Irvine Selected by Pirates in MLB Draft

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa redshirt sophomore Drew Irvine was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 19th round of the 2021 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Tuesday. He was the 553rd pick overall.

The right-handed pitcher from Waukee, Iowa, is the 23rd player selected during the Rick Heller era. He is the second Hawkeye taken in the 2021 draft, joining Trenton Wallace (11th Round, Toronto Blue Jays). It is the sixth time in the Heller era that multiple players have been drafted.

Pitching primarily as Iowa’s Saturday starter, Irvine went 2-5 with a 6.43 ERA over 49 innings during the 2021 season. He made 10 starts and appeared in 13 games.

Irvine had back-to-back quality starts in the middle of the season, allowing one run on two hits over seven innings in a win over Minnesota on April 1. He followed it up with a seven-inning complete game against Rutgers, allowing one run on six hits and fanning five without issuing a walk.

During his three seasons at Iowa, Irvine has appeared in 33 games, where he has four wins and 70 strikeouts over 76 2/3 innings.