Luke Craytor became the second Hokie to hear his name called as part of the 2026 MLB Draft when he was selected by the Chicago White Sox with the 255th pick of the 2026 MLB Draft in the ninth round of 20.— Virginia Tech Baseball (@HokiesBaseball) July 12, 2026Craytor, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound right-hander from Charlottesville, Va., spent two seasons at Lafayette before transitioning to Virginia Tech. In his two years with Lafayette, he logged a record of 1-8 with a 8.15 ERA and two saves. He logged 85 innings with the Leopards, allowing a total of 112 hits, 98 runs (77 earned) and 10 home runs.Craytor transferred to Virginia Tech after his sophomore season and operated exclusively as a bullpen arm from then on. In the 2025 season, he tossed 18.1 innings, just under half of his 2024 output (36 1/3 frames), and he allowed 26 hits and 18 runs. He posted an 8.84 ERA across the season, though he did tab two saves in wins against ETSU (8-6, Feb. 18, 2025) and UNC Greensboro (8-3, Feb. 24, 2025). His worst performance of the season came against Radford where, in two-thirds of a frame, he was tagged for five hits and four earned runs in a 8-1 loss. Against Pitt, Craytor yielded five hits and two earned runs in a damp 14-13 loss, and his 2025 season concluded with a four-hit, three-run (all earned) output against Virginia without an out int he regular season finale.His 2026 campaign, however, was far more stellar, as he finished with a 3.16 ERA — the highest on the team and of Craytor's career. In 25.2 innings of work, he yielded 22 hits and only nine earned runs, striking out 30 batters and conceding only three home runs. Craytor was instrumental in Virginia Tech's 4-3 victory over Rutgers, in which he threw 3.2 frames of one-hit no-run ball. That 3.2-inning output was the longest for Craytor in a Hokie uniform. Craytor's final game with Virginia Tech came against Cal Poly in the opener of the Los Angeles Regional, where he allowed one hit and no runs in 1.2 innings of work on May 29.Craytor is the second Virginia Tech player to be drafted in this year's MLB Draft and the second pitcher, too, joining fellow right-hander Brett Renfrow, who went to the Minnesota Twins at No. 74. Rising senior arms Aiden Robertson and Griffin Stieg were selected in last year's MLB Draft, and both are eligible again this year. Stieg (selected in the 18th round last year) threw for a 7.46 ERA as one of the Hokies' weekend starters, while Robertson threw for a 10.19 ERA and quickly shifted into a bullpen role. Stieg is likely to get drafted and not return to Virginia Tech for a senior season, though nothing is set in stone.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow