​Senior Jack Turner started the game for the Aggies against the University of Delaware on Saturday morning. The New Mexico State pitcher has now been selected in the 10th round of the 2026 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers. Turner becomes the 14th Aggie to be chosen in the MLB Draft since 2015, and the eighth from the program to be picked in the first 10 rounds. The most recent NM State players drafted before Turner were outfielders Keith Jones II, a 10th-round pick by the Texas Rangers, and Titus Dumitru, a 16th-round pick by the Atlanta Braves, both in 2024.
Turner spent the 2025 and 2026 seasons with the Aggies after transferring from Suffolk County Community College in New York, where he earned 2024 NJCAA Division III First Team All-American honors. Over those two seasons, he appeared in 24 pitching games, including 17 starts, and posted a 6.15 ERA. He fanned 100 batters in 112.2 innings pitched, recording one save in 2026. He closed out his NM State tenure on a high note by pitching the penultimate game of 2026 without allowing a run against Florida International on May 15. In that outing, Turner struck out five, yielded just three hits, and worked six innings as the Aggies prevailed 6-5.
Turner also spent time in collegiate summer baseball, pitching in the MLB Draft League for the Trenton Thunder and the State College Spikes after leaving the Aggies. With Trenton, he posted a 4.09 ERA across eight appearances, striking out 17 while allowing five earned runs in 11 innings. With the Spikes, he appeared in seven innings across two starts, recording five strikeouts and four earned runs en route to a 1.114 WHIP. His first start for the Spikes on June 3 drew attention for a sinker and a sweeping curve that featured substantial horizontal movement, helping to earn Turner recognition during the summer circuit.
Turner’s selection by Detroit marks the seventh NM State player to be drafted by the Tigers in franchise history, a lineage that began with former NM State athletic director Mario Moccia in the 44th round of the 1989 draft. The most recent NM State draftee to join Detroit prior to Turner was pitcher Ryan Beck, taken in the 30th round of the 2013 draft. Turner’s draft entry continues a trend of NM State players being noticed by Detroit, reflecting the Tigers’ continued interest in the program’s pitching talent.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News and underscores Turner’s ascent from junior college standout to a major league draftee, marking a significant milestone in a career that began on the mound at Delaware and concluded with a unanimous sense that Turner’s best performances were still ahead. The Tigers now gain a pitcher with a track record of late-inning pressure resilience, strike-throwing consistency, and a repertoire capable of adapting to higher levels of competition, traits that could serve Detroit well as Turner transitions from the collegiate to the professional ranks.