LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Las Vegas produced several MLB draft picks this weekend, and UNLV's new head coach Nick Garritano is poised to keep that pipeline flowing.
WATCH | Alex Eschelman recently sat down with Garritano after he took over for the Hustlin' Rebels:
Andruw Giles, out of Basic Academy, was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the fourth round. LJ Mercurius, who won the College World Series with the Oklahoma Sooners, was taken by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fifth round. Brady Ballinger from Green Valley, who played at the College of Southern Nevada before transferring to Kansas, was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the seventh round.
Five UNLV players also heard their names called. Pitchers Carson Lane, Jase Evangelista, Ryan Marton and Parker Dillhoff were taken in rounds 14 through 18. Outfielder Jack Salmon rounded out the group, selected in round 19.
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Las Vegas area natives, UNLV standouts among selections in 2026 MLB Draft
Las Vegas has a long history of producing MLB draft talent, and Garritano has had a direct hand in that.
Throughout his 28-year head coaching career at Green Valley High School and CSN, he won numerous Coach of the Year awards while building both programs into top programs nationwide. His time at Green Valley produced 10 MLB draft picks, and he added 23 draft selections while leading CSN, most recently including Ballinger during the 2026 MLB Draft.
Now, Garritano is taking over as head coach of UNLV Baseball, and for him, it is deeply personal. He already made history at UNLV as a Hall of Fame kicker before his coaching career took shape.
"There's no way I'm getting goose bumps just talking about it," Garritano said. "This is it. This is home."
"I have so much pride in this university, so much pride in this community. It's an honor," Garritano added.
While Garritano once thought his future was in football, he said "the good Lord steered me in the direction of baseball," and it has worked for him.
His coaching philosophy goes beyond wins and losses. Garritano said the relationships he builds with players are the foundation of everything he does.
"I'll forever be in debt to those two places. I'm an emotional guy, and I'm trying not to go that way, but they mean the world to me," Garritano said.
"This past year I was asked to officiate two weddings of former players. It's so much more than baseball and that's going to be me here," he added. "I told the players in the first meeting we will win, we will work to win in everything that we do, we will compete every day, but at the end of the day we're going to work to build those lifelong relationships that these players will want to come back to UNLV because once you're in the family you're always in the family."
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