Trinity College alumnus and former Bantam baseball player Cooper McGrath ’23 was an 18th-round selection of the San Francisco Giants in the 2025 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft this summer.
McGrath becomes the sixth former Bantam to be drafted into the MLB, and the first since James Wood ’10 was selected in the 47th round of the 2010 MLB draft by the Seattle Mariners.
The pitcher from South Hamilton, Massachusetts, earned a B.A. in economics from Trinity.
McGrath was a member of the Bantams pitching staff for his junior and senior campaigns from 2022 to 2023. As a junior, McGrath led the Trinity rotation with six wins and a team-high 42 strikeouts in 31.2 innings of work, while limiting opponents to a .252 batting average. During his senior season, McGrath transitioned to a relief role, posting a 3.38 earned run average in eight innings pitched with two saves.
After transferring to Northeastern as a graduate student, McGrath logged 28 appearances out of the bullpen with a 4-0 record and one save, along with a 2.20 ERA and a .220 opponent batting average.
Trinity College All-Time MLB Draft Picks:
2025:
Cooper McGrath (2022-23) (536th Overall, 18th Round, San Francisco Giants)
2010:
James Wood (2007-10) (47th Round, Seattle Mariners)
2009:
Jeremiah Bayer (2008-09) (918th Overall, 30th Round, Boston Red Sox)
2008:
Tim Kiely (2005-08) (829th Overall, 27th Round, Los Angeles Angels)
Thomas DiBenedetto (2005-08) (1,132nd Overall, 37th Round, Boston Red Sox)
2002:
Jonah Bayliss (2001-02) (198th Overall, 7th Round, Kansas City Royals)
Following a dominant performance on the water in California last weekend, the Bantams return to Hartford as the 2026 Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) Division III Varsity Eight National Champions.
Joining a growing list of NCAA programs, the Bantams will launch a women’s fencing team in 2027-28 and a men’s fencing team in 2028-29, reviving a sport with deep roots on campus.
Ben Stralka, head athletic trainer at Trinity College with Hartford Healthcare Campus Care, talks about his role keeping student-athletes healthy and strong during Athletic Training Month.
The eighth annual Trinity Athletics Giving (TAG) Week set new records for both the number of donors and total dollars raised, with 2,713 people contributing $1,706,561 to support Bantam athletics.
