Jun 9, 2024; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M infielder Kaeden Kent (3) hits a grand slam in the top of the seventh inning against Oregon at Olsen Field, Blue Bell Park Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Former Texas A&M Pitcher Signs With Tampa Bay Rays Organization

Originally posted on Texas A&M Aggies on SI
By Aaron Raley | Last updated Jul 27, 2025 7:25 PM ET

Texas A&M's baseball program has been pretty well at having players drafted into the major leagues, especially in the past few years.

The same skill that the Alabama Crimson Tide or Georgia Bulldogs have with the NFL Draft, that almost seems to be the same story for the Aggies when it comes to the diamond.

And this past Friday afternoon, another Aggie baseball player signed an official major league deal.

Relief Pitcher Luke Jackson Signed With Struggling AL East Team

The Tampa Bay Rays were able to strike a deal with Texas A&M relief pitcher Luke Jackson, whom they drafted in the 11th round of this year's draft.

Jackson, who underwent Tommy John surgery in his freshman year in 2023, worked a total of 26.2 innings in 26 appearances for the Maroon and White during his two actual seasons of pitching, and netted a deal worth $497,500, MLB Pipeline writer Jim Callis announced in a post on X.

11th-rder Luke Jackson signs w/@Raysbaseball for $497,500 ($347,500 counts vs pool). @AggieBaseball RHP, recovered from TJ surgery & only worked 26 2/3 innings in three years at Texas A&M but up to 98 mph & intriguing upside. @MLBDraft
— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) July 25, 2025

Ironically, Jackson won't even be the only player (or pitcher for that matter) with the name "Luke Jackson" in Major League Baseball, as Luke Jackson is also a relief pitcher who just recently signed with the Detroit Tigers and also won the 2021 World Series with the Atlanta Braves, beating the Houston Astros in six games.

While in College Station, Jackson saw many of his appearances during the Aggies' forgettable 2025 season, making 18 showings with one save, 24 strikeouts, a 5.89 earned run average, and an opponent batting average of .273.

In recent years, the Rays have seemed to always fly under the radar in terms of MLB's premier teams. They have crept into the MLB postseason, be it as a Wild Card or divisional winner, but haven't seemed to find much success in making it past the first round since they lost the 2020 World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games.

Like many big teams in the MLB this year, however, the Rays have been plagued by injuries, especially to their pitching. Shane McClanahan has yet to pitch in the 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2024, missing that entire season and then suffering a setback in spring training this year after suffering a triceps injury.

And with an iffy bullpen that is really only anchored by closer Pete Fairbanks and flamethrower Edwin Uceta, perhaps the other Luke Jackson can make a name for himself in Tampa once he gets that call-up from the minors.

This article first appeared on Texas A&M Aggies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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