For every college baseball player, hearing their name called on MLB Draft day is the realization of a lifelong dream. For recent Olivet graduate Bryan Carney, that dream became reality when the Houston Astros selected him in the seventh round (211th overall) of the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft.
Bryan leaves Olivet as one of the most accomplished pitchers in program history. During his senior season, he led all NCAA Division III pitchers in strikeouts (122), strikeouts per nine innings (14.97), strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.18) and WHIP (0.79), while posting a remarkable 1.35 ERA—second best nationally among pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched. His dominant performance earned him NCAA Division III All-America honors, ABCA Region 7 Pitcher of the Year, MIAA Pitcher of the Year and numerous other postseason accolades.
An insurance and risk management major, Bryan also rewrote the Olivet record book. He finished his collegiate career as the University’s all-time strikeout leader with 288, while setting single-season and single-game strikeout records that will stand as part of Comet baseball history.
By the Numbers
- 7th-round pick of the Houston Astros
- 122 strikeouts in 2026 (led NCAA Division III)
- 1.35 ERA
- 288 career strikeouts (Olivet record)
- MIAA Pitcher of the Year
- Insurance & Risk Management graduate
The excitement of draft day was shared across campus and throughout the Olivet community. WLNS-TV caught up with Bryan to talk about the moment he learned he had been selected, what the opportunity means to him and what comes next as he begins his professional baseball career.
Watch the full WLNS feature below and join us in congratulating Bryan on this incredible achievement.