LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Bellarmine right-handed pitcher Cade Rusch was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 19th round (576th overall) of the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft on Sunday, becoming the latest Knight to continue his baseball career at the professional level.
Rusch spent his lone season with the Knights after transferring from Indiana University Southeast and quickly established himself as Bellarmine's primary late-inning reliever. The senior appeared in 21 games, posting a 3-2 record with a team-best three saves and a 2.16 ERA while striking out 38 batters over 33.1 innings. He held opponents to a .248 batting average and finished the season with the lowest ERA among Bellarmine pitchers with at least 30 innings pitched.
The Prospect, Kentucky, native earned victories against Northern Kentucky and North Alabama twice while recording saves against Southern Indiana, Central Arkansas and Dayton this season. He closed the season by throwing a season-high three innings in the Knights' finale against Eastern Kentucky and recorded a season-best four strikeouts at Lipscomb earlier in the year.
Before arriving at Bellarmine, Rusch spent three seasons at Indiana University Southeast, where he helped guide the Grenadiers to the 2024 NAIA World Series and the 2025 NAIA Opening Round. Over his collegiate career, he developed into one of the region's top relief pitchers before making the jump to NCAA Division I for his final season.
The Tigers selected the 6-foot-3 right-hander after a standout senior campaign highlighted by his swing-and-miss ability, averaging more than 10 strikeouts per nine innings while serving as one of the Knights' most dependable bullpen arms.
Rusch is the first Bellarmine baseball player selected in the MLB Draft since Brandon Pfaadt was chosen by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB Draft. He also becomes the first Knight drafted since Major League Baseball reduced the draft to 20 rounds and is the 11th player in program history to be selected in the MLB Draft.
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