BSB's Davenport, Armstrong Selected in 2026 MLB Draft
7/12/2026 6:26:00 PM | Baseball
Davenport goes to Red Sox in fifth round, Armstrong picked by Yankees in 19th round
WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Lucas Davenport and redshirt senior first baseman Tyce Armstrong were each selected on Day Two of the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft on Sunday.
Davenport was chosen by the Boston Red Sox in the fifth round with the 156th overall selection, while Armstrong went to the New York Yankees in the 19th round as the 578th overall pick.
The duo becomes the 157th and 158th Bears to be drafted all-time. This marks the seventh time in the last eight seasons that Baylor has had at least one selection in the first six rounds. BU has now had picks in 34 of the last 36 drafts, dating back to 1991.
After emerging as BU's Friday-night starter, Davenport put together a quality 2026 campaign in which he went 5-4 on the year with a 6.25 ERA across 63.1 innings in 13 starts. He struck out 69 batters and walked just 16, ranking fourth in the Big 12 with a 4.31 strikeout-to-walk ratio and ninth in the league with just 2.27 walks per nine innings allowed. On April 2, Davenport struck out a career-high 12 batters in a win over BYU and later became the first Bear since 2022 to toss a complete game in a May 2 victory against Texas Tech, a performance that earned him Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors.
Davenport was named to the All-Big 12 Honorable Mention after helping the Bears to nine wins in his 13 starts. He finished his Division I career with a 9-6 record, 5.45 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 105.2 innings after pitching out of the bullpen in 2025 before transitioning to a starting role. Davenport was a two-time Academic All-District selection and graduated from Baylor with a degree in finance.
Armstrong picked up a pair of All-America honors in 2026 after breaking Baylor's single-season home run record. He batted .338 and slugged .757 on the year with 39 of his 71 hits going for extra bases, including 14 doubles, one triple and his record-setting 24 home runs. Armstrong posted a 1.210 OPS, good for fifth-best in the Big 12, and ranked tied for 10th nationally with his 24 long balls.
Named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, Armstrong was also an All-Big 12 First Team selection as voted on by the league's head coaches. He was tabbed Baseball America's National First Baseman of the Week three times, and twice earned Perfect Game National Player of the Week honors in addition to a pair of NCBWA National Hitter of the Week honors. Additionally, Armstrong earned Academic All-America praise after maintaining a 3.81 GPA in sports management as a graduate student at Baylor.
Notably, Armstrong became the just the second player in NCAA history to hit three grand slams in a single game as he did so on Opening Day of the 2026 season against New Mexico State, tying a BU single-game program record with three home runs and setting the school's single-game standard with 12 RBIs. The performance earned him a nomination for an ESPY Award in the category of Best Single-Game Performance.
Their selections mark the fourth and fifth BU draft picks under fourth-year head coach Mitch Thompson, joining 2025's Gabe Craig and Tyriq Kemp and 2024's Mason Marriott. Davenport is the seventh Bear all-time to be chosen by the Red Sox, while Armstrong becomes the ninth Bear in program history to go to the Yankees.
To stay up to date on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorBaseball.
BAYLOR BASEBALL IN THE 2026 MLB DRAFT:
Lucas Davenport, RHP – Boston Red Sox (5th Round, 156 overall)
Tyce Armstrong, 1B – New York Yankees (19th Round, 578 overall)
Davenport was chosen by the Boston Red Sox in the fifth round with the 156th overall selection, while Armstrong went to the New York Yankees in the 19th round as the 578th overall pick.
The duo becomes the 157th and 158th Bears to be drafted all-time. This marks the seventh time in the last eight seasons that Baylor has had at least one selection in the first six rounds. BU has now had picks in 34 of the last 36 drafts, dating back to 1991.
After emerging as BU's Friday-night starter, Davenport put together a quality 2026 campaign in which he went 5-4 on the year with a 6.25 ERA across 63.1 innings in 13 starts. He struck out 69 batters and walked just 16, ranking fourth in the Big 12 with a 4.31 strikeout-to-walk ratio and ninth in the league with just 2.27 walks per nine innings allowed. On April 2, Davenport struck out a career-high 12 batters in a win over BYU and later became the first Bear since 2022 to toss a complete game in a May 2 victory against Texas Tech, a performance that earned him Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors.
Davenport was named to the All-Big 12 Honorable Mention after helping the Bears to nine wins in his 13 starts. He finished his Division I career with a 9-6 record, 5.45 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 105.2 innings after pitching out of the bullpen in 2025 before transitioning to a starting role. Davenport was a two-time Academic All-District selection and graduated from Baylor with a degree in finance.
Armstrong picked up a pair of All-America honors in 2026 after breaking Baylor's single-season home run record. He batted .338 and slugged .757 on the year with 39 of his 71 hits going for extra bases, including 14 doubles, one triple and his record-setting 24 home runs. Armstrong posted a 1.210 OPS, good for fifth-best in the Big 12, and ranked tied for 10th nationally with his 24 long balls.
Named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, Armstrong was also an All-Big 12 First Team selection as voted on by the league's head coaches. He was tabbed Baseball America's National First Baseman of the Week three times, and twice earned Perfect Game National Player of the Week honors in addition to a pair of NCBWA National Hitter of the Week honors. Additionally, Armstrong earned Academic All-America praise after maintaining a 3.81 GPA in sports management as a graduate student at Baylor.
Notably, Armstrong became the just the second player in NCAA history to hit three grand slams in a single game as he did so on Opening Day of the 2026 season against New Mexico State, tying a BU single-game program record with three home runs and setting the school's single-game standard with 12 RBIs. The performance earned him a nomination for an ESPY Award in the category of Best Single-Game Performance.
Their selections mark the fourth and fifth BU draft picks under fourth-year head coach Mitch Thompson, joining 2025's Gabe Craig and Tyriq Kemp and 2024's Mason Marriott. Davenport is the seventh Bear all-time to be chosen by the Red Sox, while Armstrong becomes the ninth Bear in program history to go to the Yankees.
To stay up to date on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorBaseball.
BAYLOR BASEBALL IN THE 2026 MLB DRAFT:
Lucas Davenport, RHP – Boston Red Sox (5th Round, 156 overall)
Tyce Armstrong, 1B – New York Yankees (19th Round, 578 overall)
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