Shippensburg University graduate starting pitcher Jaxon Dalena was selected by the San Diego Padres with the 190th overall selection in the 2025 MLB Draft on Monday afternoon. After two years of anchoring the Raiders’ starting rotation, Dalena will now have a chance to go pro.

Dalena is coming off a season where he led the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in innings pitched with 83 and strikeouts with 99, being named PSAC East Pitcher of the Year. He went 8-3 with a 3.36 ERA, following a breakout 2024 where he put up a 2.52 ERA in 60.2 innings.

He was also named a consensus First Team All-Atlantic Region pitcher by the National College Baseball Writers Association this season. He is the seventh player to be drafted during head coach Matt Jones’ tenure.

The Padres made the selection in the sixth round, making Dalena the highest MLB draftee out of SU since Vic Hillaert in 1999. Dalena is the first Shippensburg alum to be drafted since 2018, when both Gabe Mosser and Cash Gladfelter went in the 27th round. He was the first NCAA Division II player selected this year.

Dalena caught the eye of MLB scouts from his performance in the MLB Draft League last summer. Playing for the State College Spikes, Dalena put up a strong 3.65 ERA in 6 starts. Last season was only his second as solely a pitcher, having been a two-way player before that. That relative newness to pitching allows for plenty of upside.

Despite being the 29th Shippensburg player selected in the MLB draft, Dalena will look to be the first Raider selection to make the major leagues. The only other Raider currently in professional baseball is Mosser, who has split time between the Double-A and Triple-A affiliates of the Philadelphia Phillies this season.

Dalena should expect a hefty signing bonus because of the selection, as players selected in the sixth round of the 2024 MLB draft had an average bonus of around $336,000. He will begin his professional career by flying to the Padres’ spring training complex in Arizona on Sunday.

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