Arkansas kept its MLB Draft run going on Sunday morning when left-hander Ethan McElvain became the first Razorback to hear his name on day two.
The Kansas City Royals took him in round five with the 151st overall pick.
The pick comes a day after Arkansas set a program record with three first-round selections.
That gave the Hogs seven first-round picks over the last two seasons, which is the most for any school in draft history.
McElvain arrived in Fayetteville last year as a transfer from Vanderbilt. He’d been a top-100 prospect out of high school but never fully clicked during his two seasons in Nashville.
It changed once he started working with Arkansas pitching coach Matt Hobbs, who helped him sharpen his command and turned him into a weapon out of the bullpen.
The results showed up fast. McElvain went 6-0 with a 1.88 ERA and racked up 55 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings across 20 appearances. He walked only 13 batters all season and held opposing hitters to a .182 average.
Numbers that stood out all spring
He led the team with six saves and turned into arguably the most reliable arm in the Arkansas pen.
In relief alone he posted a 1.03 ERA with six saves and 52 strikeouts over 35 innings while limiting hitters to a .163 average.
His numbers held up against SEC competition too. He went 3-0 with a 1.86 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings across 11 league appearances and added four saves along the way.
McElvain earned All-SEC Second Team recognition and collected All-American honors from multiple organizations.
He also landed among the finalists for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award.
Strong arm, low mileage
Scouts point to his build and the light workload on his arm during college as reasons he could move through the minors quickly.
He struck out a season-high seven batters at Kentucky on May 15 before tossing 4 1/3 shutout innings against sixth-ranked Auburn in the SEC Tournament.
His final college outing came in a start against 13th-ranked Kansas in the NCAA Lawrence Regional.
Kansas City used a fifth-round pick on an Arkansas arm for the second straight year after taking right-hander Aiden Jimenez in 2025.
McElvain now joins that pipeline as he begins his professional career.
Key takeaways
- The Kansas City Royals selected Arkansas left-hander Ethan McElvain in round five with the 151st overall pick.
- McElvain went 6-0 with a 1.88 ERA and six saves in his only season with the Razorbacks after transferring from Vanderbilt.
- He’s the sixth Razorback taken in the 2026 MLB Draft and the second straight fifth-round Arkansas arm the Royals have selected.
