The Oregon Ducks just saw six players from the 2023 roster – and five signees – drafted to play pro ball in the 2023 MLB Draft.

The draft consisted of 20 rounds and 614 picks over a three-day span. Oregon made quite the splash as half-a-dozen former Ducks got the invitation to jump from collegiate to professional careers.

The first Duck to go was Sabin Ceballos, who was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the third round. In one season with the Ducks, Ceballos hit .333 with 71 hits, 18 of which were home runs, 70 RBIs and 48 runs. Ceballos was drafted once before in 2022 in the 14th round by the Los Angeles Angels. He chose not to sign and transferred to Oregon before the 2023 season. Despite playing primarily third base and designated hitter, Seballos was drafted by the Braves as a shortstop, and will likely sign with Atlanta.

Pitcher Jace Stoffal, pick no. 237, was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the eighth round. Stoffal was the Ducks’ ace in 2023 as he won six games while boasting a 2.83 ERA across 57.1 innings of work. In his two seasons with Oregon, Stoffal collected 73 strikeouts while allowing just 36 earned runs. 

Colby Shade, pick no. 263, became the third Duck drafted as he was selected by the Marlins in the ninth round. Shade was a lockdown center fielder for Oregon across his three seasons in Eugene. Shade is a career .319 hitter with 11 home runs and 78 RBIs. The Ducks’ human highlight reel will have a tough decision ahead as he decides whether to sign with Miami or return to Oregon.

Closer Josh Mollerus was picked up in the 10th round as pick no. 304 by the Toronto Blue Jays. In his lone season with the Ducks, Mollerus collected eight saves in 28 appearances with a 3.44 ERA and 50 strikeouts.

Infielder Rikuu Nishida got picked up by the Chicago White Sox in the 11th round as pick no. 329. Nishida was consistently the most exciting player on the field in 2023. After transferring from Mount Hood Community College before the 2023 season, Nishida hit .312 with 67 hits and 25 stolen bases. It would be great to see Nishida return for another season at Oregon, and as an 11th-round pick, he just might. 

The final Duck drafted was left-handed pitcher Isaac Ayon. He was drafted as a 20th-round pick, no. 585, by the Washington Nationals. He didn’t throw a single pitch for the Ducks in 2023 due to injury, but he has a career 5.60 ERA across 125.1 innings of work with 124 strikeouts and just 44 walks.

In addition, Oregon also had five future Ducks drafted. Oregon commits Noble Meyer (Round 1, pick 10, Miami), Eric Bitonti (Round 3, pick 87, Milwaukee), Kehden Hettiger (Round 11, pick 343, Philadelphia), Jacob Bresnahan (Round 13, pick 398, Cleveland) and Max Martin (Round 11, pick 321, Texas) were all selected straight out of high school. Meyer and Bitonti will almost certainly go pro, but the others could still end up playing for the Ducks. 

In total, the Pac-12 Conference had a total of 48 players drafted. Arizona (6 players), Arizona State (7), Cal (1), Oregon (6), Oregon State (3), Stanford (9), UCLA (6), USC (1), Washington (6) and Washington State (3) were all represented at the MLB Draft in 2023.

While it remains to be seen if the future Ducks – or the current players – will decide to sign with their respective teams or return to Eugene to either begin or continue their collegiate careers, one thing was made abundantly clear during the draft: Oregon baseball knows how to get players to the highest level.