BURSTA former baseball player for the Kelowna Falcons was selected in the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft (MLB).
Pitcher Griffin Naess was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 15th round, 457th overall, on July 12.
The 21-year-old pitched for the Falcons during the 2023 season before taking the mound for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo out of California.
According to Baseball Reference, the pitcher played seven games for the Falcons, including one start. In that time, Naess posted a 2-1 record and a 1.69 ERA, with nine strikeouts across 16 innings.
The 6-foot-6 pitcher played for the Falcons primarily as a reliever right after finishing his senior year of high school and just before heading off to college.
The Laguna Beach native played for Cal Poly for three seasons, using his four-seam fastball to post a win-loss record of 22-8.
It’s been four years since a Kelowna Falcons player was chosen in the MLB Draft, which happened to be another pitcher by the name of Zach Jacobs, who was selected by the Cleveland Guardians in the 18th round.
Other notable former Falcons drafted to the MLB include James Paxton, Phil Maton, Ryan Tepera and Wyatt Mills.