Toronto, Ontario, Canada – Illinois State pitcher Carson Cormier was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 16th round and 492nd overall. He becomes the third Redbird selected in the 2026 MLB Draft.
Cormier becomes the 14th player selected in the MLB draft under eighth-year head coach Steve Holm, marking the second draft during his tenure with at least three players selected. He also becomes the second Redbird to be drafted by the Blue Jays, along with Bill Brabec's selection in the 16th round of the 1995 MLB Draft.
In 2026, Cormier collected the fourth-lowest ERA of 4.17 among the Redbirds, recording a 4-2 record across 16 appearances in his first season at Illinois State. He gathered a team-high 74 strikeouts across 69 innings of work, ranking sixth in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Westford, Massachusetts, native was recognized with All-MVC Honorable Mention and Scholar-Athlete Team honors with a 3.75 GPA.
For the latest updates on Illinois State baseball, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com, follow the Redbirds on X (formerly Twitter) (@RedbirdBaseball), Instagram (isuredbirdbaseball), and like the team on Facebook (Illinois State Baseball).
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund, gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos, and more.
