Courtesy of Nevada Athletics

RENO, Nev. - Nevada RHP Aidan Brainard was selected in the sixth round (No. 178 overall) of the 2026 MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers Sunday.

Brainard is the first Mountain West player off the board and is Nevada's 10th MLB Draft selection since 2019. He is also the third member of the Wolf Pack to be taken in the draft's first six rounds since 2019, joining RHP Grant Ford (2019, fifth round) and RHP Kade Morris (2023, third round).

In 2026 Brainard was named to the All-Mountain West First Team, going 5-4 on the season with 68 strikeouts over 62.0 innings while in Mountain West play he was 4-0 with a 2.77 ERA and 48 strikeouts over 39.0 innings.

Brainard stepped up for Nevada as a reliever and starter over the Mountain West regular season, making eight appearances, posting a 2.82 earned-run average while going 4-0 with a save. Four times in conference play he struck out at least seven batters, topping out with eight twice as his 48 strikeouts ranked third in the conference regular season.

After making his first four appearances of conference play in relief, Brainard moved into the Friday starter role, going 2-0 and posting a 2.25 ERA with 27 strikeouts over 24 innings in his four starts.

He was named Mountain West Pitcher of the Week April 20 after a two-hit, seven-strikeout performance in a win at New Mexico.