SEASIDE, Calif. – It has been quite the journey for former Cal State Monterey Bay standout Jared Koenig. From the mound in Seaside to the bright lights of playoff baseball for Major League Baseball's winningest team during the 2025 regular season, Koenig has been a main cog in the Milwaukee Brewers' bullpen for the last two seasons.
The Brewers, after posting the best record across all of baseball with 97 wins, are on the brink of advancing to the NLCS, ahead 2-0, in their NLDS series with the Chicago Cubs.
Koenig's path to the major leagues and now throwing in October for the NL Central champion Brewers has been a long one.
Initially drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 35th round after playing two seasons at Central Arizona, the Aptos High School product decided to remain in college and transferred to Old Dominion.
After one season on the Norfolk, Virginia campus, Koenig decided to come back home and was an electric arm for the Otters, guiding CSUMB to its second-ever NCAA regional appearance.
"We are all extremely proud of Jared," CSUMB head coach
Walt White said. "His journey is something to behold. He never wavered in his pursuit to become the best version of himself, and his impact on our baseball program is profound. Jared is an inspiration to every single Otter baseball student-athlete."
In his lone season with the Otters, Koenig started 14 games, striking out 63 batters in 61 innings, posting a 3-1 record with a 4.57 ERA.
"They know his story, they know his determination, and they share similar experiences being an Otter," Coach White added. "When Jared played for the Otters in 2016, we had similar colors to the Milwaukee Brewers. Those colors were worn in our 2016 West Region Championship Tournament, when Jared helped lead us to our second-ever NCAA tournament win. Who knows, maybe the MB colors have contributed to his big-league success, that, and his 98 mph sinker from the left side helps too. Go Brewers, Go Otters!"
This season for the Brewers, Koenig boasts a 6-1 record with a 2.86 ERA. The southpaw has struck out 68 batters in 66 innings pitched.
The 6-5 lefty made his major league debut for the Oakland Athletics in 2022. After bouncing around the ranks and the Padres organization, Koenig found a home in Milwaukee.
In his first season with the Brewers in 2024, Koenig went 9-4 with a 2.47 ERA and struck out 63 in 62 innings pitched.
CSUMB enters the 2026 season in the midst of four-straight CCAA regular season titles and three tournament championships. The Otters open the season at the end of January.
