CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel two-way star
Michael Gibson was picked with the 228th pick in the 10th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2026 MLB First-Year Player Draft on Sunday afternoon.
The Rock Hill, S.C., native had a standout 2026 run for The Citadel as a two-way player, becoming the eighth Bulldog in program history to post a batting average over .400 in a single season and ranking sixth all-time with a .408 average. He was also one of only two Division I players during the 2026 campaign to record six-plus home runs and 10-plus saves during the season.
On the mound, Gibson finished the year with a 5-2 record, a 5.26 ERA, 53.0 innings pitched, 73 strikeouts, and 10 saves, the latter of which ranked as the highest mark in the Southern Conference and is the most for the program since 2015, when Skylar Hunter recorded 13.
Gibson piled up postseason awards, including the Walt Nadazk Award, annually given to the SoCon tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Additionally, he was named to the 2026 NCAA Atlanta All-Regional team.
Gibson was named a second- and third-team All-American as a two-way player by D1Baseball and Perfect Game, acknowledging his skill at the plate and on the mound. He joins JP Sears, the most recent Bulldog to earn All-American honors, who received multiple awards following the 2017 season.
This is the highest pick for The Citadel since JP Sears was picked 333rd overall in the 11th round of the 2017 MLB Draft.
"Incredible pick for Pittsburgh! What he did for this program in just one year will be talked about for a long time. It's rare for a player to impact the game on both sides of the ball. Pittsburgh is getting an incredible athlete and human," said pitching coach
James Reeves. "I can't say enough about the guy Gibby is and how much he pours into his craft and the people around him. Pumped to watch him take his skill set to the MLB! Being around a guy like Gibby is a constant reminder of what makes coaching special."
