Right-handed pitcher Danny Macchiarola of the Holy Cross baseball team has been selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 2025 MLB Draft. Macchiarola was selected in the eighth round as the 242nd overall pick on Monday, July 14.

"I'm so grateful to get drafted by such a great organization in the Seattle Mariners," Macchiarola said. "I can't thank my family enough for all the support and the sacrifices they have made. I also want to say thank you to Holy Cross for the past three years and everything they have done for me; all the coaches, teammates, and people around the program have got me to this spot. I am very excited to get to work and get started!" 

Macchiarola was named the 2025 Patriot League Tournament MVP after recording a 2-0 record with a 0.53 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP, and 18 strikeouts across 17.0 innings while holding opponents to a .222 batting average to help guide Holy Cross to the 2025 Patriot League title. During Game 1 of the Patriot League semifinals against Lehigh, Macchiarola hurled eight shutout frames, punching out a season-best 12 batters in a 10-0 Crusader victory. He took the bump again for Game 1 of the Patriot League Championship Series against six-time defending Patriot League champion Army West Point, and tossed a complete-game 114-pitch effort, scattering seven hits and two walks with six strikeouts in a 12-1 Holy Cross win.

"I am incredibly proud of Danny and his development during his time here at Holy Cross," said head coach Ed Kahovec. "He has been a model student-athlete and helped us bring the Patriot League Championship back to Worcester. Now it's time for him to take his championship caliber character to the professional ranks. The Mariners got a great one, and I could not be more excited for Danny as he begins his professional career!"

A two-time All-Patriot League second team and Academic All-Patriot League selection (2024, 2025), Macchiarola authored one of the best seasons by a starter in modern Holy Cross baseball history. He made 16 starts, posting a 9-5 record with a 3.27 ERA, and 1.16 WHIP across 93.2 innings pitched. He also recorded 92 strikeouts to 28 walks, holding opponents to a. 228 batting average against. His 16 games started tied for the single-season record with Owen Carroll (1925), while his 92 strikeouts were third most during a season in program history (1. Owen Carroll – 118, 1923; 2. Owen Carroll – 99, 1925). Macchiarola paced the Patriot League in innings pitched, strikeouts and wins, while ranking second in ERA and third in opposing batting average.

Over his three-year Crusader career, Macchiarola ranked third in program history in strikeouts (196), tied for sixth in games started (34), and seventh in innings pitched (207.2). He is one of three Holy Cross pitchers with 190+ career punchouts (Owen Carroll, Nate Koneski). Additionally, he earned the Perry-Conlon Award in 2025 given to the most outstanding pitcher on the team.

Macchiarola becomes the Crusaders' first MLB Draft pick since right-handed pitcher Declan Cronin was selected in the 36th round by the Chicago White Sox in 2019. He is the highest Holy Cross draft pick since Dave Stenhouse was chosen by the Toronto Blue Jays in the fifth round of the 1982 MLB Draft.

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