Two Former Pit Spitters Selected in First Round of 2026 MLB Draft, Make Franchise History
Northwoods Traverse City Pit Spitters

Two Former Pit Spitters Selected in First Round of 2026 MLB Draft, Make Franchise History

Published on July 11, 2026 under Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Traverse City Pit Spitters News Release


Two Former Pit Spitters Selected in First Round of 2026 MLB Draft, Make Franchise History Traverse City, MI - July 11, 2026 - The Traverse City Pit Spitters celebrated a milestone night during the first round of the 2026 MLB Draft, as former catchers Vahn Lackey and Daniel Jackson were selected among the first 37 picks.

Lackey became the highest-drafted former Pit Spitter in franchise history when the Minnesota Twins selected him third overall. Later in the first round, the Colorado Rockies selected Jackson with the 37th overall pick in Competitive Balance Round A.

For the first time in franchise history, two former Pit Spitters were selected in the first round of the same MLB Draft.

Both Lackey and Jackson spent the 2024 summer playing in the Cherry Capital.

Lackey appeared in 41 games for Traverse City following his freshman season at Georgia Tech. He tied for the team lead with three home runs, drove in 22 runs and reached base at a .343 clip.

One of his top performances came in a July 5 victory over the Kokomo Jackrabbits, when he collected two hits and drove in three runs.

Lackey completed a dominant junior season at Georgia Tech in 2026, batting .397 with 20 home runs, 78 RBI and a 1.291 OPS. He won the Johnny Bench Award as the nation's top collegiate catcher, earned First-Team All-America recognition and was named a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist.

The Golden Spikes Award ultimately went to his former Pit Spitters teammate.

Jackson, who began his collegiate career at Wofford before transferring to Georgia, appeared in 27 games for Traverse City in 2024.

He hit .232 with seven doubles and a .378 on-base percentage.

On June 27 against the rival Kalamazoo Growlers, Jackson went 3-for-4 with two doubles to help the Pit Spitters earn an 8-7 victory.

Jackson followed with one of the most decorated seasons in college baseball history. He batted .379 with 32 home runs, a Georgia-record 87 RBIs and 26 stolen bases, becoming the first catcher in NCAA Division I history to record at least 30 home runs and 25 stolen bases in the same season.

He won the Golden Spikes Award, Dick Howser Trophy, Buster Posey Award and Perfect Game National Player of the Year. Jackson also captured SEC Player of the Year, the SEC Triple Crown and SEC Tournament MVP while helping Georgia set a program record with 53 victories.

Six former Pit Spitters have now reached the Major Leagues:

LHP Luke Little -- 2019 (year with Pit Spitters) RHP Spencer Schwellenbach -- 2020

RHP Chad Patrick -- 2019 and 2020 RHP Andrew Hoffmann -- 2019 and 2020 OF Jakob Marsee -- 2022 IF Tommy Troy -- 2020

Troy, selected 12th overall in 2023, had previously been the only first-round pick in Pit Spitters history.

With Lackey and Jackson joining him, Traverse City has now produced three first-round selections--adding another chapter to the franchise's growing pipeline from the Cherry Capital to professional baseball.

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