Baylor’s All-American Closer, Gabe Craig, Drafted by Philadelphia in 5th Round

Nothing Left on the Table: How Gabe Craig’s Perseverance Pushed Him To Be An All-American

Baylor baseball senior right-handed pitcher Gabe Craig was selected 161st overall in the fifth round by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft on Monday.

Craig had a historic senior season, leading the nation with a microscopic 0.56 ERA, a 0.50 WHIP and a 51:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Of his 24 appearances, he logged 22 scoreless outings, 14 hitless outings and struck out at least two batters 16 times while recording 10 saves. 

He finished the year on a 20.1-inning scoreless streak across his last 12 appearances. Against conference opponents, Craig boasted a 0.49 ERA and fanned 31 batters while issuing just one walk.

Craig was rewarded for his stellar 2025 season with First-Team All-Big 12 honors and was named an All-American by D1Baseball, Baseball America, NCBWA and Perfect Game; he was also a finalist for the prestigious National Stopper and Pitcher of the Year awards. 

The pick marks the fifth time in the last six seasons that Baylor has had a top-six-round selection.