 batting average while starting all 54 games. Over 219 at-bats, he racked up 81 hits, 46 runs, 14 doubles, one triple, 13 home runs, and 57 RBIs while boasting a blistering .621 slugging percentage and a .439 on-base percentage, anchored by 22 walks, nine hit-by-pitches, and just 21 strikeouts against eight grounded into double plays.
In official conference play, he logged 76 hits, 42 runs, 56 RBIs, 13 doubles, and 116 total bases, adding a stolen base and five sacrifice flies. Defensively, he flashed his premier toolset with 48 assists and 21 putouts, logging a season-high four assists against West Georgia on May 10. His single-game explosions included a four-hit, three-run, three-RBI showcase against Stonehill on Feb. 20, a season-high seven plate appearances against North Dakota State on Feb. 14, and two-homer games against West Georgia on April 3 and Jacksonville on April 12. Gorostola brings a proven, elite bat with historic standard barrel control to the Oakland system.
With five players officially headed to major league systems, the 2026 draft class stands as a definitive validation of FGCU’s developmental culture.
Leave a Reply