The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Steele Drafted in 10th Round by Arizona
7/12/2026 4:37:00β―PM | Baseball
BIRMINGHAM β UAB junior Mason Steele was drafted in the 10th round and 296th overall pick of the 2026 MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday after just one year in Birmingham. Steele is now tied for the fifth-highest draft selection in program history and the sixth draftee ever taken in the top 10 rounds from UAB.
Steele finished the 2026 season with a team-high six wins and started all 14 games he appeared in as UAB's Friday night starter. The right-hander from Headland, Alabama struck out 68 batters in 75.1 innings, both leading the team. Steele also had the fourth-best opponent batting average in the American Conference, surrendering just a .219 average to the opposition.
"We couldn't be more excited for Mason," said Head Coach Casey Dunn. "He is someone that has really developed over the past two years. He made huge strides while at Shelton State while under Coach (Bobby) Sprowl and continued his improvement under Coach (B.J.) Green and Coach (Parker) Curry. The Diamondbacks are getting an exceptional athlete that still has a lot of upside. Mason has a real chance to be a big leaguer one day. We appreciate his time at UAB and wish him nothing but the best moving forward."
Steele went at least 6.0 innings pitched in six starts, highlighted by a career-high 8.1 innings pitched at UTSA on May 14 and seven shutout innings on March 27 against Tulane. Steele also had five straight quality starts from March 6 to April 2, and allowed three earned runs or less in 10 of his 14 starts this season. Steele was tabbed as an Honorable Mention after his performance against Tulane.
Steele becomes the 37th draft pick in UAB history and is set to be the 10th active professional player taken out of UAB. The Blazers have had four players drafted over the last two seasons, the most in that span since the 2014 and 2015 seasons when the Green and Gold had five players selected.
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