For the fourth time in history, a Trojan has been selected in the MLB Draft. On July 14, the Houston Astros drafted junior starting pitcher Gabel Pentecost of Fremont, Indiana as the 186th pick in the sixth round out of 20 total rounds.
Only eight players from the NAIA were drafted, with Pentecost being the highest selection.
Pentecost will be assigned to one of Houston’s minor league teams next March during the final week of spring training.
Possible teams include the North Carolina-based Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Single-A) and Asheville Tourists (High-A). Their Texas-based teams are the Corpus Christi Hooks (Double-A) and the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Triple-A).
Pentecost had an unforgettable year for Taylor in 2025, posting a 12-2 record with 116 strikeouts. He also won Crossroads League Pitcher of the Year for the second straight year and was named the university’s 2025 Male Athlete of the Year.
Before attending Taylor, he was told he could never play at the NAIA level. However, he defied those doubts and followed in the footsteps of former Trojan pitcher Josh DeGraaf, who was drafted in 2015 by the Toronto Blue Jays.
Throughout the season, scouts from all 30 MLB teams traveled to Upland to watch the prospect.
Regardless of the growing attention, Pentecost was still unsure what would happen on draft day.
“…we knew there were 7-8 teams that were interested, but I did not know exactly what round they would be interested and when they would offer that opportunity,” Pentecost said.
With head coach Kyle Gould, assistant coach Justin Barber and Pentecost’s wife, Samarah, by his side on the morning of draft day number two, Pentecost received a call from Astros scouting director Cam Pendino. He told Pentecost they were taking him in the sixth round.
The two discussed a contract, agreed on the terms and it became official on national TV. He was an Astro.
“…I felt extremely grateful, excited, and speechless,” Pentecost said.
Additionally, Pentecost said he could not have gone through his draft day process without his two coaches, Gould and Barber, who have become his “agents,” as he did not hire an actual agent or advisor.
Gould told his pitcher that any team selecting him is a huge honor, as players from all around the world dedicate themselves to this game.
Former MLB pitchers also taken in the sixth round include Jamie Moyer, who pitched from 1986-2012 and Tim Hudson, who pitched from 1999-2015. Moyer won a World Series in 2008 with the Philadelphia Phillies, and Hudson won with the San Francisco Giants in 2014.
He will be joining an organization who won the World Series in 2017 and 2022. From 2015 to 2024, the Astros have appeared in the postseason eight times.
However, Pentecost will not begin his big league career right away. He’ll be returning to Taylor to finish his exercise science degree before taking the mound as a professional.
Pentecost’s former teammate, and now sophomore pitcher, Lane Lewis admired what Gabel has demonstrated to the younger players that translated to his success.
“He never really let anything bring him down or stop his pursuit of leading this team,” Lewis said.
Lewis also said what stood out even more was the kind of teammate and leader Pentecost was for everyone, not just the pitchers.
Pentecost has solidified himself in Taylor baseball’s history and will have the chance to do the same in the MLB.
