BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU right-handed pitcher Zac Cowan was selected No. 573 overall Sunday by the Cleveland Guardians in the 19th round of the 2026 MLB Draft.
The MLB Draft concluded on Sunday with Rounds 5-20.
Cowan, a senior from Blythewood, S.C., was the eighth LSU player selected in the 2026 MLB Draft, joining outfielder Derek Curiel (1st round, No. 5) by the Pittsburgh Pirates, outfielder Jake Brown (2nd round, No. 65) by the Seattle Mariners, right-handed pitcher Deven Sheerin (4th round, No. 128) by the Philadelphia Phillies, right-handed pitcher Grant Fontenot by the Kansas City Royals (10th round, No. 299), left-handed pitcher Santiago Garcia by the Toronto Blue Jays (12th round, No. 372), Connor Benge by the Miami Marlins (13th round, No. 385), and Gavin Guidry by the New York Mets (16th round, No. 480).
"Winner," said LSU head coach Jay Johnson. "Zac has had a profound impact on LSU Baseball and will make an MLB team very happy. Incredibly solid mental game and feel for who he is as a pitcher. Zac will go down as one of my favorite players of all time. I am really excited to see him ascend in professional baseball."
In 2026, Cowan appeared in 17 games, including five starts, during the 2026 season, posting a 3-3 record. He recorded 54 strikeouts and 12 walks in 44.0 innings.
En route to a national title in 2025, Cowan made 22 appearances, recording a 3-3 mark with a 2.94 ERA. He logged 60 strikeouts in 52.0 innings. Cowan earned First-Team All-America recognition from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and Second-Team All-America honors from the ABCA and Baseball America.
Prior to LSU, Cowan pitched two seasons at Wofford, where he earned First-Team All-Southern Conference honors in 2024.