Paxton Kling was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the seventh round of the Major League Baseball Draft on Tuesday afternoon.

He was the 205th pick overall in the 20-round draft.

The outfielder helped lead Central High School to the PIAA championship in 2022 before winning a College World Series in his first of two seasons with LSU.

Kling, 22, transferred to Penn State in 2024 and played a key role in the Nittany Lions gaining their first 30-win season in 25 years.

He led Penn State in batting average (.358), hits (76), runs (63), slugging percentage (.616) and OPS (1.065). He tied for the team high in home runs (13) and drove in 54 runs.

Kling is eligible to return to Penn State, should he choose.

He said before the draft he would decide whether to stay in school or sign with the team that drafted him after consulting with his agent, Scott Boras.

The seventh round is the highest a Blair County player has been drafted. Kling joins pitcher Randy Dicken, a Martinsburg native who played for Northern Bedford High School and then Shippensburg University. Dicken was a seventh-round choice by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2007.

According to the Rangers’ official website, Kling totaled 60 out of a possible 80 points based on such things as his hitting, fielding, arm strength and running.

The following is a breakdown of Kling on the Rangers website.

“Kling was a raw prospect coming out of high school and he ultimately committed to LSU, where he played two seasons and won a national championship in 2023. He hit just .250 with a 25.1 percent strikeout rate over those two years before transferring to Penn State. He’s done well in the Big Ten, but there’s still some concern about his swing-and-miss, even though he reached double digits in both steals and homers. Even so, Kling is toolsy and athletic enough to intrigue many inside and outside the organization.”

On day 2, Kling was one of 17 picks made by Texas to complete the event. Five were position players and 12 were pitchers.

A program-record-tying five Penn State players were selected on day two of the draft.

Also selected were junior shortstop Ryan Weingartner by the Cardinals in the eighth round, junior pitcher Ryan DeSanto by the Guardians in the 12th round, junior pitcher Chase Renner by the Marlins in the 13th round, and sophomore third baseman Bryce Molinaro by the Nationals in the 17th round.