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Special to The Star-News
San Diego State University baseball players Rohan Lettow, Jake Jackson and Anthony Marnell IV were selected in Sunday’s second day of the 2026 MLB Player Draft in advance of Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia — a 4-0 American League victory over the National League.
Lettow (Chandler, Ariz.) was chosen in the 12th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates (348th overall pick), while Jackson, out of Madison High School, was taken by the Los Angeles Angels in 20th round (589th overall), followed by Marnell (Las Vegas, Nev.), who was snapped up by the Athletics organization three picks later in the same round (No. 591 overall).
The three selections give the Aztecs 231 MLB Draft choices since 1965 and 35 picks since 2015.
All three players played key roles in San Diego State’s regular-season championship in its final year of Mountain West competition.
A junior transfer from Arizona State, Lettow emerged as the No. 1 starting pitcher in his first season at SDSU, earning first-team all-Mountain West honors after posting a 6-1 record with a 3.91 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 78.1 innings across 16 appearances.
In 2026, Lettow ranked second in the MW in ERA (3.79), strikeouts (92) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.41) while occupying the third spot in opponent batting average (0.251) and tying for the third position in victories (six). The SDSU right-hander fanned six or more batters in 10 games, recording at least 10 strikeouts on four occasions.
In his second start as an Aztec, Lettow combined on a 3-0 shutout of Brigham Young at the Tony Gwynn Legacy, striking out 10 hitters in 6.2 innings en route to earning Mountain West Pitcher of the Week honors. Later in the season, Lettow recorded a career-high 11 strikeouts in a key home victory over Nevada, helping SDSU surge into first place in the conference standings.
Jackson enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in 2026, winning the MW Tony Gwynn Player of the Year award to go with first-team all-conference accolades. The Aztec center fielder started 56 of 57 games, posting a slash line of .338/.399/.628 with 15 home runs, 49 RBI and 53 runs scored.
Jackson led the Aztecs in batting average (.338), slugging percentage (.628) and RBI (49) while tying teammate Tyce Peterson for the top spot in home runs (15). The SDSU junior also paced the squad with multiple hits in 25 games and shared the team lead with two or more RBIs on 13 occasions.
On the conference level, Jackson tied for the MW lead in total bases (145) and home runs (15) while ranking among the league leaders in hits (third, 78), slugging percentage (fifth, .628), doubles (tied for fifth, 18), on-base plus slugging percentage (sixth, 1.027) and RBI (tied for eighth, 49).
Not to be outdone, Jackson reached base safely in the final 25 games of the year, featuring a 12-game hitting streak from May 5-24, both of which were team highs.
Listed as a catcher, Marnell was utilized primarily as a designated hitter for the Aztecs in 2026, appearing in 52 games with 46 starts after transferring from the College of Southern Nevada. The Aztec redshirt sophomore hit 0.257 with four home runs, 11 doubles, 30 RBI and 24 runs scored.
Marnell finished with multiple hits and RBI on eight different occasions. The Las Vegas native cracked his first home run in a SDSU uniform with a solo blast against then-No. 1 UCLA on Feb. 24, helping SDSU to a huge 4-3 victory.
In his lone season at the JC level in 2025, Marnell earned first-team all-conference honors and received Gold Glove recognition after hitting .301 with three homers, 36 RBI and 41 runs scored. As a prep star at Bishop Gorman High, he was listed as the No. 1 catcher for the 2023 graduating class in Nevada by Perfect Game, ranking eighth in the state overall.
Under the direction of Mountain West Coach of the Year Kevin Vance, SDSU captured the league’s regular-season championship in 2026, finishing with a 36-24 overall mark, their best record since the 2018 campaign.
Beginning with the 2027 season, the Aztecs will join Dallas Baptist, Fresno State, Gonzaga, Oregon State, Texas State and Washington State in baseball competition as members of the Pac-12 Conference.
Eastlake’s Lane tabbed in MLB Draft, Mar VIsta’s King signs with Blue Jays
Former Eastlake High School standout Isaiah Lane was selected in this year’s MLB Draft in the 13th round, 377th player overall, by the Minnesota Twins.
The 2026 Great Southwest Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year and All-GSAC honoree, Lane graduated from EHS in 2023 after earning All-CIF honors in both 2022 and 2023.
Lane hit .356 in 39 games with the Fullerton-based Hope International Royals, scoring 43 runs and collecting 25 RBI. He had eight doubles, three triples and seven home runs. The Chula Vista native finished among the top 10 in the GSAC in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs scored, home runs and walks despite missing HIU’s first 13 games as he navigated the transfer process from the University of San Diego.
The junior was a perfect 16 for 16 in stolen base opportunities, becoming just the second player in program history with an unblemished record on the base paths based on a minimum of 10 attempts.
Lane posted a .975 fielding percentage, committing just four errors in 157 attempts, which earned him a spot on the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings NAIA Gold Glove Team.
Lane is the sixth Hope International player – and third under head coach Larry Mahoney – to be selected in the MLB Draft. He joins Trey Seeley (San Francisco Giants), Hector Garcia (Minnesota Twins), Justin Friedman (Chicago White Sox), Shaine McNeely (New York Yankees) and Cameron Baranek (Miami Marlins) among the MLB draftees.
Lane played 109 games for the Titans with a 0.317 career hitting average, scored 94 runs and drove in 80 runs with 24 doubles, five triples and five home runs.
The EHS alum played one season under coach Skip Johnson for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2024, appearing in 26 games (16 starts) with a 0.321 hitting average, three extra base hits, six RBI and 14 runs scored to go with a 0.984 fielding average. He helped the Sooners capture the 2024 Big 12 title.
Lane appeared in 52 games for the University of San Diego Toreros under coach Brock Ungricht in 2025, batting 0.328 with eight home runs and 27 RBI to go with a 0.528 slugging percentage and 53 runs scored (second on the team). He earned All-West Coast Conference Second Team honors while helping USD to the regular season WCC title.
King, a 2023 MVHS alum and 2022 CIF champion with the Mariners, went undrafted in this year’s MLB Draft but subsequently signed a free agent contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. In three seasons at UC San Diego, King recorded a 5.21 ERA and notched 72 strikeouts (compared to 36 walks) in 65.2 innings with a 3-0 record. Opponents hit .241 against him in 54 appearances out of the bullpen with five saves.
The Imperial Beach native caught the Blue Jays’ eyes with a strong junior season in 2026 after posting a 3.48 ERA and three saves. He held opponents to a .197 average in a career-high 33.2 innings of work.
King also excelled in the classroom as well as on the diramond as a Big West Spring All-Academic honoree in 2026 and three-time Big West Commissioner’s Honor Roll selection.
King was a three-time first team all-league selection at Mar Vista, named the South Bay League MVP as a junior and CSF lifetime member. The Mariners won league and CIF titles in 2022. He batted 0.437 in 83 games with 76 runs scored, 78 RBI, 26 doubles, nine triples and 12 home runs. He also appeared in three games on the mound with a 2-1 record, 3.39 ERA, 10 saves and 61 strikeouts in 33 innings.
Toronto finished runner-up to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2025 World Series.
