Texas Tech baseball’s Grant Little was taken by the San Diego Padres with the 74th overall pick of the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft on Monday night.
The Midland native was selected in the Competitive Balance Round B on the opening night of the draft. He was the first outfielder selected by the Padres and the highest Red Raider drafted since 2012, when Barrett Barnes was taken by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 45th pick.
Little’s selection is also the 31st under head coach Tim Tadlock in six years and makes him the sixth Tech outfielder drafted since 2013.
The sophomore has racked up 84 hits over 59 games this season, including 37 for extra bases. Little has tallied 22 doubles & 12 homers, while recording 70 RBI and 61 runs scored through 59 games in his second season donning the scarlet & black.
Little made history this year, throwing down the team’s only nine-RBI performance of the year and third in school history. He rattled off two homers, including a grand slam along with two other base hits, to become the first Red Raider since 1984 with nine RBI in a game. He also had the first five-hit game of the year at Louisville on March 13 and launched two dingers again at Oklahoma State on May 18.
Little ranks second in the Big 12 in batting average, doubles, hits, on-base percentage and RBI heading into Super Regional action. He was a unanimous All-Big 12 First Team honoree and has already picked up two All-America awards this season from Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
The Red Raiders continue their season this weekend against Duke, with dates, times & location to be released by the NCAA on Tuesday.
2018 MLB DRAFT
Grant Little – Competitive Balance Round B – 74th overall – San Diego Padres
COURTESY OF TEXAS TECH ATHLETICS