PHILADELPHIA – UCF outfielder Andrew Williamson was selected in the Second Round (Competitive Balance Round B) of the 2026 MLB Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday afternoon.
Williamson, who played his freshman through junior years for the Black and Gold, was taken as the 68th pick of the draft. The left-handed outfielder becomes the sixth highest Knight picked and the 132nd player drafted overall in program history. He also becomes just the second Black and Gold player selected in the second round and the program’s highest pick since 2004.
Williamson recently capped his junior year by earning Second Team All-Big 12 and Auburn Regional All-Tournament Team honors. He finished second on the team in 2026 with a .322 batting average and led the way with 16 homers, four triples, 33 extra-base hits, 58 runs scored, 41 walks, a .645 slugging percentage, and a .442 on-base clip. He also finished second on the team in doubles (13) and RBIs (48). He started all 55 games in the outfield for the Knights.
He capped his college career by tying a program record with three home runs in UCF’s opening game of the Auburn Regional en route to leading the second-seeded Knights to a 9-3 win over the third-seeded NC State Wolfpack. He finished the regional with a .364 average, four home runs, four runs scored, seven RBIs and a 1.917 OPS. His four home runs marked a regional record for UCF.
Earlier in the season, he earned Preseason All-Big 12 honors and was also named a member of the prestigious Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List. He was also named Perfect Game’s National Player of the Week after batting .600 with three home runs during UCF’s series win at then-No. 11 West Virginia.
Williamson earned Big 12 Honorable Mention accolades as a sophomore in 2025 after hitting .352 with team-leading tallies of 13 homers, 19 doubles, four triples, 58 runs scored, 53 RBIs and 34 walks. He also led the way in slugging (.662), on-base percentage (.448), OPS (1.110) and went a perfect 13-for-13 in stolen bases. He started all 55 games on the season for the Black and Gold.
The native of St. Petersburg, Florida, played in 50 games and made 42 starts in the outfield as a true freshman in 2024. Williamson hit .258 with five homers, six doubles, one triple, 28 runs scored and 25 RBIs. He also recorded a .411 slugging percentage and a .333 on-base clip.
Williamson will leave UCF ranked fifth all-time in slugging percentage with a .590 career mark and eighth in career home runs with 34. His 16 homers in 2026 are also good enough to tie for sixth in the single-season record books.
Congrats to our guy, Andrew Williamson 🙌 pic.twitter.com/DNPW7LP43B
— UCF Baseball (@UCF_Baseball) July 11, 2026
Williamson becomes UCF’s seventh player selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in program history.
The 2026 MLB Draft will conclude on Sunday with rounds five through 20. Day two of the draft will get underway at 11:30 a.m. ET and air on MLB.com.