Auburn’s Irish Selected by Orioles as 19th Overall Pick

Irish eyes are smiling.

After being selected as the 19^th overall pick in MLB Draft on Sunday by the Baltimore Orioles, catcher Ike Irish became the third-highest drafted position player in Auburn program history, trailing only Frank Thomas, who was selected at No. 7, and Gabe Gross, who was selected at No. 15.

Irish also became Auburn’s 10^th first-round pick in program history and the fourth under current head coach Butch Thompson.

*Irish (18) during the game between the #9 Auburn Tigers and the #3 LSU Tigers at Plainsman Park in Auburn, AL on Sunday, April 13, 2025. Photo by Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers*.

A Hudsonville, Michigan, native, Irish led Auburn in multiple offensive categories in 2025, including batting average (.364), on-base percentage (.469), slugging percentage (.710), runs (65), hits (78), home runs (19) and total bases (152). He ranked second on the team in RBI (58) and third in stolen bases (11) on his way to being named consensus All-American.

With the selection, Auburn continues its streak of having at least one player selected in the MLB Draft for the last 50 consecutive seasons. TG