A 27th Round selection by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft, Strahan was a lights-out reliever for USC as a freshman in 2012. Strahan made 22 relief appearances, posting a 3-3 record with a team-leading 1.37 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 26.1 innings of work.

Strahan was a three-time varsity letterman and four-time scholar athlete at Villa Park High School, where he posted a 1.48 ERA with 55 strikeouts in 66 innings pitched in his senior year.