ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — After a breakthrough first season in Albuquerque, New Mexico’s Cooper Corkrean was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 15th round with the No. 539 overall pick of the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft Sunday evening.
The lefty is 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 ✅@Cooper_Corkrean has been selected in the 18th round of the @MLBDraft by the @Royals! pic.twitter.com/Et7xfNzK5R
— UNM Baseball (@UNMLoboBaseball) July 12, 2026
Corkrean becomes the first Lobo selected in the MLB Draft since Isaac Gallegos was taken by the Atlanta Braves in the 16th round of the 2023 draft. He is the 96th UNM player to be drafted dating back to 1966.
The junior lefty out of Katy, Texas became the Lobos’ most reliable reliever in his first season at UNM in 2026, compiling a 6-2 record with two saves while striking out 59 in 59 innings of work. He earned Second Team All-Mountain West honors at the conclusion of the season with five of his victories against conference opponents, earning the save in the Lobos’ first Mountain West Tournament win since 2018 with three innings of scoreless relief against Nevada.
“Super excited for Cooper to get his professional career started after a great year for us in Albuquerque,” said UNM Head Coach Tod Brown. “He was an all-conference performer and a key part of our success this season – his development under [Pitching Coach] Michael Lopez has been really impressive and we’re looking forward to rooting for him at the next level.”