A pair of UCSB Gauchos baseball players were selected on the third day of the 2024 MLB Draft on Tuesday, making it six total Gauchos to be drafted.
Zander Darby was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 12th Round while Brendan Durfee followed him up and was picked in the 14th Round by the San Diego Padres.
Zander Darby – SF Giants – Round 12, Pick 358
Darby became the fifth Gaucho drafted in 2024 when the Giants selected him in the 12th Round.
The 6-foot-3 infielder is coming off a 2024 season where he was named an All-Big West Honorable Mention after playing in 58 games.
In those contests, he hit .275 with an on-base percentage of .347 to go along with six homers and 33 RBI.
He also started 55 games during the 2023 season, where he hit .288 with seven long balls and 30 RBI.
Darby will now look to rise up the ranks of the San Francisco Giants organization, whose big league club currently sits at 47-50 at the All-Star Break.
Brendan Durfee – SD Padres – Round 14, Pick 420
Durfee parlayed an outstanding season with the Gauchos in 2024 into a selection in the MLB Draft, as the Padres snagged him in the 14th Round.
After playing at Cal Lutheran for his first three years, Durfee turned in an All-Big West First Team season in his lone year at UCSB.
Playing in 46 games, Durfee hit .349 with an on-base percentage of .455. He also knocked nine home runs and drove in 35 runs.
Before his time with the Gauchos, he was a two-time All-SCIAC Second Team honoree with Cal Lutheran and won a pair of SCIAC Championships.
He will also hope to progress through an NL West team’s organization, with the Padres’ MLB team currently boasting a 50-49 record.