California State University Northridge Athletics
Photo by: Chuck Marvel
CSUN's Matthew Thomas Selected by St. Louis Cardinals at MLB Draft
7/12/2026 2:01:00 PM | Baseball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Baseball's junior outfielder Matthew Thomas was selected in the 13th round by the St. Louis Cardinals on day two of the 2026 MLB First-Year Player Draft on Sunday. Thomas was chosen 384th overall in the draft.Â
After transferring from Cal prior to the year, Thomas went on to record career highs in a Matador uniform in 2026. The Garden Grove native received All-Big West First Team honors after leading the conference in doubles (21) and slugging percentage (.679). Thomas was second in the conference in OPS (1.090) and total bases (142) while finishing third overall with teammate Matthew Pena in home runs (15). He also finished the season ranked fifth in batting average (.335), sixth in runs scored (47) and hits (70), and ninth in RBI (43) during his breakout season.Â
Thomas' 21 doubles on the season were the most by a Matador in a single season since Adam Kennedy in 1997. He held the team lead with 19 multi-hit games and 12 multi-RBI games as he started all 53 contests. In Big West play, Thomas slashed .333/.384/.462 and went on to collect a pair of Big West Field Player of the Week awards on the campaign.Â
Thomas becomes the fourth Matador to be selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft under head coach Eddie Cornejo, joining the likes of Lucas Braun (Atlanta Braves, 2023), Graysen Tarlow (St. Louis Cardinals, 2023) and Kevin Fitzer (Colorado Rockies, 2024). He is also the highest drafted Matador since Braun in 2023.Â
In school history, Thomas is the 107th all-time CSUN player to be chosen in the MLB Draft. He is also the 10th CSUN player to ever be selected by the St. Louis Cardinals' organization in Matador history. Other former Matadors previously drafted by St. Louis includes Mark Bumstead (1976), Jeremy Hernandez (1987), John Balfanz (1987), Nathan Rice (1996), Adam Kennedy (1997), Andy Davidson (2002), Chuckie Fick (2007), Justin Toerner (2018) and Graysen Tarlow (2023).
#GoMatadors
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After transferring from Cal prior to the year, Thomas went on to record career highs in a Matador uniform in 2026. The Garden Grove native received All-Big West First Team honors after leading the conference in doubles (21) and slugging percentage (.679). Thomas was second in the conference in OPS (1.090) and total bases (142) while finishing third overall with teammate Matthew Pena in home runs (15). He also finished the season ranked fifth in batting average (.335), sixth in runs scored (47) and hits (70), and ninth in RBI (43) during his breakout season.Â
Thomas' 21 doubles on the season were the most by a Matador in a single season since Adam Kennedy in 1997. He held the team lead with 19 multi-hit games and 12 multi-RBI games as he started all 53 contests. In Big West play, Thomas slashed .333/.384/.462 and went on to collect a pair of Big West Field Player of the Week awards on the campaign.Â
Thomas becomes the fourth Matador to be selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft under head coach Eddie Cornejo, joining the likes of Lucas Braun (Atlanta Braves, 2023), Graysen Tarlow (St. Louis Cardinals, 2023) and Kevin Fitzer (Colorado Rockies, 2024). He is also the highest drafted Matador since Braun in 2023.Â
In school history, Thomas is the 107th all-time CSUN player to be chosen in the MLB Draft. He is also the 10th CSUN player to ever be selected by the St. Louis Cardinals' organization in Matador history. Other former Matadors previously drafted by St. Louis includes Mark Bumstead (1976), Jeremy Hernandez (1987), John Balfanz (1987), Nathan Rice (1996), Adam Kennedy (1997), Andy Davidson (2002), Chuckie Fick (2007), Justin Toerner (2018) and Graysen Tarlow (2023).
#GoMatadors
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