ATLANTA, Ga. – Just a few hours after teammate Tyler Bowen was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 12th round of the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft, Richie Cortese became the 13th player in Lander baseball history to be drafted, joining Bowen in Philadelphia as the Phillies selected him in the 17th round on Monday afternoon.

This marks the first time since 2019 that multiple Bearcats have been selected in the same MLB Draft. That year, current Lander pitching coach Alex Moore was drafted by the Chicago Cubs, while Ryan Troutman was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

"To have two guys go to the same organization in the same year is super special," said head coach Jason Burke. "Richie kept his head down and worked his tail off to become the player he is now. He's a great player and an equally great teammate. I know he and Bowen are going to push each other to be great."

Cortese was a key piece in Lander's historic 2025 season, striking out 30 batters in just 16.2 innings. Opponents hit just .200 against the hard-throwing right-hander. He sealed Lander's first NCAA Tournament win since 2016 by striking out four over two innings to close out a 13-8 victory over Young Harris.