COLUMBIA, S.C. — Senior lefthanded pitcher Matthew Becker of the University of South Carolina baseball team was picked in the 19th round by the Minnesota Twins on the second day of the 2025 MLB First-Year Player Draft on Monday afternoon (July 14).
Becker, a Chapin, S.C., native, appeared in 79 games in his four-year career and had 14 wins, six saves and 263 strikeouts in 193.1 innings pitched. Becker pitched in 19 games this season with six starts and had three wins and 64 strikeouts in 47.1 innings pitched. He had a season high nine strikeouts in his first start against Sacred Heart on Feb. 15 and followed with an eight-strikeout performance against Milwaukee on Feb. 22. He tossed 4.2 innings of relief at Mississippi State on April 6, striking out seven batters and earned a win against LSU on May 15. He was the SEC Freshman of the Week after striking out 11 against No. 1 Texas on March 13, 2022.
This is the second straight season a Gamecock was picked by the Twins, joining Eli Jones, who was selected in the seventh round in 2024.
South Carolina Selections in the 2025 MLB Draft
Rd. (Pick)| Name | Team
2 (49) | Ethan Petry | Washington Nationals
5 (153) | Nathan Hall | Arizona Diamondbacks
19 (569) | Matthew Becker | Minnesota Twins