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North Vermilion alum Tyson Leblanc drafted by Detroit Tigers in 2026 MLB Draft After a deep postseason run to close out the 2026 college baseball season alongside Kansas, shortstop Tyson Leblanc has more to celebrate after being selected No.
61 overall by the Detriot Tigers during the 2026 MLB Draft on Saturday, July 11.
The former North Vermilion and LSU-Eunice baseball star made history as the highest MLB Draft pick to come from the Bengals program.
Coming into the MLB Draft, Leblanc was rated as the 113th overall best prospect and his projected slot value at No.
61 was $1.52 million.
His selection adds him to the long list of Jayhawks to hear their name called at the MLB Draft and marks the first selection in 2026.
Leblanc follows another list of players hailing from the 337 to be drafted in the MLB with the latest being former Acadiana outfielder Cardell Thibodeaux who was selected as the 490th pick by the San Diego Padres in the 16th round in the 2025 draft.
Listed at 6-foot and 200 pounds, Leblanc quickly rose as a professional prospect, breaking out as one of the Jayhawks most reliable sluggers in 2026.
In his lone season at Kansas, he finished with a .341 batting average, racking up 87 hits, 69 RBIs, 64 runs and a whopping 25 home runs.
It didnt matter where the Maurice native was in the lineup, he provided a much-needed boost in the Jayhawks offense when they needed it most.
With Leblanc and a host of other weapons, Kansas ended the season in the NCAA Super Regionals in Lawrence.
Before his time at Kansas, Leblanc took the juco route starting his collegiate career closer to home for the Bengals in Eunice.
He played two seasons with Louisiana State, rewriting much of the LSUE history books, finishing in the top 10 of 12 separate offensive career categories.
Leblancs 132 RBIs remains a school record for the Bengals and would lead their hitting efforts in 2025.
Leblanc marks one of a couple of Jayhawk players and 337 natives hoping to hear their name called in the later rounds of the 2026 MLB Draft.
Shannon Belt covers high school sports and the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network.
Follow her high school and Cajuns coverage on X, formerly known as Twitter: @ShannonBelt3.
Got questions regarding HS/UL athletics? Send them to Shannon Belt at [email protected].