Penn State baseball designated hitter Michael Anderson was selected No. 149 overall in the fifth round by the Texas Rangers in the 2026 MLB Draft on Sunday. He is the highest-drafted Nittany Lion since Matthew Wood went No. 132 in 2022.

Happy Valley Texas

Congrats to @Michael_A110 drafted as a two-way player by the Rangers!!!#WeAre pic.twitter.com/ElPZdMNZZ2

— Penn State Baseball (@PennStateBASE) July 12, 2026

Anderson graduated from Monsignor Bonner High School in Havertown, just outside Philadelphia, in 2022. Ranked as the No. 4 first baseman and No. 69 player overall in the state according to Perfect Game, he committed to Rhode Island.

There, he emerged as one of the best hitters in the Atlantic 10 over the next two seasons, slashing .288/.408/.562 across 100 games and earning all-conference and Freshman All-American honors, and even breaking an NCAA record with a 12-RBI game in March 2024.

His dominance there got him noticed around college baseball. He entered the transfer portal after the 2024 season and enrolled at SEC powerhouse Arkansas for his junior season, but he only appeared in four games as he struggled to stick out in a stacked locker room.

He re-entered the portal for his senior year, and like 2025 seventh-round pick and teammate now in Texas, Paxton Kling, did a year prior, he decided to return to his home state and transferred to Penn State for 2026.

Anderson spent one season in Happy Valley, and it was one of the best seasons any of us have ever seen. Despite the team’s struggles, he slashed .358/.470/.742 with a program-record 20 home runs, 53 RBIs, and 32 extra-base hits in 50 games. In addition to breaking the home run record, he broke the hit-by-pitch record with 18 and moved into fourth all-time in single-season slugging percentage and total bases.

His brilliance earned him First-Team All-Big Ten and near-consensus All-American honors. While most publications had him as a second or third-teamer, he was named just the fifth First-Team All-American in program history by Rawlings and the American Baseball Coaches Association.

Interestingly enough, Anderson was announced as a two-way player when the Rangers selected him. He pitched one game this spring for the Nittany Lions and got as high as 99 mph on his fastball in fall ball, but tore his UCL and hit through it, which could be a reason he didn’t play at all in the field, either. Whether he gets back on the mound after surgery is to be determined.