IRVINE, Calif. –  The Minnesota Twins signed Concordia University Irvine baseball alum Jake Covey on Wednesday to a professional contract.

Covey will be assigned to rookie ball with their minor league affiliate, the Florida Complex League Twins (FCL Twins).

Covey recently spent time pitching up in Montana for the Glacier Range Riders, a professional independent team that plays in the Pioneer Baseball League. In two starts, the right-hander posted a 1.50 ERA with 14 strikeouts and two walks in 12.0 innings of work.

An All-American pitcher in 2024 for the Golden Eagles, Covey spent two memorable seasons on the mound at Concordia, where he emerged as the PacWest Pitcher of the Year and the ace of the staff.

The Costa Mesa, Calif. native graduated in 2025 and had a knack for mowing down hitters in style while pitching deep in to games thanks to great control. He finished his highly-decorated Concordia career with a 14-6 record and a 3.03 ERA while compiling 188 career strikeouts and only 41 walks in 163.3 innings of work.

"It's incredibly humbling to have this opportunity," said Covey. "Once our season ended last year I actually retired and I thought my baseball career was over after two great final seasons at Concordia. But about one month into my retirement, the father of my teammate Scott Wood called me and said "I don't think you should retire, I have some connections with the MLB, you need to keep trying." Having someone offer to risk such a valuable connection for me meant a lot so I got back to work."
 
"A few months later, I pitched in front of the scout and did good, and the scout urged me to go prove I could do it against Pro hitters in the Pioneer league," continued Covey. "So, I signed on with the Glacier Range riders and earned a starting role out there. Then, after two good starts there, I was walking around the field before game time when the GM called me over to tell me that the Minnesota Twins had purchased my contract and that I was entering into affiliated minor league baseball!
 
"The best part of it all is the Lord. Two weeks into my retirement after some good advice from a childhood mentor of mine, I remember telling the Lord that I'd go back to baseball but I needed three clear things from him, things that I had been trying for years to get but been unable to achieve:
1) I needed an agent
2) I needed to get in front of an MLB scout 
3) I needed to throw harder
 
"And over the course of three months all three of appeared in my life through Mr. Wood, the Twins scout, and weeks before the tryout I just miraculously started throwing 5 mph harder," explained Covey. 
 
"It's hard to say no when He shows up as obviously as that."

Covey also attributes his success to many people that supported him during his time at Glacier and at Concordia.

"I came into CUI and the environment and culture of the team and the school really allowed me to thrive," explained Covey. "I felt like I had such a family amongst all the other players and faculty around me, I trusted them and they trusted me. It was nothing like being at a large school where the professors don't know you and they don't care about you either, I could really feel the investment and care from everyone around me."

"The coaching staff at CUI did an incredible job of getting to know me and finding ways to support me rather than telling me it's their way or the high way like many other schools do. The freedom to explore my problems on the field and find my own solutions were invaluable to me and my development, and I'm just glad that I was able to repay the trust they put in me to find those solutions by putting together two solid seasons for the team."

In 22 starts and 24 career appearances, Covey sported an insane 4.6-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He was named First Team All-PacWest twice and also recognized on multiple All-Region squads as one of the best NCAA DII pitchers up and down the west coast. 

In fact, the Estancia High School alum was so dominant, that even staff members in the Concordia press box started calling the days he was scheduled to pitch at home "Covey Day" in anticipation of what might unfold.

During his senior season, Covey posted double-digit strikeouts on four occasions and racked up at least eight strikeouts in 12 different appearances. He wound up with nine career complete games in two years.

"Jake's work ethic was second to none," said CUI head baseball coach Joe Turgeon. "He was raised by a great family with high character and values. So proud and blessed to have had Jake part of our program. The Twins got a good one."