Two Baseball Spartans See Their Names Called as Chris Torres and Amp Phillips Selected by Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays, Respectively, in 2026 MLB Draft
7/12/2026 7:36:00 PM | Baseball
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – For the third straight season, the USC Upstate baseball program sees a former Spartan selected in the Major League Baseball draft as Amp Phillips and Chris Torres saw their names called by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 15th round and the Seattle Mariners in the 16th round, respectively.
Â
The duo, rotation mates on the Spartans' 2025 Big South Regular Season and Tournament Championship club, combined for 15 wins and two saves over 165.1 innings while striking out 159 hitters. Torres, heading the Upstate rotation in 2026, helped Upstate to another Big South Tournament Championship and the Spartans' first-ever NCAA Tournament victory.
Â
In two seasons with Upstate, Torres, a West Springfield, Mass., native, earned 13 wins over 35 career appearances and 158.0 career innings. He struck out 149 batters over his two seasons, posting an 8.49 strikeout per nine innings total. His 13 career wins tie for sixth in the program's Division I era (2007-pres.) and his 149 strikeouts also rank sixth in the era.
Â
Phillips, a native of Lancaster, S.C., pitched one season for the Spartans, earning seven wins and a .778 winning percentage in 2025. Over 84.0 innings, he punched out 81 hitters to the tune of an 8.68 strikeout per nine innings total.
Â
With their selections, Phillips and Torres become the 26th and 27th former Spartans taken in MLB's June Amateur Draft. The 2026 draft is the first since 2021, when Jordan Marks and Alex Garbrick were selected, to feature multiple former Spartans selected in the same draft.
Â
Connect with the SpartansÂ
Facebook.com/UpstateAthleticsÂ
Twitter | @UpstateBSB | @UpstateSpartansÂ
Instagram | @UpstateBSB | @UpstateSpartansÂ
YouTube.com/UpstateSpartans
INVEST IN CHAMPIONS - Join the Upstate Athletic Fund (UAF) and enjoy enhanced benefits for your support of all USC Upstate programs! Make your gift today, click here!
Â
The duo, rotation mates on the Spartans' 2025 Big South Regular Season and Tournament Championship club, combined for 15 wins and two saves over 165.1 innings while striking out 159 hitters. Torres, heading the Upstate rotation in 2026, helped Upstate to another Big South Tournament Championship and the Spartans' first-ever NCAA Tournament victory.
Â
In two seasons with Upstate, Torres, a West Springfield, Mass., native, earned 13 wins over 35 career appearances and 158.0 career innings. He struck out 149 batters over his two seasons, posting an 8.49 strikeout per nine innings total. His 13 career wins tie for sixth in the program's Division I era (2007-pres.) and his 149 strikeouts also rank sixth in the era.
Â
Phillips, a native of Lancaster, S.C., pitched one season for the Spartans, earning seven wins and a .778 winning percentage in 2025. Over 84.0 innings, he punched out 81 hitters to the tune of an 8.68 strikeout per nine innings total.
Â
With their selections, Phillips and Torres become the 26th and 27th former Spartans taken in MLB's June Amateur Draft. The 2026 draft is the first since 2021, when Jordan Marks and Alex Garbrick were selected, to feature multiple former Spartans selected in the same draft.
Â
Connect with the SpartansÂ
Facebook.com/UpstateAthleticsÂ
Twitter | @UpstateBSB | @UpstateSpartansÂ
Instagram | @UpstateBSB | @UpstateSpartansÂ
YouTube.com/UpstateSpartans
INVEST IN CHAMPIONS - Join the Upstate Athletic Fund (UAF) and enjoy enhanced benefits for your support of all USC Upstate programs! Make your gift today, click here!
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball No videos available.
