​Former Sioux Falls Roosevelt standout Jack Radel was selected in the first round, 28th overall, by the Houston Astros in the 2026 MLB Draft. Radel spent the last three seasons at Notre Dame, where he totaled 211 innings pitched with a 3.71 ERA. This season, he emerged as the ACC’s ace, logging 87.2 innings and recording 116 strikeouts to post a 3.29 ERA.
In 2026, Radel earned First Team All-ACC honors and garnered national recognition as a Third Team All-American for both D1Baseball and Perfect Game. The Sioux Falls native also landed on the ABCA/Rawlings Midwest All-Region First Team, the ACC Championship All-Tournament Team, and the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List. He was named ACC Pitcher of the Week twice during his junior year.
Notre Dame pitcher Jack Radel (25) delivered a pitch against Clemson during the bottom of the first inning at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina, on Friday, March 14, 2025.
Entering the season, Houston’s farm system was ranked No. 29 by MLB Pipeline. The Astros currently hold a 46-50 record, trailing the AL West lead by three games and just 1.5 games back of a potential AL Wild Card berth.
This marks the second consecutive year that a former Sioux Falls Roosevelt player heard his name called in the first round, following Marcus Phillips, who went 33rd overall to the Boston Red Sox in the 2025 MLB Draft. Both Radel and Phillips also share a connection to the local sports scene beyond college baseball: they played together on the Sioux Falls little league team that reached Williamsport in 2017.
This article originally appeared on the Sioux Falls Argus Leader. Former Roosevelt star Jack Radel was taken by the Astros in the MLB Draft as part of a broader story about the pipeline from Roosevelt to professional baseball.