The St. John’s Baseball team was represented in the later rounds of the 2026 MLB Draft on June 12 by the selections of former catcher Adam Agresti and right-handed starting pitcher Liam O’Leary.
Agresti, a 21-year-old from White Plains, NY, was selected by the Los Angeles Angels with the No. 319 overall selection of the 11th round.
O’Leary, a 21-year-old Pennsylvania native, was taken off the board by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 438th overall pick of the 15th round.
The pair of selections marks the first time since 2019 that two or more Johnnies have been drafted in the same season.
Agresti spent all three years of his collegiate career in Queens, totaling 108 hits, 30 home runs and 89 RBI on a .268 batting average. In his junior campaign, he recorded 65 hits, 15 doubles, 20 home runs and 55 RBI on a .297 average and 1.084 OPS.
His 50 free passes tied Charlie Bilezikjian’s 2002 for the second-highest single-season total in program history.
Agresti put his talents on display during the NCAA Tournament when he smashed three home runs. His crowning moment came when he blasted a grand slam in a key win over No. 10 Florida State, which was the first time a St. John’s player had done so in more than two decades.
For his efforts, he received the NCAA Tallahassee Regional Most Outstanding Player award in addition to receiving ABCA/Rawlings All-Region Second team honors. He was also a member of the All-Big East First Team.
Agresti became the fourth Red Storm catcher to be selected in the MLB draft since 2015. He is also the first player from the program to be taken in the 11th round.
O’Leary, on the other hand, became the 15th Red Storm pitcher to be selected since 2015. He is also the second player from the program to be selected in the 15th round.
Unlike Agresti, O’Leary played just one season in Queens. Still, he made an immediate impact, going 8-5 with 78 strikeouts on a 3.64 ERA in 17 appearances. In more than 108 innings, he surrendered 102 hits, 44 earned runs and 32 walks.
The 6-foot-4 righty led the Johnnies to victory in eight of his final 10 outings, including all seven of their conference series. He held a 7-1 record against Big East rivals before securing two more wins during the postseason.
O’Leary guided St. John’s to one of its three shutout victories of the season by limiting opponents to three earned runs or fewer in 12 of his 17 appearances. He also led the conference and ranked fifth nationally with three complete games, going the distance against conference opponents UConn and Villanova.
For his efforts, he earned ABCA/Rawlings All-Region First Team honors along with a unanimous All-Big East First Team selection. He was also featured on the All-Big East tournament team.
O’Leary joins the Pirates’ minor league system, which developed the skill sets of top prospects Paul Skenes and Konnor Griffin into major league rising stars. Agresti, meanwhile, is joining the Angels’ minor league system led by No. 1-ranked prospect, Tyler Bremner.
