Mason Edwards’ run at USC ended with a milestone that hadn’t been reached by a Trojan pitcher in years.
On Saturday, July 11, the Athletics took the former USC ace in the second round of the MLB Draft with the No. 47 overall pick. That made Edwards the highest-drafted Trojan since 2009, when former USC pitcher Brad Boxberger went in the first round to the Cincinnati Reds, according to USC athletics. It also gave USC a player drafted for the third straight year.
Edwards’ stock was built on a dominant 2026 season, one that made him a finalist for the National Pitcher of the Year Award from the College Baseball Foundation and earned him Baseball America’s pitcher of the year honor. He put together an 8-win season with a 2.07 ERA across 17 starts, while averaging 15.9 strikeouts per 9 innings and finishing with a 1.06 WHIP.
“If you pitch with freedom and you have confidence and trust in your stuff, I feel like it doesn’t really matter how hard you throw or what shapes you have. All that really matters is what kind of intensity you’re bringing and how hard you compete," Edwards told Baseball America.
His final season at USC stood in sharp contrast to 2025, when an injury kept him out for most of the year. In 2026, he was the Trojans’ ace and helped push the program back into the NCAA Tournament under coach Andy Stankiewicz. USC won its first regional since 2005 and came within one win of reaching the College World Series for the first time since 2001.
The postseason path was a wild one. USC dropped its opener against Texas State in the College Station Regional, then ripped off four straight wins to move on, including two victories over Texas A&M in College Station.
In the Chapel Hill Super Regional, the Trojans forced a deciding third game before North Carolina advanced to the College World Series. Edwards started the first game of that series and lasted 3.0 innings, allowing 3 earned runs with 5 strikeouts and 4 walks.
Edwards now heads into the Athletics’ farm system, with a possible future debut in Las Vegas. He was the second player selected by Oakland, following former Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress at No. 8 overall in the first round. The Athletics then used their next two picks on pitchers, adding more arms to the mix Edwards will enter.
USC wasn’t blindsided by the selection, but the Trojans still have roster work to do after losing production through the transfer portal, including designated hitter Augie Lopez, infielder Adrian Lopez and catcher Isaac Cadena.
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