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Ohl receives MLB call-up for Twins start
7/29/2025 3:10:00 PM | Baseball, Paul Coro
GCU's 2021 WAC Pitcher of the Year becomes 17th big-league Lope
The most successful Division I era of Grand Canyon baseball is spilling into Major League Baseball with former Lopes pitcher Pierson Ohl giving GCU a MLB call-up for the second consecutive year.
The Minnesota Twins gave Ohl his first big-league call-up Tuesday, when he will start on the mound against the Boston Red Sox as the 17th Lope to play in the majors, where he joins 2021 Lopes teammate and Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson.
Ohl, the 6-foot-1 right-hander from Moorpark, California, was drafted in the 14th round by the Twins in 2021 after becoming the Lopes' first Division I All-America baseball player.
The 25-year-old started his summer with two Low-A injury rehabilitation items, posted a 2.08 ERA in 13 outings at Double-A Wichita and spent the past five weeks with Triple-A St. Paul.
Ohl posted a 2.82 ERA in three starts and four relief appearances with St. Paul, where he tossed four scoreless innings Thursday with one hit allowed, five strikeouts and no walks. Over all three stops, 70% of Ohl's pitches were strikes this year with a .217 ERA and 79 strikeouts to 10 walks.
Ohl will be the first GCU pitcher to start a MLB game since Tom Tellman's complete-game win for San Diego in 1980.
"Such exciting news that Pierson will be making his big-league debut tonight," said GCU head coach Gregg Wallis, who has coached on the Lopes staff since 2014. "He was one of the toughest competitors I've had the pleasure of watching pitch in my time at GCU. He's definitely making all of Lope Nation proud. Congratulations and best of luck to Pierson."
Ohl won WAC Pitcher of the Year in 2021 when he shared the national lead for complete games with seven. After his sophomore season ended early with the COVID-19 halt, Ohl helped GCU to its first NCAA Division I Tournament appearance in 2021 by posting a 2.60 ERA with 103 strikeouts to 12 walks in 100 1/3 innings.
After being named to Collegiate Baseball's All-America second team, Ohl began his pro climb that broke into Double-A in 2023. His Triple-A debut came June 24 with another outing of four scoreless innings.
"He attacks and has good off-speed stuff," Saints manager Toby Gardenhire told zonecoverage.com. "He moves the ball in and out, he goes up and down, he's got a good changeup. He's not scared to go after them, and he does a really nice job. He goes right in the strike zone, and he just goes right at guys. So that's what we look for, and that's great."
His opportunity to start Tuesday night at Minnesota's Target Field coincided with a scheduled start for St. Paul, which is 11 miles away. The Twins traded starting pitcher Chris Paddack on Monday.
Ohl has maintained his GCU reputation as a pitcher who attacks the zone with six pitches, including a low-90s fastball that complements his change-up well. His minor-league walk percentage of 3.6% over 389 career innings is the second lowest among active qualified pitchers. His strikeout percentage increased to 30% this year.
"Pierson is always going to give you his best effort," St. Paul pitching coach Jonas Lovin told zonecoverage.com. "He competes really well on the mound, he executes his pitches really well, and he does a nice job adjusting to what the hitters are doing. I think you've seen that so far, and I think, obviously, we'll continue to see it, but Pierson's great."
He opened the game with by striking out Red Sox leadoff hitter Roman Anthony on three pitches. He struck out three-time All-Star Alex Bregman swinging before allowing a Jarren Duran double and stranding him by striking out Trevor Story with a full-court change-up.
In the third inning, Ohl was a strike away from limiting Boston to two runs. Story fouled off two full-court pitches before hitting a two-run home run. Ohl uncharacteristically walked the next batter on four pitches before ending the inning on a line out.
The Minnesota Twins gave Ohl his first big-league call-up Tuesday, when he will start on the mound against the Boston Red Sox as the 17th Lope to play in the majors, where he joins 2021 Lopes teammate and Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson.Ohl, the 6-foot-1 right-hander from Moorpark, California, was drafted in the 14th round by the Twins in 2021 after becoming the Lopes' first Division I All-America baseball player.
The 25-year-old started his summer with two Low-A injury rehabilitation items, posted a 2.08 ERA in 13 outings at Double-A Wichita and spent the past five weeks with Triple-A St. Paul.
Ohl posted a 2.82 ERA in three starts and four relief appearances with St. Paul, where he tossed four scoreless innings Thursday with one hit allowed, five strikeouts and no walks. Over all three stops, 70% of Ohl's pitches were strikes this year with a .217 ERA and 79 strikeouts to 10 walks.
Ohl will be the first GCU pitcher to start a MLB game since Tom Tellman's complete-game win for San Diego in 1980.
"Such exciting news that Pierson will be making his big-league debut tonight," said GCU head coach Gregg Wallis, who has coached on the Lopes staff since 2014. "He was one of the toughest competitors I've had the pleasure of watching pitch in my time at GCU. He's definitely making all of Lope Nation proud. Congratulations and best of luck to Pierson."
Ohl won WAC Pitcher of the Year in 2021 when he shared the national lead for complete games with seven. After his sophomore season ended early with the COVID-19 halt, Ohl helped GCU to its first NCAA Division I Tournament appearance in 2021 by posting a 2.60 ERA with 103 strikeouts to 12 walks in 100 1/3 innings.
After being named to Collegiate Baseball's All-America second team, Ohl began his pro climb that broke into Double-A in 2023. His Triple-A debut came June 24 with another outing of four scoreless innings.
"He attacks and has good off-speed stuff," Saints manager Toby Gardenhire told zonecoverage.com. "He moves the ball in and out, he goes up and down, he's got a good changeup. He's not scared to go after them, and he does a really nice job. He goes right in the strike zone, and he just goes right at guys. So that's what we look for, and that's great."
His opportunity to start Tuesday night at Minnesota's Target Field coincided with a scheduled start for St. Paul, which is 11 miles away. The Twins traded starting pitcher Chris Paddack on Monday.
Ohl has maintained his GCU reputation as a pitcher who attacks the zone with six pitches, including a low-90s fastball that complements his change-up well. His minor-league walk percentage of 3.6% over 389 career innings is the second lowest among active qualified pitchers. His strikeout percentage increased to 30% this year.
"Pierson is always going to give you his best effort," St. Paul pitching coach Jonas Lovin told zonecoverage.com. "He competes really well on the mound, he executes his pitches really well, and he does a nice job adjusting to what the hitters are doing. I think you've seen that so far, and I think, obviously, we'll continue to see it, but Pierson's great."
July 29 (postgame update)
Ohl made Twins history as the first franchise player to strike out three batters in the first inning of his MLB debut. His outing lasted three innings with four runs allowed, all of which occurred in the third inning.He opened the game with by striking out Red Sox leadoff hitter Roman Anthony on three pitches. He struck out three-time All-Star Alex Bregman swinging before allowing a Jarren Duran double and stranding him by striking out Trevor Story with a full-court change-up.
"That's a pat on the back of, 'Hey, when you execute your stuff, it's good enough,'" Ohl told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "Especially with those three guys in the lineup, it was like, 'Wow, here I am.' "
Ohl retired Boston in order in the second inning with some dramatics, including Twins center fielder Harrison Bader leaping to steal a home run from Wilyer Abreu and battling Carlos Navarez for 11 pitches before getting him to pop out.In the third inning, Ohl was a strike away from limiting Boston to two runs. Story fouled off two full-court pitches before hitting a two-run home run. Ohl uncharacteristically walked the next batter on four pitches before ending the inning on a line out.
Ohl got the call ☎️
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) July 29, 2025
Welcome to the Show, Pierson! pic.twitter.com/WbyTNDQga4
𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐖. Congrats to Lopes alum @Pierson_Ohl on being called up to the @Twins! ⭐️#LopesInThePros pic.twitter.com/sZs6t6buiu
— Grand Canyon Baseball (@GCU_Baseball) July 29, 2025
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