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SOLEDAD — Eric Segura got the call of a lifetime Saturday when the Chicago White Sox selected the former Soledad High pitcher in the fourth round of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft.
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Projected to go anywhere between the third and seventh rounds, the Oregon State junior hurler is the first county player to go on the opening day of the MLB draft since Salinas pitcher Ryan Jensen was taken in the first round in 2019 by the Cubs.
Segura is just the second player from Soledad to have been selected in the MLB draft, as Michaelangelo Guzman was taken in the 31st round in 2013 by the Seattle Mariners.
The MLB amateur draft was changed to a two-day, 20-round affair in 2021.
Over the course of three seasons at Oregon State, the 6-foot-2, 214-pound hard-throwing right-hander finished with a 20-5 overall record, with 232 strikeouts in 200 innings of work.
Developing a sinker, Segura posted a 6-2 record over 15 starts this past spring for the Beavers with a collegiate career low 2.22 earned run average.
“The sinker became a game-changer for him,” said Soledad coach Damien Ryan, who coached Segura. “Because Eric was able to get the sinker going, it elevated him. It’s enabling him to keep the ball on the ground.”
The Herald’s Baseball Player of the Year as a junior in 2022, Segura struck out 83 hitters in 72 innings of work this past year for Oregon State, which was ranked No. 22 in the nation.
Of Segura’s 15 starts this spring, the Beavers went 13-2 in those games, with opponents hitting just .219 off of him. He also did not commit an error in the field.
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While Segura has the option of returning to Corvallis for his senior year, the likelihood is he’ll sign with the White Sox, where the projected salary slot designated by MLB rules is just under $800,000.
Two years ago, Segura pitched in the College World Series for Oregon State, seeing action in four NCAA tournament games, finishing with an 8-2 overall record.
“Watching him the last two years, I felt he was dropping his arm slightly,” Ryan said. “If you look at him this year, he’s back to a three-quarters arm slot. I think it has helped his sinker get a harder break.”
Segura was the 105th overall player taken in Saturday’s draft. He’s the first player from the county to be drafted since Salinas graduate Nathan Martorella was selected by the San Diego Padres in the fifth round in 2022.
The last player to appear on a Major League Roster from the county was former first-round pick and Salinas graduate Xavier Nady, who was drafted by the Padres in 2000, making his debut that same year, singling in his first at-bat.
Nady, a former Cal All-American, hit over 100 homers during a decade-long career, winning World Series rings with both the Yankees and Giants.
With a fastball in the mid 90’s, Segura was 11-2 as a junior at Soledad, striking out 104 hitters in 65 innings of work with an ERA under 1.30. He also hit over .400 that season.
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In three seasons at Soledad, Segura finished 18-5 with 214 strikeouts.
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This story was originally published July 11, 2026 at 8:57 PM.