New York Yankees 2017 Draft Clips 2017 DRAFT SIGNINGS – FINAL

Players highlighted in gray signed with the Yankees (23-of-40)

Rd. (Pick) Name Pos. School B/T HT/WT DOB 1 (#16) RHP University of South Carolina R/R 6’1”/200 2/20/96 2 (#54) Matt Sauer RHP Ernest Righetti HS (Calif.) R/R 6’4”/195 1/21/99 3 (#92) RHP University of Arkansas R/R 6’5”/225 11/25/95 4 (#122) Canaan Smith OF Rockwall-Heath HS (Tex.) L/R 6’0”/215 4/30/99 5 (#152) Glenn Otto RHP R/R 6’5”/240 3/11/96 6 (#182) Dalton Lehnen LHP Augustana University (S.D.) L/L 6’2”/195 5/16/96 7 (#212) Dalton Higgins RHP Dallas Baptist University R/R 6’2”/200 8/8/95 8 (#242) Kyle Zurak RHP Radford University (Va.) R/R 6’0”/205 11/28/94 9 (#272) Austin Gardner RHP University of -Arlington R/R 6’2”/215 12/2/94 10 (#302) Chad Whitmer RHP Southern Illinois University-Carbondale R/R 6’3”/195 5/11/95 11 (#332) Shawn Semple RHP University of New Orleans R/R 6’1”/195 10/9/95 12 (#362) Steven Sensley OF University of Louisiana-Lafayette L/L 6’2”/220 9/6/95 13 (#392) Eric Wagaman 1B (Calif.) R/R 6’4”/210 8/14/97 14 (#422) Harold Cortijo RHP Riverdale Baptist School (Md.) R/R 6’2”/180 4/27/98 15 (#452) Aaron McGarity RHP Virginia Tech R/R 6’3”/185 1/31/95 16 (#482) Ricky Surum SS University of Mount Olive (N.C.) R/R 5’10”/170 12/7/94 17 (#512) Chris Hess 2B University of Rhode Island R/R 6’2”/195 12/3/94 18 (#542) Garrett Whitlock RHP University of Alabama-Birmingham R/R 6’5”/190 6/11/96 19 (#572) Ron Marinaccio RHP University of Delaware R/R 6’2”/205 7/1/95 20 (#602) Ryan Lidge C University of Notre Dame S/R 6’2”/205 10/27/94 21 (#632) Bryan Blanton RHP Catawba College (N.C.) R/R 6’0”/190 12/19/95 22 (#662) Janson Junk RHP Seattle University R/R 6’1”/177 1/15/96 23 (#692) Colby Davis RHP Chaparral HS (Ariz.) R/R 6’8”/225 8/24/99 24 (#722) Pat DeMarco OF Winder-Barrow HS (Ga.) R/R 5’11”/190 3/10/98 25 (#752) Riley Thompson RHP University of Louisville L/R 6’3”/195 7/9/96 26 (#782) Austin Crowson LHP Lane Community College (Ore.) S/L 6’5”/210 9/6/96 27 (#812) Alex Mauricio RHP Norfolk State University (Va.) R/R 6’0”/180 9/24/96 28 (#842) Shane Roberts RHP Dwyer HS (Fla.) R/R 6’1”/165 10/24/98 29 (#872) Tristan Beck RHP R/R 6’4”/165 6/24/96 30 (#902) Jake Mangum CF Mississippi State University S/L 6’0”/185 3/8/96 31 (#932) Jimmy Herron CF Duke University R/L 6’1”/195 7/27/96 32 (#962) Alika Williams SS Rancho Bernardo HS (Calif.) R/R 6’2”/175 3/12/99 33 (#992) Jacob Stevens RHP Boston College S/R 6’3”/225 2/11/96 34 (#1022) Jordan Butler LHP Alonso HS (Fla.) L/L 6’1”/180 12/2/98 35 (#1052) Steven Williams C Deerfield-Windsor School (Ga.) L/R 6’3”/215 2/18/99 36 (#1082) Andrew Abbott LHP Halifax County Senior HS (Va.) L/L 6’0”/157 6/1/99 37 (#1112) Tanner Burns RHP Decatur HS (Ala.) R/R 6’0”/210 12/28/98 38 (#1142) Brent Burgess RHP Spartanburg Methodist College (S.C.) R/R 6’0”/200 5/2/97 39 (#1172) Andrew Nardi LHP Ventura College (Calif.) L/L 6’3”/185 8/18/98 40 (#1202) Hayden Cantrelle SS Teurlings Catholic HS (La.) S/R 5’10”/175 11/25/98

BY SCHOOLING: College – 28, High School – 12

BY POSITION: – 28 (23-RHP / 5-LHP), Catchers – 2, Infielders – 5, Outfielders – 5

POST-DRAFT FREE AGENT SIGNINGS:

The Yankees have also made the following post-draft free agent signings: 2B Cody Brown (Mississippi State University), C Pedro Diaz (Puerto Rico Academy), 2B David Metzgar (Cal State-Bakersfield), C Hemmanuel Rosario (Puerto Rico Baseball Academy).

Four fun facts about the Yankees' 2017 Draft haul By Lou DiPietro June 19, 2017 The 2017 MLB Draft ran from June 12-14, and the Yankees added 40 new players to the potential mix of Baby Bombers. A few have already signed on the dotted line to join the organization, and those that join them will soon "officially" become professionals with the dawning of baseball's short-season leagues (beginning with the Yankees and the New York-Penn League season kicking off on June 19). With that in mind, here are four fun facts about the Yankees' draft haul. 40 For 40 The Yankees' 40 draft picks came from 40 different schools, which is a bit of anomaly for the team. Yes, it has happened twice in the last three years (2015 and 2017) and three times this decade - although in 2011, at least, they did take two players from Weatherford, Texas, one from Weatherford High School and one from Weatherford College - but prior to that, it hadn't happened since at least 1975, when the Draft was much shorter and had multiple phases. Usually, the Yankees not only up, but do so multiple times; 2016 is a prime example, as they selected two players each from South Carolina, Louisiana Tech, and Cal State Fullerton, and three from the University of Southern California.

Right Makes Might Of the Yankees' 40 picks, 28 were pitchers, up from 24 in 2015 and 23 last year, and 23 of those 28 were right-handed. The 12 position players were more equally divided, with three lefties, five righties, and four switch-hitters in the lot, but the positions they were announced as indicate that to field a full team, the Yankees would have to move at least one player; they drafted five outfielders, three shortstops, two catchers, one first baseman and one second baseman, so someone would have to shift to the hot corner if they were a sandlot squad.

California Love The Yankees had six first-round picks from 2013-16 and spent five of them on players from somewhere in California, with Notre Dame third baseman , the first of three late-first round picks in 2013, the lone exception. This year, South Carolina RHP Clarke Schmidt broke the mold again, as the Yankees' top pick is a Gamecock by choice and a Georgian by birth. New York "made up" for that by using their second-round pick on RHP Matt Sauer from Righetti HS in Santa Maria, Calif., making it six years in a row that one of their Day 1 or Day 2 picks was from the Golden State - and if you consider that 2011 ninth-round pick Zack Arneson had spent just one season at Lewis-Clark State in North Dakota after transferring from Cal State-Bakersfield, the clock is pushed all the way back to 2000…when the Yankees' top pick, catcher Dave Parrish, was a Michigan Wolverine but grew up in Anaheim. Let's just say the Yankees love players from the West Coast, shall we?

No Real Baby Bombers As mentioned above, the ' season is underway as of June 19, and for the first time in a long time, not a single draft pick was among the team's initial 30-man roster. A handful of 2016 draftees who spent all of last season in Staten Island - including outfielders Timmy Robinson and Dom Thompson- Williams and first baseman Dalton Blaser - are on the roster once again, but as of , no one from the Class of 2017 had been assigned to the outer borough. Whether that's more a function of timing (the Draft running June 12-14 means even the top picks have had less than a week to sign and be assigned) or design, it is something that is, at least in the recent past, unusual.

RHP Clarke Schmidt, South Carolina, Round 1, (16th pick)

CLARKE SCHMIDT – 6 AWARDS/HONORS/CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

 2017 Preseason All-America 1st Team (NCBWA)

 2017 Preseason All-America 2nd Team (Collegiate Baseball, D1Baseball, Perfect Game)

 Rated No. 8 best prospect in the SEC for 2017 MLB Draft by

 Rated No. 9 best prospect in the SEC for 2017 MLB Draft by D1Baseball

 Rated No. 10 best prospect in the SEC for 2017 MLB Draft by Perfect Game

 Rated No. 22 best overall junior in the nation by Perfect Game

 Rated No. 35 best overall prospect in the nation for 2017 MLB Draft by MLB.com

 Recognized as having the "Best Control" of all pitchers in the SEC by Baseball America

 Earned third-team All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball and the NCBWA (2016)

 2016 SEC Academic Honor Roll

 Earned second-team All-SEC honors (2016)

 Named to USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List (2016)

 Named to College Baseball Hall of Fame National of the Year Award Watch List (2016)

 Rated No. 40 best college prospect in the nation for 2017 by D1Baseball

 Rated No. 15 best prospect in the SEC for 2017 by D1Baseball

 2015 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll

 Fall 2014 Dean's List

2017 (JUNIOR)

 Went 4-2 with a 1.34 ERA in nine starts, allowed 15 runs, nine earned, on 41 hits with 18 walks to 70 in 60.1 innings with opponents batting .194 against him

 Missed last half of the season after suffering a torn ulnar collateral ligament to his right elbow

 Named to USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List

 Started nine games and went 4-1 with a 1.34 ERA in 60.1 innings with 15 runs allowed, nine earned on 41 hits with 18 walks and 70 strikeouts, opponents hit .194 against him

 Allowed five runs, two earned, on five hits in eight innings with a walk and 11 strikeouts in 7-4 loss to Mississippi State (4/14)

 No-decision in 5-3 loss to Vanderbilt (4/7); allowed two runs on five hits with one walk and 11 strikeouts

 Eight scoreless innings with just five hits allowed, three walks and 10 strikeouts to earn win in 7-0 victory at Auburn (4/1)

 No-decision in 4-2 win vs. Alabama after allowing one on three hits in six innings with no walks and five strikeouts (3/26)

 Improved to 3-0 after allowing just two runs on eight hits in 7.1 innings with no walks and a career-high 12 strikeouts in 3-2 win over Michigan State (3/10)

 Improved to 2-0 with a win in 2-0 victory at Clemson (3/3); 5.2 scoreless with just four hits allowed, seven walks and five strikeouts

 No-decision in 4-3 win over Wright State (2/24); allowed three runs, all unearned, on four hits in 6.1 innings with a walk and 11 strikeouts

 Allowed just one run on three hits with two walks and three strikeouts in 6.2 innings to earn a win in 7-1 victory over UNCG on Opening Day (2/17).

2016 (SOPHOMORE)

 Made 18 appearances with 17 starts, 9-5 with a 3.40 ERA in 111.1 innings, allowed 50 runs, 42 earned, on 107 hits with 27 walks and 129 strikeouts, opponents hit .248 against him

 Won ninth game of the year in a win in 10-5 win at Kentucky (5/6); allowed five runs on eight hits in 6.2 innings with a walk and seven strikeouts  Quality start in 5-4 loss to Florida (4/29); allowed three runs, one earned, on five hits with two walks and six strikeouts in 6.1 innings

 Improved to 8-1 with second career complete game allowing one run on five hits with no walks and 10 strikeouts in a career-high innings in 3-1 win at Georgia (4/15)

 Earned seventh win of the season allowing two runs, one earned, on nine hits in six innings with three walks and 10 strikeouts in 7-6 win over Tennessee (4/8)

 Pitched first career complete game in 6-3 loss at Vanderbilt (3/31); allowed six runs, four earned, on eight hits in eight innings with a walk and nine strikeouts

 Improved to 6-0 with win in 5-1 victory at Ole Miss (3/24); allowed one run on nine hits in 6.2 innings with eight strikeouts

 Improved to 5-0 with win in 10-6 victory over Arkansas (3/18); allowed four runs on nine hits with a walk and a career-high 11 strikeouts

 Improved to 4-0 throwing 7.1 scoreless innings with just four hits allowed, no walks and nine strikeouts in 9-0 win over Charleston Southern (3/11)

 Improved to 3-0 with a career-high eight inning and nine strikeouts, did not allow a run and allowed just five hits in 8-1 win over Clemson (3/4); named SEC Pitcher of the Week and won the Tom Price Award as MVP for the Gamecocks in the Clemson series

 Seven scoreless innings to improve to 2-0 on the year with just one hit allowed and one walk while striking out eight in 7-1 win over Penn State (2/26)

 Allowed one run on three hits in six innings of work with four walks and six strikeouts to earn first win of the season in 10-1 victory over Albany (2/19)

2015 (FRESHMAN)

 Made 18 appearances with 10 starts, went 2-2 with a 4.81 ERA in 58.0 innings, allowed 37 runs, 31 earned, on 70 hits with 20 walks and 55 strikeouts

 Allowed two runs on seven hits in 3.1 inning while striking out four and walking one in 3-2 win over Vanderbilt (4/18)

 One scoreless inning of relief in 7-4 loss to Presbyterian (4/14)

 Allowed two runs on four hits with no walks and seven strikeouts in four innings in 4-2 win vs. The Citadel (4/8)

 Worked five-plus innings and allowed four runs on five hits with three walks and a career-high eight strikeouts in 8-5 win over Georgia (3/29)  Career-high 6.2 innings and seven strikeouts, allowed two runs on four hits in 6-4 win over Kentucky (3/15)

 First career start in 5-3 win over Miami (Ohio) (3/8); allowed two runs, both unearned, on two hits in 4.2 innings with two walks and four strikeouts

 One scoreless inning of relief in 4-1 win vs. Clemson (2/28)

 Improved to 2-0 with 2.1 innings of relief, allowed one run on five hits with no walks and three strikeouts in 6-4 win over Northeastern (2/22)

 First career win with 4.2 scoreless innings of relief in 5-2 win over Furman (2/17); allowed just four hits and no walks with three strikeouts

 One perfect inning of relief with a in 6-3 loss to College of Charleston (2/13)

HIGH SCHOOL

 As a senior in 2014, went 8-2 with a 0.72 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 55.0 innings

 Compiled a career ERA of 1.55 at Allatoona HS

 Rated No. 108 best high school prospect in the nation by Nine Baseball

 Rated No. 230 best high school prospect in the nation by Perfect Game USA

 Rated No. 18 best high school prospect in the state of Georgia by Perfect Game USA

 Georgia Region 5AAAAA 2014 Pitcher of the Year

 Participated in USA Baseball's 2013 Tournament of Stars

 Played for Team Elite AAU team

PERSONAL

 Born on February 20, 1996

 Parents are Dwight and Renee Schmidt

 Older brother Clate currently pitches for Clemson

 Major is retail management

MLB Draft 2017: Who's Clarke Schmidt? What you must know about Yankees' top pick | Scouting report

By Brendan Kuty

June 13, 2017

The Yankees made a big bet on a promising but injured arm at Monday's 2017 MLB Draft, selecting South Carolina righty Clarke Schmidt with the No. 16 overall pick.

Schmidt had surgery in May. That means he likely won't pitch in the Yankees' organization until late 2018 or spring 2019.

Here's what you need to know about Schmidt.

AGE: 21

HEIGHT: 6-foot-1

WEIGHT: 200 pounds

FROM: South Carolina

Twitter handle: @ClarkeSchmidt

Slot value for 16th pick: $3,458,600

New York Yankees right fielder leads MLB in home runs and may be a favorite for AL Rookie of the Year and MVP. How well do you know him?

SCOUTING REPORTS

MLB.COM: "Schmidt relies heavily on a 92-94 mph that can reach 96 and features power sink. Both his and can be plus pitches at times but also lack consistency, and he also mixes in a decent . He generally throws strikes but can be vulnerable if his pitches wander up in the strike zone.

"Schmidt isn't the most physical pitcher but got stronger as a sophomore after working around 90 mph as a freshman. He maintained his improved velocity until he got hurt this spring, but scouts don't love his delivery and now have even more questions about his durability."

ESPN'S KEITH LAW: "Schmidt was 94-97 with life, a big action changeup, and a hard but short breaking ball, but he had a rough, shotput-like arm action and blew out his elbow in April."

Clarke Schmidt's H.S. coach: Why hurt Yankees 1st- rounder isn't a risk

By Brendan Kuty

June 13, 2017

The Yankees are about to give millions of dollars to a 21-year-old college student who might not pick up a baseball until next year.

Fret not, Keith Hansen said.

"He doesn't get into trouble, he's not a partier," Hansen said in a phone interview late Monday night. "This kid eats, drinks and sleeps baseball."

When the Yankees selected South Carolina junior Clarke Schmidt with the No. 16 overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft earlier in the evening -- their only first-round ticket -- they made a big bet on what scouts call the righty starting pitcher's makeup.

They trusted that Schmidt will fulfill the promise they see in his mid-90s fastball and sharp breaking ball. They trusted that Schmidt will work hard to get healthy after undergoing Tommy John surgery in May. They trusted that, someday, he'll repay their trust. It's unlikely Schmidt pitches for the Yankees until late in 2018, at the soonest.

Hansen, Schmidt's Alatoona High School baseball coach, said he couldn't be more sure the Yankees will get a full return on owner Hal Steinbrenner's investment.

"You couldn't ask for a better kid outside the game," Hansen said.

New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge leads MLB in home runs and may be a favorite for AL Rookie of the Year and MVP. How well do you know him?

Schmidt went 4-2 with a 1.34 ERA in nine starts as South Carolina's ace this season. MLB.com ranked the junior its No. 49 overall draft prospect. ESPN's Keith Law had him at No. 74. Both websites touted his at-times overpowering fastball, changeup and breaking ball.

Both also noted Schmidt's injury. Hansen said Schmidt's torn ulnar collateral ligament might not have been all that bad, at least compared to some Tommy John surgery horror stories.

"From talking to him and talking to the family, I know it wasn't a (messy) surgery, there wasn't a ton of damage," Hansen said.

The coach added, "I think what (the Yankees) saw was a kid without a lot of innings on his arm -- three years in college, two years of high school ball. And you just see the progression of what he can be."

What can Schmidt be? Hansen said the sky is the limit for Schmidt, the son of a Marine, the brother of a cancer survivor who's in the Tigers' organization.

Hansen said Schmidt would often volunteer to play baseball with special-needs kids in high school. That was well before Hansen thought Schmidt would become a first-round pick. It was also before Schmidt, who threw in the high-80s in high school, put on weight his freshman year with the Gamecocks and added zip to his fastball.

"They're not taking a risk because of the type of personality he is," Hansen said.

What experts say about Yankees' top pick Clarke Schmidt By Brendan Kuty June 13, 2017 Here’s what experts had to say about Yankees' first-round pick, right-hander Clarke Schmidt, who was taken during Monday’s 2017 MLB Draft. Schmidt, out of the University of South Carolina, had Tommy John surgery in May, so he will start his career in the Yankees organization with his arm in a sling. Still, the Yankees believe they grabbed a prospect who likely would have been drafted higher if not for the injury. Others like Schmidt, too. “… He was (South Carolina’s) Friday night starter for two years. He has a big-time fastball and a really tight breaking ball and the fact that he got hurt early moves the timetable up a little bit on the recovery. - Peter Gammons, on MLB Network “The Yankees have time and this guy has a chance to be a second or third starter in a rotation, great makeup — his father’s a four-star general. Really, really respected by his teammates and his coaches. The upside here is really high.” - Dan O'Dowd, on MLB Network “I think with that deep of a farm system you can be patient. You can be patient on taking a high- ceiling high school guy or you can be patient with a guy coming off of Tommy John surgery. I think, we’ve seen over the last couple of years since we’ve been doing this, teams are not afraid of this surgery in the first round at all. “He might have better stuff than Erik Fedde did and he went as a Tommy John guy, also. Lucas Giolito was a high school guy who was going to need Tommy John surgery. Jeff Hoffman, another one. So teams don’t shy away from it if they think the stuff can play. “Confusing. The greatest predictor of future injury is past injuries. There are other, healthier players on the board. So he must have been very high on their board, separating everybody else still available.” - Jon Mayo, on MLB Network On why MLB.com ranked Schmidt No. 49 out of the top 100 draft prospects … “You had to try to adjust because you’re not sure. Surgery is still surgery. It probably could have been a touch higher and there are still some college arms that we probably would have ranked ahead of him unless he was blowing things up at South Carolina.” - Baseball America "Before the surgery, Schmidt’s stock was steadily rising, and to some evaluators, he had inserted himself into the uppermost tier of college pitching. Schmidt could still be taken early in the draft, given what he showed before the injury and with teams less wary of Tommy John surgery than ever before. Schmidt is a fierce competitor with plus-plus makeup, staying home from summer ball in 2015 in order to be with his brother, Clate, as he battled cancer." - ESPN's Keith Law Schmidt was probably going to be drafted in the teens anyway, but Tommy John surgery followed some misuse by the SC coaching staff and he's out till early 2018. He has hit 97 with good control but the mechanics have always been rough. - MLB.com's Jim Callis “Interesting to see Schmidt go No. 16, because that's close to the high point of where he would have gone before he had Tommy John surgery this spring. The track record of coming back from elbow reconstruction is good, and Schmidt was one of the top pitchers in the SEC the past two years. “He could be a quality starter when he's healthy, but won't throw a pro pitch until 2018. He has a hard sinker and a pair of breaking balls that can both be plus at their best.” - Damon Oppenheimer, Yankees' vice president of domestic amateur scouting “Schmidt’s got four pitches that at times are all plus. He has command, he has makeup. We really like his delivery. He’s got a chance to be a top end of the rotation type of guy who combines pitchability with power stuff. And you always like it when they’re the Friday night guy, pitching and having success in that conference.” On Schmidt’s surgery: “The results were positive and we feel really good about the rehab. He should be back pitching at full strength in approximately 12 months.”

Schmidt selected 16th by Yankees in MLB Draft

By Emery Glover

June 12, 2017

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - Ever since Clarke Schmidt’s childhood days, it’s been his dream to make it to the big leagues.

While the journey has had a speed bump here and there for the former Gamecocks pitcher to deal with, it hasn’t tarnished the dream of hearing his name called in the MLB Draft.

Schmidt didn't have to wait long as the hurler from Acworth, Ga., was taken 16th overall in the 2017 MLB Draft by the New York Yankees.

Congrats to @ClarkeSchmidt! 1st Round MLB Draft Selection 16th overall to the @Yankees - 5th highest a Gamecock has ever been drafted

"We had little talks before the draft," Schmidt said. "That was kind of a rumor that they were probably going to take a shot on me. We didn't know for sure. We had to see how the first 15 picks played out and, luckily, everything played in my favor. Thank God! It's just such a blessing to be able to be taken by such a great organization."

For Schmidt, the moment he was picked is one he'll never forget. It's something he's been working toward since he was introduced to the game.

“Ever since I first picked up a baseball when I was extremely young whenever I first began dreaming of playing baseball, I think this is the first step in that process,” Schmidt said.

The Gamecocks right-hander finished the year with a 1.34 before being sidelined with a torn UCL in his right elbow. While the injury ended what was a stellar junior campaign, his motivation to return better than before remains constant.

“It’s obviously tough,” Schmidt said. “I try not to think about that too much. It was definitely the most successful year of my career and I was in the midst of a wonderful season and it kind of took a step back a little bit. But you can’t really think about it too much. You’ve still got to be focused on the future. I can’t go back and change what happened. So, I’ve got to focus on what’s going to happen and try to keep my mind at ease.”

Schmidt finished the year with a 4-2 record, 70 strikeouts, 18 walks, nine earned runs surrendered while holding batters to a .194 batting average. The numbers speak for themselves this season, but Schmidt knows his new team want to see if he can maintain that level of play.

“I don’t necessarily have to stress it because that’s one of their main questions,” Schmidt said. “With the way surgery is nowadays, it’s pretty much how you treat your rehab and how you handle it mentally. You’ve got to let them know that you’re at ease and everything’s going to be alright. I guess I do kind of stress it a little bit, but it’s kind of the way I’ve always been raised, to always remain even-keeled and, regardless of the cards you’ve been dealt, you’ve got to deal with it and attack each day the same.”

MLB Draft 2017: Q&A with Yankees’ first-round pick Clarke Schmidt By Chris Cotillo June 12, 2017 Next is South Carolina right-hander Clarke Schmidt, a 6-foot-1, 205 lb. native of Acworth, Georgia. Schmidt was the Friday night ace for the Gamecocks this season, posting a 1.34 ERA in 9 starts before tearing the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow and undergoing Tommy John surgery in early May. Schmidt is projected as a likely first-rounder despite his surgery, with MLB.com (25th- Nationals) and Baseball America (30th-Cubs) projecting him off the board in the top 30. Be sure to check out Schmidt’s full scouting report over at SB Nation’s Minor League Ball. When did you first get into baseball as a kid and realized how much you loved the game? “Ever since I was like 2 or 3 years old when I first started picking up a bat. That’s when I first got into it, but I started playing when I was about 4 or 5. Ever since I was young, this was just something I knew I was passionate about and felt like I was born to either play baseball or always be around the sport. I’ve always loved the sport and luckily I’ve been blessed to make it to this level and hopefully play at the next level. This is something that I’ve known for a long time that I’ve wanted to do. I’ve wanted to play my whole life and I’ve always known that I wanted to make a career out of it. I’m lucky I’ve made it this far.” Did you have a favorite team growing up? A favorite player? “Definitely the Braves. I was born in California but I grew up in Atlanta, and growing up there we always went to the Braves games. It was always fun to watch them. My favorite player would have to be Chipper Jones. Whenever you have a favorite player you get your number after him and you try to play like him. I was an infielder growing up and I also pitched. The other one would have to be Ozzie Smith. He was a little bit older though.” For you, was there a turning point moment when you realized you could become a first-round draft pick? “Growing up, it was kind of funny. All throughout high school, I wasn’t a big-time prospect. I was just a high-80s guy my junior and senior year and always knew I could play at the next level at a Division I school. I got big looks from a lot of SEC schools and ACC schools, but it was always a dream of mine and a passion of mine. I knew if I worked hard and added some velocity and continued to perfect my craft, I could make it to the next level after college. For a turning point, I’d probably have to say my freshman to sophomore year in college, going through the growth spurt I had and the jumps I made. That’s when I truly knew that I could make a living out of this and be a top draft pick, reaching all those goals and dreams that every other kid has. That’s when I started to see things come to fruition a bit. I was lucky to have a lot of big leaps and jumps that I had early on in my college career that made that thought believable.” Thinking back to the recruiting process, what went into your decision to attend South Carolina? What has your experience there been like? “My brother [Clate] played baseball at Clemson, and being a Georgia boy, I had Georgia, Ole Miss and Clemson as some options. Clemson had a big deciding factor because I wanted to be able to play with my brother. Going into my junior and senior year when I went to visit USC, the biggest factors were just coming to see the facilities and the fans, and the coaching staff is unbelievable. It kind of blew me away a little bit. In the back of my mind, I wanted to cut my own path. In high school, my brother was always the big prospect. He was always the first- or second-round prospect type. He turned down a lot of money to go to college, so I was always overshadowed a little bit. That put a chip on my shoulder and motivated me to cut my own path. I wanted to make a name for myself so I ended up choosing South Carolina. I ended up going there, and I wouldn’t change that decision for anything. That’s probably the best decision I’ve ever made in my life so far. The experience I’ve had here is unbelievable, from the coaching staff to the fans, the trainers and everybody who’s been involved. It’s amazing, it’s been an unforgettable experience in college. I’ve been extremely blessed to pick a school like that. I wouldn’t change my decision for the world.” Obviously, USC and Clemson are major rivals. What’s that like, having such an intense collegiate rivalry with your brother’s school? “The Thanksgiving dinners are very competitive, and every time we’re at home and there’s a game on, whether or it’s baseball or or some kind of South Carolina- Clemson event, it’s always a lot of bickering going on and back-and-forth. It’s fun, at the same time it gets a little annoying if you’re around us too much. When I got the chance to play against him in college for two years in the weekend series format, it’s fun the way they set it up for a three-game series. That’s always fun to play against your brother. Growing up, I obviously played with him... he’s two years older than me so I got to play with him growing up throughout my whole career. Being able to play against him and be in a different dugout from him, just watching him pitch, it’s different. You’re kind of rooting for him but you’re not rooting for him. We’ve enjoyed it, being able to look back in a couple years down the road we’ll be able to talk about the experiences. It’s been a lot of fun so far.” Clate has gone through the draft process a couple of times, being taken by the Red Sox in the 32nd round back in 2015 and then in the 20th round of the 2016 draft by Detroit. What advice has he given you on the process? “The biggest thing is that he’s just supported me through the whole thing. He’s been through the highest of highs, the first-round type guy, and ended up turning down the money and going to college. He got diagnosed with cancer and his draft stock dropped a bit. He ended up getting drafted in the 20th round, his senior year. He’s been at the top of the top and the lowest of the lows, so he’s experienced almost everything you can about the draft. He’s talked to me about it all, and what to expect. Just to not expect too much but not expect too little. It’s obviously impossible to predict the draft until it comes around, but hopefully the best happens on draft day. I’m looking forward to that day. Regardless of what happens, it’s a special day. It’s a turning point in your career and it’s always a special moment to be with your family for it all. It’s special the way you do it.” With Clate’s cancer diagnosis, you skipped some summer ball opportunities to be with him throughout the process. What was it like trying to balance your career as a rising star with prioritizing that situation as well? “Hopefully nobody has to go through it as a brother or really go through it at all. When you hear initially that your 21-year old brother has been diagnosed with cancer, I think everything else gets thrown out the window. Whether that’s your priorities or his priorities. My main focus was trying to be around him and help him get through that hurdle that he had to. I had to be a brother for those times more than anything else. My initial plan that summer, in between freshman and sophomore year, was to go play summerb all in the Cape Cod League. Living down south, that was too far away from home and I couldn’t have bene around him too much. I ended up turning that down and being able to be around him during the chemo and radiation. That was probably the biggest turning point in my life, just because you can’t really control how my brother was going to respond to chemo. Obviously, there are ups and downs about chemo. Some days you feel great and some days you feel terrible. Being able to be with him through that whole process was big for me. It’s a big maturing point in my life, to be there as his brother. I was glad to have been there for him. My main priority was being a brother to him over my baseball career at the time. I had to put everything on pause for me.” You had some more personal adversity this year, undergoing Tommy John surgery in early May. How is the rehab process going at this point? “Everything’s going great. Obviously, it’s not a life-threatening disease I have to handle like my brother, but it’s arm surgery. It’ s not the worst of the worst. I’m doing fine and mentally I’m doing great. I have a positive outlook on it all. I’m gonna treat it like a long offseason for me, and I’ll get to work on my body and work on my craft. It’s tough to take a step back from the game for a year, that’s the worst part just watching baseball and being such a fan of the game. Being a student of the sport, it’s tough for me to still watch the game and wish I was out there. That’s the toughest part and the biggest transition I’m going through right now. The rehab process is going great. I got the stitches out two weeks ago so I’ve been doing mobility stuff and some isometric stuff. Those small things just for the first few weeks. Surgery went great, the doctors were amazing and the staff was amazing. Everything’s gone smoothly so far so hopefully I can have a quick recovery and get back as quick as possible.” Having that surgery so close to the draft causes a lot of variability in your projections and draft stock. Does that make you more nervous about the process as draft day approaches? “Obviously, you’re a little more uneasy about it and going into it, you don’t know what to expect. Before the arm surgery, I was kind of in control of the draft. I could go in there and pitch well one week and pitch badly the next week, and it would determine where you would go. I can’t go out there week in and week out and perform to determine my draft stock. It’s gonna happen on draft night the way it happens and the cards are gonna fall the way they fall. Obviously, I’m looking forward to seeing what happens. You have dreams and goals going into the season, wanting to get drafted in the first round. Hopefully, that still comes to fruition and works out in the way I expected. The main perspective I have on the draft is that it’s a small step in the entire road of your career. You get drafted and you go to a team and get with an organization that hopefully is the best organization that fits you. In the long run, you’re trying to get to the major leagues and win a championship. That’s my main goal, to get to the bigs and be an impact player who wins a World Series. Hopefully I can get to an organization that’s the best fit for me and be able to take it from there.” USC has three pitchers who could go on Day 1 of the draft in you, Wil Crowe and Tyler Johnson. What’s it been like going through the process alongside those guys? Is it a competition to see who goes highest? “It’s cool to see, when you have this many top-tier draft guys. It always adds a cool atmosphere and we’re always supportive of each other. I think, Crowe and I especially, just being the weekend rotation guys, are really close and are very, very competitive. Just like I would be with my brother growing up. Both Wil and I had brothers growing up and were always competitive. It’s that kind of thing where you wish for the best and hopes he gets drafted as high as he can. I hope I can get drafted as high as I can. There’s no hard feelings around at all. It does add a little bit of competitiveness to it and makes you work a little harder. Adds a little chip to your shoulder. I think it’s a good thing to bring a little more competition, pushing you a little farther.” What would you say is your biggest strength as a pitcher? “Just the mental side of the game. The thing I pride myself on is competitiveness. If I have my best stuff or I don’t have it, I always like to be competitive. That’s been my no. 1 thing ever since I’ve been young. I’ve always been a competitive kid and I like to be that gritty, hard-nosed guy. Just trying to put up as many zeroes as I can and help my team win. Even when the chips aren’t falling my way, I still like to be competitive and gritty and hard-nosed. I think that’s something that’s gotten me to this level and will hopefully get me to the next level, just having that attitude and that chip on your shoulder will take you a long way.” What’s the part of your game you want to work on the most at the next level? “The biggest thing, and my freshman and sophomore year I learned about this, is just transitioning from start to start and putting the last start behind you whether it was good or bad. You always want to wash it of it as quickly as possible, and with relievers it’s quicker than others. Coming from freshman to sophomore year, you overthink things and you’re young. You worry about things too much and about the outside influences a little too much. I’ve gotten to the point where, week in and week out, I’m much better of washing the last start whether it’s good or bad. That’s what I think has taken my game to another step up, especially this year. I put together a lot of good starts but I didn’t think about them the next week out. The next day, I just wiped it. That’s something that’s helped my game and I’ll continue working on that. Even if it’s a bad start, just to not think about it as much and move onto the next one.” Here’s the comp question. Which major-leaguer’s game mirrors yours the most? “I love comps and I’ve always been interested in them, so the guys on the team would always try to comp me. We had a lot of baseball minds on our team and they always said Zack Greinke. That’s something I’ve always heard and people have always told me that. I also watch a lot of his film and pay a lot of attention to him, just trying to model my game after him. I think he’s the best comp for me.” Do you have any expectations as to where you’ll fall on the draft board? “Obviously, you don’t know what to expect. Going into draft day, anything can happen. My no. 1 goal coming into this year was to be a first-rounder. I think that’s every kid’s dream and every kid’s goal. Something to always set your sights on. That’s big for me, and the injury was a bit of a setback, but I think I’m still able to go in the first round. I think that’s still in the realm. That’s something that’s obviously keeping my spirits up, the talk around the draft is that I may still be able to go in the first round especially with how successful these surgeries are and how many people you see coming back even better. Some people are coming back throwing harder and playing better than they ever have, so that keeps my spirits up. Obviously, falling out of the first round isn’t the end of the world but that’s the no. 1 thing for me, my goal coming into the year other than winning a .”

Yankees! Clarke Schmidt drafted by New York

By Matt Connolly

June 12, 2017

South Carolina pitcher Clarke Schmidt was selected in the first round of Monday’s MLB draft, less than two months after suffering a torn ulnar collateral ligament to his right elbow that required Tommy John surgery.

The junior was picked No. 16 overall by the New York Yankees and will likely forego his senior season and begin his pro career. The slot value for the pick is $3,458,600.

Schmidt is the highest draft pick for USC since Justin Smoak was selected 11th overall by the Texas Rangers in the 2008 MLB draft.

“I’m happy for him and his family,” Carolina pitching coach and interim head coach Jerry Meyers said. “It couldn’t happen to a guy that earned it anymore than he did with what he does every day on the field, in the classroom, in the weight room, all of that.”

Schmidt finished the 2017 season 4-2 with a 1.34 ERA in nine starts, leading the SEC in ERA and ranking second in college baseball before being injured.

He was a preseason All-American prior to this season and was recognized as having the “best control” of all pitchers in the SEC by Baseball America.

“His stuff got better every year. He did something to improve himself every go-around. He refined what he did well and was extremely competitive,” Meyers said. “He wasn’t just competitive on the days he was competing. He was being very competitive all the other days with preparation and the offseason and what he did and invested to put himself where he needed to be each spring.”

As a sophomore Schmidt went 9-5 with a 3.40 ERA in 18 appearances with 17 starts and was named a third-team All-American.

His work ethic is what helped allow him to go from 2-2 with a 4.81 ERA as a freshman to one of the best pitchers in the country as a junior, according to Meyers.

“He’s obviously got very good stuff and as he matured he continued to utilize that stuff,” Meyers said. “He was always trying to find something to make him just a little bit better. He’s just very driven all the time.”

In addition to Schmidt, the Yankees have three other USC pitchers in their system with in the MLB starting rotation, Tyler Webb in Triple-A and Taylor Widener in Single-A Advanced.

“That is unique. It’s pretty neat that all of those guys are with that organization and that organization thinks highly of our guys,” Meyers said. “As one guy gets in the organization and does well that maybe helps the next batch of guys.”

South Carolina’s Clarke Schmidt taken No. 16 overall by the New York Yankees

By Mike Wilson

June 13, 2017

The New York Yankees made Schmidt their first-round pick with the No. 16 selection of the 2017 MLB Draft on Monday night. He is the fifth-highest MLB Draft pick in South Carolina history and the highest since Justin Smoak was picked No. 11 in 2008.

“He has a big-time fastball, really tight breaking ball,” MLB Network analyst Peter Gammons said. “This guy has a chance to be a second or third starter in a rotation, great makeup, really, really respected by his teammates and coaches. The upside here is really high.”

Schmidt cemented himself as one of the top college arms in the draft with a stellar junior season, ranking near the top of major statistical categories across the SEC prior to his injury. He went 4-2 with a league- leading 1.32 ERA and held opponents to a .194 batting average, striking out 70 hitters in 60.1 .

Schmidt’s season ended abruptly on April 20, when he left his start against Florida after a pair of errant pitches and apparent forearm tightness. The news days later was far worse, as he suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament and needed Tommy John surgery. The unflappable Schmidt held a strong perspective on the injury, the months to come and his future after receiving the news that his season was over.

“With everyone coming back, you look at the results and everyone is coming back better than they were before,” Schmidt said. “That is my outlook on it. I get a new arm. I get a new pitch count on my arm. I’m ready to go and ready to get back out there. It is going to be fun. It is going to be a long battle, but I’m treating like it is going to be a long offseason. I’m itching to get back out there already.”

He continued to be projected as a first-round MLB Draft pick in the wake of the injury, with the way he built himself into a solid Friday night starter in the SEC in the previous two-and-a-half years carrying weight. But the talk from draft experts came back even more to the high level of character and fiery work ethic, both of which former South Carolina coach Chad Holbrook lauded after Schmidt’s injury.

“That’s a great kid and a prospect with high character,” Holbrook said. “I would want him in my organization if I’m a GM or a scouting director because he is going to give you everything he has got. He has got great stuff, great character, great work ethic. He is clean cut, does everything the right way. I see him being highly sought after come draft day.”

RHP Matt Sauer, Ernest Righetti H.S., 2nd round, 54th pick

New York Yankees draft Righetti's ace pitcher By Derek Opina June 13, 2017 Righetti's ace pitcher Matt Sauer was drafted by the New York Yankees in the second round of Monday's draft. Sauer was projected to go as high as 18 to the Detroit Tigers but instead went 54th overall. Sauer said he was happy to join the pinstripes.

"I can't be any more blessed. I'm so excited. I'm so happy that my friends and family were here to witness this," says Sauer. "This was just amazing ... I'm still at a loss of words right now. This is so exciting right now ... most World Series ever. They're a winning team so hopefully I'll get a ring with them."

It's a perfect way to cap Sauer's stellar senior year. Sauer helped lead Righetti to both the CIF division three title game and a share of the PAC-8 championship. Sauer was also the league's pitcher of the year and led the PAC-8 in strikeouts. He only lost one game all year.

The Cubs and the Rangers were among the teams to show interest in Righetti's ace, who's fastball tops out at 97 MPH. His father said he was happy to see his son get drafted by the Yankees.

"To tell you the truth, I'm an Angels fan," said Matt's father David. "But I'm glad the Yankees got him. So I'm going to learn to be a big time Yankee fan. I'll be a big time Yankee fan. Very happy."

Sauer added that he plans to forego his commitment to Arizona and sign with the Yankees. He's expected to compete in their rookie league in Florida. Sauer was the second central coast native to get selected in the second round, to go along with Cal Poly pitcher and Templeton native Spencer Howard.

One other notable Rigehtti grad to get drafted is Robin Ventura, who was selected by the Chicago White Sox with the 10th overall pick of the 1988 MLB draft after playing college baseball at Oklahoma State.

Matt Sauer drafted by New York Yankees with 54th pick By Joe Bailey June 12, 2017 From small-town Orcutt to the Big Apple. That's the transition Righetti grad Matt Sauer is embarking on. Sauer, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound right-handed pitcher, was selected with the 54th overall pick on Monday night by the New York Yankees in the second round of Major League Baseball's first-year player draft. "It's going to be a lot different going from Santa Maria to , but I think I'm ready for it," Sauer said moments after getting the call from New York. Dozens of friends, former teammates and family members filled the Sauer family home in Orcutt on Monday night to watch the draft on TV. About midway through the first round, the Yankees informed Sauer's representation that if he's available with the 54th pick, they'd take him. That's exactly what transpired. "I can't be any more blessed. I'm so excited," Sauer said after working in a few dozen hugs. "I'm so happy that my friends and family were here to witness this. It's just amazing." Sauer spent four seasons as a member of Righetti's varsity baseball team. He could be the second Warrior to don pinstripes in the Bronx. Righetti grad Robin Ventura was selected 10th overall by the Chicago White Sox in the 1988 draft and played for the Yankees in 2002 and 2003. Sauer, who had committed to pitch collegiately for Arizona, said he will likely sign with the Yankees. New York offered a signing bonus substantially higher than the No. 54 slot is allotted. According to Baseball America, the No. 54 pick's minimum bonus was $1.23-million. The Yankees reportedly offered Sauer a bonus more than twice that, at $2.5-million. The moment began to sink in for Tamera Sauer, Matt's mother, when he informed her that the Yankees are flying the family out to their Tuesday night game at Angel Stadium. "Blessed," Tamera said as she fought back tears when asked to sum up her emotions. "He's a great kid. He's got his dream. With all our kids we've been involved in everything they've done. Whatever their passion is, we've supported them. Matt's passion was baseball and we kind of helped him along the way. He did the hard work and we just helped him get there." Nick Sauer, a 2010 graduate of Righetti, said the Yankees selecting his younger brother in the second round Monday may finally force him to admit that Matt is the better athlete. "I guess right now would be the time where I'll say, 'Ok. You one-upped me,'" Nick Sauer said. What got Matt to this point? "His competitive edge," Nick said. "I've never seen somebody as competitive as him. It could be wiffle ball in the backyard, me and him one-on-one, and he would NOT lose. It was just that type of relationship and that's just the type of person he is... Just so much anger if he was losing." Fellow 2017 Righetti grad Zach Andersen, who first caught Sauer in the summer of 2014, was also swept up in the magnitude of the evening. "I love that kid," Andersen said. "He's the best pitcher I've ever caught or ever seen, man. He's something special and I can't wait see him do big things in the big city, man." Sauer's velocity exploded at the start of his senior season and he soared up the draft rankings. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and is paired with a sharp breaking pitch and an occasional changeup. Sauer is a tremendously gifted athlete. He also played shortstop, second base and first base for Righetti and was the Warriors' top hitter with a .427 average. On the mound this year, Sauer had 0.98 ERA with four complete games and a pair of shutouts. He struck out 142 batters in 78 1/3 innings, allowing just 42 hits while walking 31. But Sauer, like his brother Nick, was also a talented basketball player, though he focused on baseball his senior year. "Matt's the most deserving guy I've ever met," Andersen said. "He's so humble and so talented. And he doesn't let anybody know how talented he is, he'll just show you. On the baseball field, in practice, he doesn't give anything less than 110-percent. "Just wait five years, he'll be the ace of the rotation sooner than you think." Sauer said he was a bit awestruck at the prospect of playing for the Yankees, who have won 27 World Series. He hopes to be a part of one of those World Series championships in the future. "Hopefully one day I'll get a ring with them," Sauer said.

2017 MLB Draft Profile: Matt Sauer, RHP, Santa Maria, California By John Sickels May 28, 2017

Continuing our series of 2017 MLB Draft Profiles, we turn back to the high school pitcher ranks with a look at right-hander Matt Sauer, whose stock has been rising in recent weeks.

THE BASICS

Sauer is a prep right-hander from Ernest Righetti High School in Santa Maria, California. He has appeared in numerous showcases dating back to 2014, drawing the attention of pro scouts and college coaches.

Last summer he looked like a projectable and promising pitcher who needed to fill out physically and refine his secondary pitches, making it very plausible he would fulfill his University of Arizona commitment. However, he’s made enough progress this spring to move up into first round consideration, making it less likely he’ll wind up with the Wildcats.

Born January 21st, 1999, Sauer is a right-handed hitter and thrower. He was listed at 6-4, 195 a year ago but is now listed at 6-5, 210.

STRENGTHS

Sauer’s fastball has picked up as he’s filled out, going from 88-92 MPH last year to 92-95 with peaks at 96-97 this season. He’s polished up his slider, which is now a plus pitch. Although his control still needs some work, his mechanics are more consistent than a year ago and have led to command gains. His delivery adds deception to his pitches, and he has a strong mound presence with a good work ethic.

WEAKNESSES

The fastball and slider have been good enough to dominate the prep ranks but he’ll need something softer to start at higher levels, so adding another pitch is the next thing on the agenda. He has used both a curveball and a change-up as a third pitch with the change showing the more promise of the two, though it will need considerable work. Some observers believe his mechanics are a bit stressful and could make him more suited for bullpen deployment than starting.

OVERALL PROJECTION

If the off-speed stuff improves Sauer could end up being a number two or strong number three starter, granted the usual caveats about pitcher injury risk. He was viewed as a possible third round or fourth round pick six months ago but has moved firmly into first round consideration. Signability will become a risk again if he falls past the second round but that seems unlikely given the gains he’s made this spring.

What makes Righetti ace Matt Sauer a top MLB draft target? A scout shares his thoughts By Travis Gibson May 3, 2017 The press box behind home plate at Barnhart Field at Paso Robles High School isn’t exactly spacious. It’s a cinder block fortress roughly the size of a small bedroom. On a scorching North County afternoon Tuesday, every inch of free space inside was occupied by Major League Baseball scouts representing teams from all over the country. Men wearing gear with various MLB logos had come to Paso Robles to point radar guns and video cameras at Righetti senior Matt Sauer, the most coveted prospect on the Central Coast. The scouts got their money’s worth. Paso Robles staged a dramatic come-from- behind 4-3 win over Righetti, and Sauer showed off his power on the mound and at the plate. Following the game, The Tribune spoke with a scout working for an American League team. He went into detail about what makes Sauer, 18, a potential first- or second-round pick in the upcoming MLB Draft. “He obviously has arm strength,” said the scout, who requested anonymity. “From a scouting perspective, he’s what you look for if you could build a pitcher. He’s got the frame, he has the lean (body), the looseness, the athleticism.” Sauer, a right-hander who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 205 pounds, regularly delivered in the mid- to low 90s with good movement against Paso Robles. He paired it with a wicked slider in the mid-80s. Twice in the game, Sauer’s fastball hit 95 mph on the radar gun, the scout said. He’s reportedly been clocked at 97 before. What’s promising is Sauer’s steady improvement over the four times the scout has seen the senior pitcher throw. Last summer, Sauer was clocking around 89 to 92 mph, but at a fall showcase in Lake Elsinore, Sauer had elevated his velocity to between 92 to 94. “He’s throwing harder than (San Francisco Giants pitcher Johnny) Cueto did last night,” another scout in the scrum said during the game. Sauer, who is batting .448 this season, also showed some pop from the plate. As the second batter of the game, Sauer sent a pitch over the left-field wall for a two- run home run. But don’t expect Sauer to get drafted for his hitting abilities. “When he was younger, some guys were on the fence on whether he would be a position player or a pitcher,” the scout said. “But within the last year, he has stepped up his game as a pitcher.” The scout said he wasn’t worried about how the game played out against Paso Robles. Sauer gave up the game-winning hit to Dylan Lewis in the bottom of the seventh, breaking a 3-3 tie. In 6 1/3 innings of work, Sauer struck out five, gave up five hits, walked four batters and gave up three earned runs. Sauer is 6-1 with a 1.16 ERA in 10 appearances on the season. “You don’t look at stats too much,” the scout said, though he acknowledged his 16-strikeout performance against St. Joseph last Tuesday was impressive. “I’ve seen him three times this year, and today he struggled a little bit. But he’s a high school guy. He gets caught up in the emotion of the game, and you tend to lose focus. But he does a good job of reining himself back in when he needs to. “I would rather have a guy that’s overly fired up than a guy that’s not.” For all the talk about Sauer’s draft stock, there is still no guarantee that he will enter. In November, Sauer signed to play baseball at Arizona, and he could decide to wait before starting his professional career. But signing a professional deal — especially as a high draft pick — could be too good of a chance to pass up. Sauer was recently rated the No. 42 prospect by MLB Pipeline for the 2017 draft, which begins on June 12, in which 27 of the top 50 prospects are pitchers. If he were selected by the with the No. 42 pick in the second round, Sauer would be valued at more than $1.6 million. The money goes up quickly from there the higher the selection. Sauer, who has been Righetti’s Tuesday starter all season, has one more scheduled start before the regular season ends next week — Tuesday against Mission Prep in Santa Maria. You can bet there will be plenty of scouts and radar guns in attendance.

2017 Draft: Yankees sign first rounder Clarke Schmidt and second rounder Matt Sauer By Mike Axisa June 24, 2017 The Yankees have signed their top two selections in the 2017 amateur draft. The team announced deals with South Carolina right-hander Clarke Schmidt (first round, 16th overall) and California high school right-hander Matt Sauer (second round, 54th overall) earlier this afternoon. Sauer posted photos of his contract signing on Twitter. Here is the bonus information:

 Schmidt: $2,184,300 per Jack Curry ($3,458,600 slot)

 Sauer: $2,500,000 per Jim Callis ($1,236,000 slot) Schmidt, 21, received a below-slot bonus because he is currently rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He had the procedure in May, so he’s going to be out until midseason 2018. As our Draft Pool tracker shows, the Yankees now have a little less than $460,000 in bonus pool space remaining before hitting the penalties. They’ve maxed out their spending pool the last few years. I imagine that $460,000 is going to a late round pick. Based on the way things played out, the Yankees planned all along to sign Schmidt below-slot — I’m guessing they had a pre-draft agreement in place — and spend the savings on a highly touted player who slipped into the second round. That happened to be Sauer. I think this was Plan B. Plan A was using the first round selection on a player who was no longer on the board when that pick rolled around, so they called an audible. Anyway, Baseball America ranked Schmidt as the 32nd best prospect in the draft class. MLB.com ranked him 49th and Keith Law (subs. req’d) ranked him 74th. He was considered a mid-first round talent before blowing out his elbow last month. Here is a piece of MLB.com’s free scouting report: Schmidt relies heavily on a 92-94 mph fastball that can reach 96 and features power sink. Both his slider and curveball can be plus pitches at times but also lack consistency, and he also mixes in a decent changeup. He generally throws strikes but can be vulnerable if his pitches wander up in the strike zone … He maintained his improved velocity until he got hurt this spring, but scouts don’t love his delivery and now have even more questions about his durability. Sauer was ranked as the 28th best prospect in the draft class by both MLB.com and Baseball America. Keith Law ranked 67th. Here’s a snippet of MLB.com’s scouting report: He’s reached 97 mph at times this spring and has sat comfortably in the 91-95 mph range in most starts. He combines that with a nasty slider, up to 87 mph, thrown from a three-quarter slot with good power, bite and deception. The changeup is a distant third pitch … Some scouts are not in love with Sauer’s arm action and see him more as a potential power bullpen type of pitcher. Others see a potential three-pitch mix, two above-average to plus offerings, with the build to be a rotation workhorse. The draft signing deadline is Friday, July 7th, so two weeks from yesterday. The Yankees have already handled all their major business, however. They’ve signed each of their picks in the top 17 rounds plus several late rounders. I expect them to spend that remaining $460,000 ($457,949 to be exact) on someone. That has been their M.O. in the draft pool era. To spend as much as possible without incurring penalties forcing them to surrender next year’s first round pick.

RHP Trevor Stephan, Arkansas University, 3rd round, (92nd pick)

#48 Trevor Stephan RHP | Junior | 6-5 | 225 | Magnolia, Texas / Magnolia West HS / Hill College As a Junior (2017) Made 16 appearances on the mound, all starts … Started the second game of the season against Miami (Ohio) (Feb. 18) and went on to be a weekend starter all year … Led the team with a 2.87 ERA among starting pitchers, good for 10th in the SEC … Finished second on the team in wins with a 6-3 record and notched one complete game shutout … Threw a team-high 91.0 innings with 29 earned runs allowed, 20 walks, and 120 strikeouts … The strikeout total was the fifth- highest by a Razorback in a single-season in program history and most since 2010 when Drew Smyly had 114 … His strikeouts were also third-most in the SEC … Threw a complete-game shutout at Tennessee (May 6) as part of a 2-0 victory … Allowed just one hit over seven innings against the Volunteers with 11 strikeouts, two walks and only one hit allow … It was the first one-hitter for an Arkansas pitcher since Brett Eibner in 2009 … Earned SEC and NCBWA Pitcher of the Week honors after performance in Knoxville … Had six outings with 10 or more strikeouts, four against SEC opponents … Arguably, his best outing came against Rhode Island (March 10), where he pitched a perfect game into the eighth inning and totaled a career-high 13 strikeouts … His 13-strikeout outing was the best by a Razorback pitcher during the season and tied for the best among SEC pitchers … The 13 strikeouts in one game were also the most by a Razorback pitcher since Jess Todd struck out 17 batters against South Carolina in the 2007 SEC Tournament … Had racked up 50 strikeouts in his first seven starts, which was the most by a Hog pitcher over his first seven starts since former All-American Nick Schmidt had totaled 56 through seven starts in the 2006 season. Hill College Selected as a NTJCAC first team All-Conference player … Went 8-1 with five saves as a sophomore … Posted a 2.88 earned run average with 88 strikeouts compared to 22 walks in 68.2 innings … Helped lead Hill to a 39-21 record and a third-place finish at the NJCAA Region V tournament … Played first base and third base at West High School in Magnolia, Texas. In the Draft 2016 – , 18th round (538 overall) Personal Son of Bill and Ashley Stephan … Has one brother, Mitch … Majoring in sport management.

Stephan Selected by Yankees By ArkansasRazorbacks.com June 13, 2017 FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Junior right-handed pitcher Trevor Stephan was the first Razorback taken in the 2017 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft Tuesday afternoon when he was selected in the third round, No. 92 overall, by the New York Yankees. Stephan is the 13th Razorback to be taken in the draft’s first three rounds since 2010 and the fourth pitcher since 2013. Pitcher Zach Jackson went in the third round to the last year as the 102nd overall pick. Stephan is also the first Arkansas player to be picked by the Yankees since 2008 when catcher Jeff Nutt went in the 25th round. With Stephan’s selection, Arkansas has had at least one player picked in each of the past 43 MLB Drafts dating back to 1975. This is not the first time Stephan has been picked in the draft in his career. Last year, the Texas native was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 18thround, No. 538 overall, before deciding to come to Arkansas. The 2017 season was Stephan’s first with the Razorbacks after transferring in from Hill College in Cleburne, Texas. With the help of new pitching coach Wes Johnson, Stephan was able to step right in and became one of the primary arms in the Hog rotation, making 16 starts and leading the team with a 2.87 ERA, good for 10th in the (SEC). Stephan finished second on the team in wins with a 6-3 record and was one of two Hog pitchers to throw a complete game shutout last season. He threw a team-high 91 innings with 29 earned runs allowed, 20 walks, and 120 strikeouts. The strikeout total was the fifth highest by a Razorback in a single-season in program history and most since 2010 when Drew Smyly had 114. It was also good for third best in the SEC. In six of his outings last season, Stephan notched 10 or more strikeouts, including in his complete game shutout at Tennessee (May 6). Against the Volunteers, the junior allowed just one hit and two walks to go along with 11 strikeouts to not only earn the 2-0 victory, but also SEC and NCBWA Pitcher of the Week Honors. Stephan’s best outing came against Rhode Island (March 10), where he pitched a perfect game into the seventh inning and totaled a career-high 13 strikeouts, tying for the most in a game by an SEC pitcher last year. It was also the most by a Razorback pitcher since Jess Todd struck out 17 against South Carolina in the 2007 SEC Tournament. Day two of the draft continues today on MLB.com. Rounds 3-10 will be conducted today. Wednesday will be the final day of the draft and will include rounds 11-40 starting at 11 a.m. All selections can be followed on MLB.com. The signing deadline for underclassmen and high school seniors selected in the 2017 First-Year Player Draft is July 7.

RF Canaan Smith, Rockwall-Heath H.S., 4th round, 122nd pick

Texas baseball star in pursuit of national record for walks in a season By USA Today High School Sports May 17, 2017 Canaan Smith has walked a lot this season – 53 bases on balls in 38 games. As noted by The Dallas Morning News, the Rockwall-Heath (Rockwall, Texas) star could set a national record if the team continues to advance in the 6A state playoffs. The team begins a series with The Woodlands on Thursday. The national record is 72, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations record book, and was set by Jeff Clement of Marshalltown (Iowa) in 2002. He is four walks away from cracking the top 10 even if he doesn’t end up with the record. It might be a long shot to get to 72, given the potential number of games remaining. Smith was walking at a higher clip than Barry Bonds was when Bonds set the major league record for walks in a season with 232 in 147 games. “Time will tell, but if I get the record, it would be cool,” Smith, an Arkansas signee, told USA TODAY High School Sports. All the walks have not prevented him from putting up good numbers for his team at the plate. “Of course, I want to hit and score runs for my team,” he said, “but winning is the most important thing so if I walk four times and we win, that is a great day.” Smith said his “consistent hitting since my freshman year has gained the respect from opponents” and that has put him in a situation where he sees fewer good pitches to hit. The challenge: Not get frustrated at the plate and chase bad pitches. “At times I haven’t remained disciplined,” he said. “It has been difficult. It is something I think about weekly, to remain patient. I know teams are trying to pitch around me. “I feel like I have matured this season in choosing the right pitches to swing at. My reward for that is having only six strikeouts this year.”

Baseball standout in Texas getting pitched around at a Barry Bonds-like rate By Tim Whelan Jr. April 4, 2017 A Texas baseball standout is getting the Barry Bonds treatment. No, Rockwall-Heath (Rockwall, Texas) star Canaan Smith isn’t being accused of saltiness with teammates and media. Rather, Smith is getting free passes to first base that reminded the Dallas Morning News of the late-career walk rates of the retired San Francisco Giants slugger. Smith, an Arkansas signee, has 32 walks in 24 games this season. In six district games he’s been walked 10 times, a rate of 1.67 per game. Compare that to Bonds, who in 2004 set the MLB record for walks with 232 in his 147 games. That’s 1.58 per game. “I think a lot of people are saying, ‘OK, let’s see what he can do,'” Rockwall-Heath coach Greg Harvey told the Morning News. “Then when he does it then they just say, ‘OK, we’re not going to do that again.’ “ As the Morning News tells it, Smith hit a home run last week against North Mesquite in the first inning. He was then intentionally walked on his next three trips to the plate. “There is some frustration,” Harvey told the Morning News. “He wants to hit. That’s why we go through practice and do BP and do all the things that we do, for him to be able to hit in the game. But he also understands it and we laid the groundwork letting him know that this was going to happen, and sure enough it has.” Like the logic once held for “Hack-a-Shaq” in the NBA, Shaquille O’Neal can hurt you far less from the free-throw line than anywhere else on the floor. Similar logic applies for free passes to first for prominent sluggers, and Texas baseball coaches are going with “Walk a Smith.” It may be effective in containing Smith, but not his team as a whole – Rockwall-Heath is 18-6 and 5-1 in its district.

RHP Glenn Otto, Rice University, 5th round, 152nd pick

Glenn Otto Position: P Height: 6’5 Weight: 240 Class: Junior Hometown: Spring, Texas High School: Concordia Lutheran H.S.

At Rice -- Enters 2018 season tied for fourth in the program’s history with 17 saves (currently tied former Owl major leaguer David Aardsma)… Ranks eighth in career appearances (82)… Owns an 18-6 career W-L record heading into 2018… Recorded 222 strikeouts in 172.1 career innings… 2017: Conference USA Tournament MVP; Dominated each of his three appearances in the C-USA Championship Tournament to be named the event’s MVP, as well as help propel the Rice baseball program to its 23rd-straight trip to a NCAA Regional… Posted two wins and a in the C-USA Tournament over a total of 9.2 innings, scattering four hits for a .125 opponents’ batting average without any runs and striking out 11… Returned the following weekend to win a game in relief in the NCAA Tournament, allowing two hits and striking out three in 3.0 scoreless frames after an 82-minute rain delay… Postseason totals of four combined appearances in C- USA & NCAA Tourneys were a 3-0 record, one save, 12. 2 innings, 0 runs, six hits (.140 opp. avg.) and 14 strikeouts… Led the team with seven wins, a 3.77 ERA (min. 15 innings) and shared the team lead with 26 appearances (24 out of the bullpen)… Finished second in both opponents’ batting average (.221) and strikeouts (81)… Averaged 12.2 strikeouts per 9.0 innings of work and maintained a 2.8-to-1 strikeouts-to-walks ratio… Tallied a season-high six strikeouts in 3.1 innings vs. C-USA foe UTSA, but also had five strikeouts in five other outings… Fanned five in a season-long 5.0 innings vs. No. 11 ranked Southern Miss in the C- USA Championship Final… Worked 2.0 or more innings in 14 of 24 relief appearances… Made two starts vs. nationally-ranked foes Texas A&M and Southern Miss... 2016: NCAA All- Regional Team; All-Conference USA (first team); Led Rice and Conference USA, and tied for 24th among the NCAA individual leaders, with 33 pitching appearances... All 33 games were in relief, the most in C-USA... Shared the Rice and C-USA lead of nine pitching wins with teammate Ricardo Salinas (also among the NCAA individual Top 50)... Winning pitcher in three of the Owls' ten postseason games played in the C-USA and NCAA Tournaments... Finished second in the league, and 45th among the NCAA leaders, in ERA (2.26)... Posted the best opponents' batting average on the Rice staff (.209), that was the second-best mark in the league... Tied for sixth in the conference in saves (8) and was seventh in strikeouts (76)... Averaged more than 2.0 innings per outing, and worked at least 3.0 frames ten different times... Pitched a season- long 5.0 innings and recorded a season-high eight strikeouts for a win against UCF... Two weeks later he struck out eight of the ten batters faced for a save in the series finale at UTSA... Worked a combined 7.1 innings and allowed just two runs with seven strikeouts in two NCAA postseason games on the road at rowdy No. 5 ranked LSU... Averaged 9.5 strikeouts and 6.7 hits allowed per 9.0 innings... Pitched 25.0 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run during a 24- game stretch in the middle of the season... Maintained a 0.68 ERA in 15 C-USA outings totaling 26.2 innings... Yes, it's true: stepped into the batter's box to hit for the first time since high school as the May 20 game at Louisiana Tech reached 15 innings... Was selected to pitch for the United States Collegiate National Team over the summer on a tour that included games in four countries against often older, international all-stars from Japan, Chinese Taipei and Cuba... Made second 2016 trip to Cuba with the Owls in November... 2015: Sensational debut season of Division I baseball... Led Conference USA in ERA (1.54) and opponents' batting average (.142) for pitchers with at least the same number of innings (41.0)... Finished 10th in the conference for strikeouts (65), but seven of the nine C-USA pitchers ahead on the strikeout list had twice as many innings to help build their K total -- with the two exceptions being his own teammates and eventual MLB Draft picks Jordan Stephens (59.2 IP) and Matt Ditman (58.2 IP)... Led the staff with an eye-opening 14.3 strikeouts per 9.0 innings, one of the highest single-season averages in Rice history (min. of 41.0 IP)... Struck out the only three batters he faced in his collegiate debut on opening day vs. No. 6 ranked Texas, then returned in the series finale two days later and struck out four more Longhorns in 1.1 innings -- so each of his first seven outs in Division I were all via strikeout (and in fact 9 of his first 10 outs were Ks)... Highest single-game strikeout total was nine in the second of his two Rice starts, vs. nationally-ranked crosstown rival at the neutral setting of Constellation Field (May 12)... Needed only 3.2 innings for nine strikeouts, the fourth-highest single-game total by an Owl all year... Made first career start on March 31 at longtime state rival Lamar and worked a predetermined total of 2.0 innings... Second on the staff (behind Ditman) with 23 total appearances and usual role was as a setup man, finishing a game only seven times... Notched his lone save with 3.0 hitless innings in the home meeting vs. Houston... Averaged 1.2 innings for 21 relief outings... Pitched a career-long 5.1 frames of two- hit relief in the 20-inning marathon vs. the Cougars in the NCAA Tournament, only to earn a no- decision... Compiled a stretch of 18.0 consecutive scoreless innings over nine games in April and May that also included 34 strikeouts... Earned wins out of the bullpen against Louisiana Tech and Sam Houston State... Of nine runs he was charged with all year, only one was while pitching 21.2 home innings at Reckling Park... Maintained a 0.60 ERA in 15.0 innings against ranked teams, and a 0.39 ERA in 23.1 innings against teams that played in the NCAA Tournament.

High School - A 2014 graduate of Concordia Lutheran High School in Houston... First team 5A All-State pitcher in the Texas Association of Parochial & Private Schools (TAPPS)... Led the Crusaders to a 22-10 record and to a second-place finish in the state playoffs, earning selection the TAPPS All-Tournament team... Two-time all-District 3 honoree... Coached by Rick Lynch. Personal - Full name: Glenn David Otto, Jr.... Born: March 11, 1996, in Houston... Parents: Glenn Otto and Janet Wells (one sister)... College: Duncan

2017 MLB Draft Profile: RHP Glenn Otto, Rice University By Jacob Markle March 29, 2017 Selecting relievers from college in the early rounds of the draft is and always has been a risky proposition. The connotation that comes along with relievers is that they don’t have the stuff to stick in a rotation, and some really don’t. Others have so little command that thy cannot be trusted to not walk off a cliff (that was a lot funnier in my head). There are a select few, though, that are better prospects they look at first glance. Some are not bad pitchers, and have the profile to support a starting role, but are unable to crack a stacked rotation. Others simply don’t have the stamina, but have such high-octane offerings that they don’t need to start to have value. By all accounts, Glenn Otto - one of Rice University’s late inning options - falls into that latter category.

Strengths: As one would expect from any reliever, Otto’s arsenal starts with an above average fastball. It sits anywhere from 91-93 mph, and he can run it up to 96 when he reaches all the way back. At the lower end of that range, it features late sinking life. Scouts project that velocity to grow higher in the future. That would certainly boost his stock, especially in a game environment that is seeing more and more players touching triple digits. Despite that, though, the fastball takes a definite back seat in scouts’ minds to another of his offerings: his curveball. Otto throws one of the best breaking balls of the draft class, a gorgeous knuckle-curve that will make you drool. It features 12-6 movement and is well above average in any category imaginable. “It has excellent shape, depth and spin,” remarked HERO Sports’ Christopher Crawford, “and he can locate it for strikes or bury it down in the zone when he's ahead in the count.” “He comes from over-the-top, and creates deception with a small amount of crossfire in his initial drive to the plate.” added Scout.com’s Taylor Blake Ward. As if its vicious bite and deceptive nature was not enough, he pairs it with good velocity. While it sits at 77 or 78 mph, he can dial it up to 80 at times.

Weaknesses: Obviously, being a relief prospect puts a clear cap on his value. The reasons for the limited value of relievers is obvious. They don’t throw many innings in comparison to starters and have fewer opportunities to contribute to their team in a way that has significant value. FanGraphs is an incredible resource when proving this point. I had two lengthy paragraphs prepared to explain the data that I found on this point, but decided a table would likely be more effective. Qualified Number Number that Accumulated 1.0 WAR 1.0 WAR Rate

Starters (min. 40 innings) 198 115 58.08% Relievers (min. 20 innings) 284 46 16.20% Difference -86 73 41.88% These figures clearly show that the proportion of even semi-regular starters who are able to contribute a full win of value was much higher than the proportion of relief pitchers who were able to accomplish the same thing. Therefore, unless the (nearly) impossible happens and he blossoms into the next Andrew Miller or , Otto will never be as valuable as a comparable starter. It is also unlikely that Otto will make the bigs as a starter, for three simple reasons. These also happen to be his fundamental weaknesses. They are: 1. Pitching generally takes the path of least resistance 2. He doesn’t have the stamina to support a starting role 3. He doesn't have the profile to support a starting role That first reason is pretty straightforward. There are many accounts of washout starters becoming dominant relievers, and this transference from the rotation to the ‘pen has become a bit of a fad in today's game. A pitcher’s stuff plays up when he plays in shorter stints - his fastball speeds up a tick, his breakers gain depth and bite. Success doesn’t flow uphill, though, and because starting is generally far more taxing on a pitcher’s abilities, it is incredibly rare that a bullpen piece can successfully break into a rotation. Not only is all of that the case, HERO SPORTS’ Christopher Crawford noted something very relevant in Otto’s case. As the year dragged on, his numbers started to worsen. To the best of Crawford’s estimation, that downward tilt was due in large part to being overworked by Rice University’s club. That would point towards the Owls’ ’s future being comprised of solely relief roles. Finally, Otto’s biggest flaw is his control and command, specifically his lack thereof. As is the case with many pitchers with offerings that move so dramatically, he has difficulty spotting his pitches. That is particularly the case with his heater. This issue will bite him less frequently in his role as a than it will pitchers in a starting role, but it something he’ll want to iron out. Outlook: Scout.com hit the nail on the head when they remarked on Otto’s future, saying: Development of his changeup and slider, as well as fastball command, will be key to his stock. While almost every prospect is a total crapshoot, the floors on pitchers can be far scarier that those on position players, and Otto is no exception. The upside is there, and the fastball and curve offer plenty to dream on. It is undeniable that he could be something remarkable. If the pieces come together, he could also get to the majors pretty quickly. However, if things go sideways, then his value will drop like a stone, so while the appeal is obvious, the risk is correspondingly high. Prediction: The terms “relief prospect” and “mercurial” are inextricably linked, and for good reason. It is completely impossible to accurately predict where he will land in the draft this early in the year, and it would be easy to picture him going anywhere from the send to the sixth round. Where in that range he lands will be determined almost entirely by his performance in 2017.

2017 Draft: Yanks sign fifth rounder Glenn Otto to slot bonus By Mike Axisa

June 17, 2017

June 20th: Jim Callis says Otto signed for $320,900, not $323,400. Callis says the standard contract for draftees includes $2,500 in bonuses so easily reachable that teams were counting it as part of the player’s bonus. Now they’ve stopped. The player still gets the $2,500 bonus, but it doesn’t count against the bonus pool. Huh.

June 17th: According to Mark Berman, the Yankees have agreed to a deal with their fifth round pick in this year’s draft, Rice RHP Glenn Otto. Slot money for the 152nd overall pick is $323,400, and that’s what Otto will receive. It’s a straight slot signing, per Berman. You can keep tabs on the draft pool situation with our Draft Pool Tracker.

“It feels good to be a player, feels even better to be a Yankee,” said Otto to Berman. “It’s always been a goal of mine ever since I starting playing baseball when I was five-years-old. People would ask me what I wanted to be and I always said professional baseball player. That’s always been the case through Little League, high school, and college. I wouldn’t be here without my dad. He’s helped me through everything baseball’s brought me.”

Otto, 21, spent most of his three years at Rice in the bullpen and the last two as the team’s closer. This spring he had a 3.77 ERA with 81 strikeouts and 29 walks in only 59.2 innings after sitting out fall ball with arm fatigue/soreness. MLB.com ranked him as the 96nd best prospect in the draft class while Baseball America ranked him 181st. Pretty big split! Here’s a snippet of MLB.com’s scouting report:

When he comes out of the bullpen, Otto generally works with a 92-95 mph fastball that tops out at 97. His spike curveball can be devastating with power and 12-to-6 break. He also has a changeup but rarely uses it … Otto has a strong frame and his arm works well, so many scouts believe he could make it as a starter in pro ball. To succeed in that role, he’ll have to throw more strikes.

Berman says the Yankees intend to develop Otto as a starting pitcher going forward, which isn’t terribly surprising. He did make two starts for Rice this spring, so I suppose it’s not completely foreign to him. In addition to throwing more strikes, Otto will have to use his changeup more often to make it work in the rotation, and also refine that knuckle-curve. Not too many starters throw that pitch. It can be tough to command. Here’s some video:

The Yankees are not shy about attempting to convert relievers into starters in the minors. Chance Adams is the big success story, though others like and Taylor Widener have tried it as well. “We got together as a group and decided that we’re going to take our best arms and put them in the starting rotation,” said farm system head Gary Denbo over the winter. Now they’re going to do the same with Otto.

The signing deadline is Friday, July 7th this season, so three weeks from yesterday. The Yankees have already handed out one over slot bonus, to third rounder Trevor Stephan. They’re expected to save some bonus pool money with first rounder Clarke Schmidt, as well as the college seniors they drafted in rounds 8-10, which will then be given to other players, including second rounder Matt Sauer.

LHP Dalton Lehnen, Augustana University (S.D.), 6th round, 182nd pick overall

Position: P Height: 6’3 Weight: 222 Class: Junior Hometown: Lakeville, Minnesota High School: Lakeville North

2017 (Junior): Two time NSIC Pitcher of the Week (February 21, May 8) … made 11 appearances as a pitcher, including 10 starts … accounted for a 2.60 ERA in 52 innings pitched … had 61 strikeouts on the year, which was the second most on the team … allowed a mere 20 walks on the season … held opponents to just a .183 batting average … went 3-3 on the year … made seven plate appearances and hit for a .143 batting average … pitched a season-high seven innings versus Concordia St. Paul on May 10 … threw a season-high nine strikeouts versus Minnesota State on May 5

Before Augustana: Lehnen spent two seasons at the University of Cincinnati … as a freshman with the Bearcats, Lehnen appeared in 16 games making a team-high 13 starts on the mound … recorded 49 strikeouts to just 24 walks in 68 innings pitched … pitched three innings of relief giving up one hit in the American Athletic Conference Championship game against Memphis … made his collegiate debut on Feb. 13 against No. 14 Mississippi State … as a sophomore pitched nine innings and earning eight strikeouts

High School: Three year letterwinner at Lakeville North High School ... two-time All-South Suburban Conference selection (2012, 2013) ... All-Metro and All-Section honoree (2013) ... two-time conference champion (2013, 2014) ... two-time section champion (2013, 2014) ... state consolation champion (2013) ... conference second runner-up (2012) ... finished his career with a 15-4 record and 141 strikeouts in 105.2 innings pitched ... also played on the football team

Personal: Born May 16, 1996 in Burnsville, Minn. To Frank and Vicki Lehnen; He plans on majoring in Business Administration.

Augie's Lehnen Selected in the 6th Round by the Yankees

June 13, 2017

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The New York Yankees selected Augustana University junior left-handed pitcher Dalton Lehnen (Lakeville, Minn.) with the 182nd pick of the sixth round of the 2017 Major League Baseball Draft on Tuesday.

Lehnen, a native of Lakeville, Minnesota, is ninth player from Augustana to be selected in the MLB Draft and is now the highest draft pick in program history.

He is the fifth Viking to be drafted in the MLB First-Year Player Draft since 2012. Derek Hansen was taken in the 25th round by the Oakland Athletics in 2012 followed by three straight draft picks in Jordan Milbrath (2013), Jack Goihl (2015) and Michael Letkewicz (2016).

Lehnen made 11 appearances in 2017 for the Vikings posting a 3-3 record and a 2.60 ERA. He struck out 61 batters in 52 innings of work while walking just 20 batters. Lehnen held opponents to a .183 batting average and struck out five or more batters in 8 of 11 appearances. He struck out eight batters in a game three times and whiffed a season-high nine against Minnesota State on May 5.

Lehnen joined Augustana in 2017 after spending two seasons at the University of Cincinnati where he appeared in 24 games on the hill. As a freshman in 2015, Lehnen tossed 68 innings picking up 49 strikeouts while walking just 24 batters while starting a team-high 13 games.

Augustana baseball finished the 2017 season with a record of 37-22, including 29-11 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play, which was good for a second-place finish in the final league standings.

Located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Augustana University is a member of NCAA Division II and competes in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

RHP Kyle Zurak, Radford University (Va.), 8th round, 242th pick

Position: RHP Height: 6’1 Weight: 192 Class: Senior Hometown: East Amherst, New York High School: Williamsville North

2016 Highlights Appeared in a team-high 20 games, compiling a 0-2 record with one save…Finished with a 5.93 ERA in 30.1 innings…Struckout 34 batters…Had a career-high four strikeouts in 2.1 innings of relief at Vanderbilt (March 9)…Earned first career save at Longwood (March 26), striking out three in two innings of relief.

2015 Highlights Appeared in 13 games in relief ... Posted a 2.92 ERA with 9 strikeouts in 12.1 innings pitched ... Struck out 2 with no hits or runs in 1.0 inning vs. Youngstown State ... Had 3 strikeouts in 1.0 inning of work vs. JMU.

ZURAK SELECTED BY THE YANKEES IN EIGHTH ROUND OF MLB DRAFT

By Radford University

RADFORD, Va. – Radford senior pitcher Kyle Zurak became the fourth pitcher in program history to be taken in the first 10 rounds of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft as the New York Yankees selected Zurak with the 242nd overall pick in the eighth round of the 2017 draft on Tuesday afternoon.

"It's amazing to be a New York Yankee, the greatest franchise in the world," Zurak added. "I couldn't be happier. Let's start this next journey."

Zurak is the 20th Highlander selected in the draft's history and the highest draft pick since Eddie Butler (46th overall) in the 2012 Supplemental First Round. He is the first Highlander selected by the Yankees.

"I am so proud of Kyle and what he did for our program. He is a stud arm and an even better person," said head coach Joe Raccuia. "I expect him to have a lot of success in professional baseball."

Zurak put together a coming out party in 2017 as the Highlanders' closer and occasional starting pitcher. The East Amherst, N.Y. native finished the season with a 4-4 record and nine saves, while turning in a 2.40 ERA in 60.0 innings pitched. Zurak made four starts on the season, getting the ball in the Big South Tournament Championship game and the Louisville Regional elimination game.

The right-hander struck out a career-high 73 batters, yielding only nine extra-base hits on the season. Zurak limited opposing batters to a .225 clip. Appearing in 11 Big South games, Zurak led the league with a 1.03 ERA and five saves. His 73 strikeouts finished sixth best in the league.

Radford wrapped up the 2017 season in the Louisville Regional and Zurak's season will rank among the best in program history. Finishing his season ranked inside the program's Top 10 in several categories, Zurak finished third in saves (9), sixth in ERA (2.40) and 10th in strikeouts (73).

In his career, Zurak appeared in 77 games, which goes down as sixth most in program history. Totaling 117 strikeouts in 120.1 career innings, Zurak is now in sole possession of third place of most strikeouts per nine innings with an 8.77 mark. His 3.74 career ERA ranks seventh best among Radford pitchers and his 10 career saves rank eighth.

Entering the 2017 season, Zurak had only thrown 60.1 innings and struck out 44 batters in 52 games.

"I am happy for Kyle and his family," Raccuia added. "I am excited that Radford baseball continues to develop professional baseball players."

Zurak was named an All-Big South First Team selection, Big South Tournament MVP and Gregg Olson Award Semifinalist.

North grad Zurak selected by Yankees in MLB Draft

By Patrick Nagy

June 21, 2017

Kyle Zurak grew up a big fan of the New York Yankees. Now the East Amherst right-handed pitcher will have a chance to play for them.

Zurak, a 2013 graduate of Williamsville North and recent graduate of Radford University, was selected by the Yankees as the 242nd overall pick in the eighth round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft on June 13.

At 6-foot-1, 192 pounds, Zurak is the fourth pitcher in Radford history to be taken in the first 10 rounds and the first Highlander player to ever be chosen by the Yankees.

“It’s pretty amazing to be drafted by the greatest sports franchise in history,” Zurak said. “All of the history they have had, it’s an honor to be drafted by them. We get the YES Network at home, so I always watched their games growing up, so it’s almost come full circle.

“It’s a dream to be drafted and play professional baseball and get paid for the game that I love so much. To finally get that experience is mind-blowing. It still has not hit me and probably won’t until the first time I toe the rubber in a game.” Kyle Zurak, a 2013 Williamsville North graduate and recent graduate of Radford University, was selected by the New York Yankees with the 242nd overall pick in the eighth round of the 2017 Major League Baseball Draft June 13. Zurak is a right-handed pitcher. Photo by Jeff Sochko, Radford Athletics DepartmentZurak was totally shocked the Yankees called him.

“Their scout called me five or six picks before and said they were going to try and get me there,” he said. “The Reds were also interested, but they passed. The Mets were also interested, but they were picking two after the Yankees. When the Yankees took me, I almost didn’t believe him. I feel like I am at the bottom of the barrel. It’s like you’re a freshman, and you have to work your way up to be a guy they can trust. I am looking forward to the climb throughout the minor leagues and hope I can get up there.”

Entering the 2017 season, Zurak had only thrown 60.1 innings and struck out 44 batters in 52 games.

But a great offseason where Zurak gained muscle mass and increased his fastball speed led to a breakout season this past spring, striking out a career-high 73 batters — sixth best in the Big South Conference — allowing nine extra-base hits and limiting opponents to a .225 batting average. He led the Big South Conference with a 1.03 ERA and five saves.

Zurak finished his senior season with a 4-4 record and nine saves and a 2.40 ERA in 60 innings pitched.

He made four starts, with his biggest victory a complete game, nine-strikeout 9-2 win over Presbyterian in the Big South Tournament Championship, the school’s second conference title. He was named Big South Tournament MVP.

Zurak also pitched in the team’s 3-1 loss to Xavier in the NCAA Louisville Regional elimination game.

“It started in summer ball [with the Butler BlueSox] after my junior year,” Zurak said. “I told myself I have one more year of baseball and to dedicate everything you have to it. I trained like a crazy man, lost fat and gained muscle mass and ate right. I also picked the brain of my summer ball teammates about pitching and my pitching coach at Radford. The biggest thing I took away was to throw every pitch with incredible amounts of intent. If you put in the effort prior to that pitch, you are going to be fine for the next pitch.”

Zurak said the mental part of his game also improved.

“I was having fun, but you don’t have fun when you are not doing well,” Zurak said.

For his college career, Zurak appeared in 77 games, sixth most in program history. He recorded 117 strikeouts in 120.1 career innings and averaged 8.77 strikeouts per nine innings, the third most in school history. He also finished with a 3.74 career ERA — seventh all-time — and 10 saves, eighth all-time.

“I am so proud of Kyle and what he did for our program,” Radford coach Joe Raccuia said in a press release on the Radford athletics website. “I expect him to have a lot of success in professional baseball.”

Zurak is a semifinalist for the Gregg Olson Award, given to college baseball’s breakout player of the year. He was also named an All-Big South First-Team selection.

Throughout the process, Zurak said he has had great support from his family, parents Rick and Susan, and brother RJ.

Zurak reported to Tampa, Florida — site of the Yankees’ spring training headquarters — on Thursday.

Had Zurak not gotten drafted he would have used his bachelor’s degree in marketing with a minor in communications and worked at inside sales at TaylorMade Golf in Carlsbad, California. “I’m looking forward to not having a real job and keep playing this amazing game,” Zurat said. “My aunt told me there are two million Little League players — it’s probably more than that — but out of that, it’s like .0000075 of that get drafted. The whole experience is very humbling.”

RHP Austin Gardner, University of Texas-Arlington, 9th round, 272th pick

Position: RHP Height: 6’2 Weight: 215 Class: Senior Hometown: Coppell, Texas High School: Coppell

2017 Had a prolific season as UTA's go-to reliever … Appeared in a team-leading 29 games, the seventh-most in UTA single-season history, with 21 coming as shutout appearances … Had a 2-1 record and a 2.42 ERA and made one start, earning two saves in 44.2 innings, allowing 36 hits and 10 walks, striking out 55 … Held opponents to a .222 average … Inherited a team-leading 22 runners, allowing only seven to score … In his 28 relief outings, was 2-0 with a 2.11 ERA in 42.2 innings, allowing 32 hits and nine walks, striking out 53 … Was 1-0 with a 0.69 ERA in 17 appearances in conference play, working 26 innings, allowing 19 hits and walking six, striking out 32 … Went 2-1 with a 1.83 ERA in his final 26 games, striking out 50 in 39.1 innings … Went 2-0 with a 1.17 ERA at Clay Gould, fanning 31 with just three walks in 23 innings … Was 1-0 with a 2.36 ERA in day games and was 1-1 with a 2.50 ERA in night games … Pitched in 16 games that UTA won, with a 2-0 record and a 1.73 ERA … Made season debut with two innings at Stephen F. Austin on opening weekend, allowing two runs and three hits … Got two out – both strikeouts – vs. No. 1 TCU in the home opener … After allowing six combined runs over his first four outings, had an 8.10 ERA, but finished 2-1 with a 1.42 ERA over his final 25 appearances … Earned his first save of the year in a 5-4 win vs. Milwaukee, getting the final four outs and allowing a single … Picked up second save of the year vs. Milwaukee, getting the final out of a 8-5 sweep clincher … Made his lone start of the year with two innings at Sam Houston State, allowing four runs – two earned – walking one and striking out two … Worked a season-high four shutout innings in his first win of the year vs. Little Rock, allowing just two hits and striking out six … Picked up second win of the year with two shutout innings vs. No. 23 Texas A&M, allowing just a walk and striking out three … Tossed 2.1 shutout at Texas and Arkansas State … Worked 3.1 shutout innings in the series vs. Arkansas State … Tossed four one-run innings in two outings vs. No. 29 Coastal Carolina … Worked 2.2 combined hitless innings in two games at Texas State … Allowed a hard-luck run in the Sun Belt Championships, as a fly ball got lost in the sun and allowed the lone damage of the 2.2 innings vs. Arkansas State, striking out five without a walk … Tossed four shutout innings combined vs. No. 20 Louisiana in two games … Allowed only two hits in 2.2 shutout innings combined over two games at ULM. 2016 Appeared in 12 games with four starts, owning a 1-1 record and a 9.12 ERA … Had a save … Worked 25.2 innings, allowing 40 hits and nine walks, striking out 14 … Allowed 10 doubles, one triple and one homer … Opponents hit .351 … Appeared in six games with one start in Sun Belt play … Was 1-1 with a 7.98 ERA in his four starts, allowing 21 hits and seven walks, striking out five, in 14.2 innings … In eight games in relief, worked 11 innings, allowing 19 hits and 13 earned runs, walking two and striking out nine … Inherited seven runners, allowing five to score … Made first start of the year with five innings, allowing three runs in a victory over Stephen F. Austin … Worked three innings for a save at Troy.

Junior College (2015) Went 7-2 with a 3.50 ERA as a sophomore, with 42 strikeouts and 15 walks in 70 innings.

Wichita State (2014) Appeared in two games at Wichita State.

High School A three-year letterwinner at Coppell High School, also playing a season in football … Went 4-2 with a 2.75 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 43 innings … Earned first-team all-district honors in 2012 … All-district honorable mention selection in 2013 … Played summer baseball with the Dallas Tigers, going 7-0 with a 0.79 ERA in 60 innings in 2013.

Personal Son of Scott and Alicia Gardner … Has a brother, Kris (25) … Father played baseball at Oklahoma and spent four years in the Houston Astros system … Brother played baseball at Wichita State … Is majoring in marketing.

RHP Chad Whitmer, Southern Illinois University- Carbondale, 10th round, 302th pick

Position: RHP Height: 6’3 Weight: 190 Class: Senior Hometown: South Bend, IN High School: Penn

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

 10th round MLB Draft pick in 2017 (302 overall to New York Yankees)  Two-time second-team All-MVC (2016, 2017)

 Two-time MVC Pitcher of the Week (both in 2017)

 104.0 innings in 2017 (12th in SIU single-season history)

 95 strikeouts in 2017 (8th in SIU single-season history)

 282.0 career innings (5th in SIU history)

 224 career strikeouts (8th in SIU history)

2017 (SENIOR)

Second-team All-MVC ... Two-time MVC Pitcher of the Week ... Struck out 13 in a complete-game win at Indiana State (4/14), earning MVC Pitcher of the Week ... His 13 strikeouts vs. Indiana State were the most for any SIU player since P.J. Finigan struck out 17 against Chicago State in 2005 ... Struck out eight and allowed just five hits and one run in a win over Dallas Baptist (4/28), earning MVC Pitcher of the Week ... Started all 15 games as the team’s No. 1 starter ... Went 6-3 with a 3.46 ERA in 104.0 innings ... Led the MVC in the regular season with 89 strikeouts ... Ended the season with 95 strikeouts, tied for eighth in SIU history and the most at SIU since 2005 ... Eleven of his 15 starts were quality starts (at least six innings and three or fewer earned runs).

2016 (JUNIOR)

Second-team All-MVC ... Started all 15 games ... Went 7-4 with a 2.77 ERA ... His 2.77 ERA ranked fifth in the MVC among qualified pitchers ... Limited opponents to a .264 average, which ranked 15th in the MVC ... Struck out 66 batters, which ranked ninth in the MVC ... Ranked seventh in the MVC with seven wins ... 11 of his 15 starts were quality starts ... Threw eight shutout innings against Western Illinois, striking out 12 ... Did not allow an earned run in 8.0 innings at Evansville ... Won the MVC Tournament opening game against Evansville with 7.1 strong innings, allowing just two runs.

2015 (SOPHOMORE)

Made 18 appearances with four starts …Recorded 34 strikeouts on the season … Pitched a career-high seven innings against Missouri State on 5/8, while also recording a season-high six strikeouts.

2014 (FRESHMAN)

Made 16 relief appearances ... Made six conference relief appearances ... Second among SIU relievers with 36.0 innings pitched ... Threw a career-best 5.0 innings in relief against Illinois on 3/14, the longest relief outing by a Saluki in 2014 ... Picked up his first two collegiate wins in his first two outings on 2/15 at Western Kentucky and on 2/21 vs. Western Illinois ... Struck out a career-high five batters on 3/14 vs. Illinois.

HIGH SCHOOL

A three-time All-Conference selection ... As a senior, went 7-1 with a 1.94 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 50.2 innings ... As a junior, had a 5-4 record with a 1.44 ERA and hit .386 ... As a sophomore, had a 6-2 record and led the Northern Indiana Athletic Conference with a 1.50 ERA ... Played with the Michiana Clippers summer team ... Member of the honor roll ... Played basketball freshman year.

PERSONAL

Full name is Chad A. Whitmer ... Born on May 11, 1995 in South Bend, Ind. ... Son of Doug and Sara Whitmer ... Father is a web developer, mother is an accountant ... Has one sister, Valerie ... Majoring in sports administration.

Former Penn High School standout Chad Whitmer learns pro ropes with New York Yankees

By Tom Noie

June 27, 2017

Running a rack by sinking the 8-ball in a corner pocket and perfecting his downward dog stance could wait.

Maybe forever.

Taking the electives of billiards and yoga during summer school earlier this month at Southern Illinois University, former Penn High School pitcher Chad Whitmer had other matters on his mind one mid-June afternoon.

Waiting to see if he would be selected somewhere within the seemingly endless rounds of the Major League Baseball amateur draft, Whitmer tracked the draft’s second-day picks on his computer, but then walked away at the wrong time.

Before he returned, his phone buzzed with texts. Messages started rolling in and seldom stopped. The South Bend native hustled back to his laptop, hit refresh, and there it was along the screen’s rail – the New York Yankees had taken him in the 10th round with the 302nd overall pick.

“I wasn’t really expecting to get picked up that second day until the day of,” the 22-year-old Whitmer said. “I had heard from one of my pitching coaches that they might get me late in the day, so I really wasn’t sure whether or not it was going to happen.”

When it did?

“It was just unreal,” Whitmer said. “It’s a very humbling experience. Nothing I’ve ever felt before.”

Still a year of credits shy from earning his degree in sports administration, but out of eligibility after four years as a member of the SIU baseball team, Whitmer needed about the time it takes to wind and deliver to ponder his next baseball step. He signed almost immediately.

Hours later, Whitmer was en route to Tampa, Fla., and the Yankees’ training facility. He was a pro.

“Couldn’t be more thrilled for him,” said Salukis coach Ken Henderson. “We anticipated that he was going to get drafted, although you can never predict how that thing’s going to go. “It’s a major accomplishment.”

So was Whitmer’s journey from Northern Indiana to Southern Illinois.

College competitor:

During Whitmer’s senior year at Penn, video of him pitching in a summer showcase landed on the laptops of the SIU coaches. They liked what they saw from the 6-foot-2, 160-pound right-hander. He threw with good velocity, mixed pitches well and always seemed to be around the plate. It was someone they felt could be productive in their program.

An official visit was arranged, and Whitmer fell hard for the Carbondale campus. He committed almost as quickly with SIU as he did with the Yankees.

“I didn’t even know that that school existed,” he said. “I knew that it was home right away.”

Whitmer’s home was the bullpen for all of his freshman and most of his sophomore seasons. He followed through with a lot of what the coaches had seen on tape. He worked hard, threw strikes and competed. He was reliable and willing.

A decision late in Whitmer’s sophomore season changed his career trajectory and put him on track to become a major-league option.

Heading into a spring weekend series against national power Dallas Baptist, one of SIU’s top pitchers had become ill and couldn’t go. Henderson and his staff had a decision – do they shake up their rotation by bumping everyone up a day or bring someone out of the bullpen as a spot starter?

They decided to try Whitmer in the role. He went 5 1/3 innings, allowed six hits and five runs with one strikeout and three walks in a 6-3 loss. He finished that season 0-6 with a 5.81 ERA in 18 games, but showed enough that day as a starter that he remained in the No. 1 role for the rest of his collegiate career.

Being the “Friday guy” wasn’t always easy. Going up against other teams’ best meant that Whitmer wasn’t going to get a lot of run support. But that didn’t matter. He delivered what was classified as a “quality” start – at least six innings of work, allowing three or fewer earned runs – in 11 of his 15 outings last spring.

“He was never scared to match up against everybody’s No. 1, which is what he had to do every single day,” Henderson said. “He just got good at it. He was unbelievably consistent. Over the course of two and a half years, pretty much every time out, he gave you a chance to win.”

A two-time second team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection, Whitmer went 6-3 with a 3.46 earned-run average in 104 innings his senior season for an SIU team that finished 27-30, 10-10 in the MVC.

Whitmer finished his career 15-13 with 224 strikeouts, eighth in SIU history, in 282 career innings, fifth in school history.

Plenty of pressure came with the role as the team’s top starter, but Whitmer answered it with poise. He enjoyed the role. Embraced it. Thrived in it. The more the pressure, often times the better he pitched.

“It was nothing that I couldn’t handle,” he said. “It was a privilege, not something everybody gets to do.”

Elevating his game: Guys with MLB team-logo jackets and hats and radar guns had occasionally come around to see Whitmer during his junior year. They wanted him to work a little more on his velocity and consistency. His fastball now routinely runs up to the plate in the low- to mid-90s. And he continued to throw strikes. He also had better command of his pitches — he isn’t afraid to throw his curve and change-up to get out of sticky situations.

“He,’ Henderson said, “can flat-out pitch.”

Whitmer got the call from the Yankees on a Wednesday, signed for a $7,500 bonus on a Thursday and by Friday was moved into a waterfront resort hotel in Tampa with about 20 other recently-drafted prospects. He was one of 13 right-handers that the team took in the draft.

Daily workouts commenced soon after a 6 a.m. wake-up call. Then two hours of practice. Maybe a quick lunch, a nap, another workout and then a walk to dinner at a nearby restaurant with other prospects.

“We’re kind of stranded on an island down here, but it’s a good kind of island,” Whitmer said. “I can’t complain.”

Gulf Coast League play begins this week. Whitmer was issued No. 35. His role is to be determined. Maybe he’ll stay a starter. Or come out of the bullpen. He’s just ready to see what the world of pro ball holds. He long dreamed of what it would be like to concentrate solely on the sport he’s played since his T-ball days back in South Bend. Now there’s no more school. No more homework.

He may one day finish work toward his degree, but for now, he’s a ballplayer. Only a ballplayer.

“It’s hard to do when you’re going to school at the same time,” he said. “Down here, that’s all we do. It’s amazing.

“I’m really blessed.”

Yankees pick Salukis' Whitmer in 10th round of baseball draft By Scott Mees June 13, 2017 Southern Illinois University pitcher Chad Whitmer was selected by the New York Yankees organization Tuesday in the Major League Baseball Draft. The Yankees chose Whitmer in the 10th round with the 302nd overall pick. The 6-foot-3 right- handed hurler was 6-3 with a 3.46 ERA this past season. “We certainly expected Chad to get an opportunity, but had no idea when or what round,” said SIU head coach Ken Henderson. “The draft has changed so much over the years that it’s kind of hard to predict. We’re certainly proud of and happy for him. It’s good for our program, and to go in the 10th round, that’s pretty good stuff. I’m thrilled for him.” As a senior, Whitmer was a second team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection. He led the league in strikeouts during the regular season with 89. “If you’re a baseball fan and you love the history, that is certainly the most prestigious franchise,” Henderson said. “It’s exciting for me as a baseball guy because it’s the Yankees. But those guys just want an opportunity, and I think Chad would have been thrilled to be drafted by anybody.” Whitmer pitched all four years for the Salukis. As a freshman, he was strictly a relief pitcher. He was a reliever for most of his sophomore year as well. “His strength is he can flat pitch, and when I say that I mean he can throw three pitches for strikes, and he has great command and a great feel for pitching,” Henderson said. “As a freshman, I don’t think anybody had any idea how good he could be. We thought he could be good, but you really don’t know. He started later in his sophomore year because of an injury.” Four of Whitmer’s 18 appearances as a sophomore were starts on the mound. “We stuck him into our Friday night spot because we didn’t want to mess up our Saturday and Sunday rotation,” Henderson said. “He was outstanding, and he was much better as a starter than he was as a reliever. It was just kind of an emergency and a last minute thing, but I think he started every weekend from that point forward.” Whitmer was a full-time starting pitcher as a junior and finished 7-4 with 2.77 ERA. He earned a second team All-MVC selection during that season as well. “He just took off in that role, and we kept him in that Friday spot where you’re matched up against everybody’s best,” Henderson said. “We’re going to miss him because of his consistency and the stability he brought to that staff. I’m very happy he got this opportunity because he deserves it. He worked his rear end off. He did so many things well, and it’s great to see him rewarded.”

RHP Shawn Semple, University of New Orleans, 11th round, 332th pick

Position: RHP Height: 6’1 Weight: 195 Class: Junior Hometown: Swedesboro,N.J. High School: Penn VI HS

2016: Made 16 appearances on the mound with 12 starts as a sophomore… led the Privateers in strikeouts with 80 while going 5-5 with a 4.50 ERA in 80.0 innings… struck out a season-best 11 batters against eventual champions Sam Houston State in a season-high 8.1 innings (3/12)…threw 6.1 scoreless frames against Valparaiso, fanning nine batters while surrendering four walks and two hits (2/26)…

2015: Started eight games in an injury-shortened freshman season… posted a team-low 2.70 ERA while going 2-4 with 34 strikeouts in 46.2 innings… named Southland Conference pitcher of the week after throwing a complete game shutout against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (4/19)… fanned a season-best 10 batters in 6.2 innings against Alcorn State (2/20).

High School: Three-year letterman at Paul VI High School, playing under head coach Frank Nicolosi… helped the Eagles qualify for the New Jersey Non Public South A State Tournament twice… named first- team All-Conference as a senior and second-team as a junior… captain of team as a junior and senior.

Personal: Born Shawn Semple on October 9, 1995...Son of Jeff and Paula Semple...One brother, Stephen...Biology major.

Shawn Semple Drafted By New York Yankees In 2017 MLB Draft

By University of New Orleans Privateers

June 14, 2017

NEW ORLEANS – Junior right-handed pitcher Shawn Semple did not have to wait long to hear his name called during the third day of the 2017 MLB Draft, as the Swedesboro, N.J. native was selected by the New York Yankees in the 11th round with the 332nd overall pick.

Semple becomes the first Privateer drafted since Kevin Kelleher in 2015, and just the second to be selected by the historic Yankees' franchise with Scott Raziana being chosen in the 1983 draft. The 11th round is the highest for UNO since Johnny Giavotella and Jeff Lanning went in the second and eighth rounds of the 2008 draft.

"I can't put into words how excited I am for Shawn Semple," head coach Blake Deansaid. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't selfishly want him back again for one more season but he has worked so hard to get the opportunity to play professional baseball. As a kid everyone grows up wanting to play in the majors one day and today Shawn got the call to become a New York Yankee. I find it very fitting a young man from New Jersey ends up being drafted from a team located close to where he grew up."

Semple, a 2017 All-Southland Conference First Team honoree, ended his junior campaign with a 9-3 record and a 3.07 ERA in 93.2 innings with 109 strikeouts. He played a crucial part in the Privateers' Southland Conference Tournament run, going 4-0 in his last four outings of the regular season and compiling 28 innings on the mound with 38 strikeouts with just six runs allowed in the stretch.

His 109 strikeouts in 2017 etched the righty in the UNO program record book with the eight-most in a single season and propelled the pitching staff to 467 as a unit, the fourth-most by a Privateers' team in a single season. His 223 career punch outs also cracks the top-10 of the program record book as the eighth- most.

Semple leaves the Lakefront with a career record of 16-12 in 39 games with 35 starts and a 3.52 ERA in 220.1 innings of work.

"I wish him all the best as I know he will be a great ambassador for our program and University," Dean concluded. "I will personally miss seeing him toe it up on Fridays out at the Lakefront but hope one day I get the call when he gets to throw in his first big league game!"

New Orleans ended the 2017 season with a 30-28-1 overall record and 16-14 in SLC play, a program record, while reaching the Southland Conference Tournament semifinals for the first time since joining the league.

OF Steven Sensley, University of Louisiana-Lafayette, 12th round. 362th pick

Position: OF Height: 6’2 Weight: 220 Class: Senior Hometown: Baton Rouge, LA High School: University HS

2016 Season Saw action in 53 games including 42 starts split between right field (27) and designated hitter (15)…Hit .252 (38-for-151) on the season with seven doubles, six home runs and 23 RBI…Finished the season third on the squad in home runs…Posted a .417 slugging percentage and had a .349 on base percentage…Was 2-for-3 in attempts…Scored 17 times…Registered nine multi-hit games and five multi-RBI contests…Had a season-best three RBI against LSU (3/22) and ULM (5/19)…Also notched a career-high three hits against Troy (3/12) and Arkansas State (4/1)…Tallied a seven-game hit streak during the year as well as a 13-game on base streak…Had a career-best two doubles against Little Rock (3/19).

Prior to Louisiana Played one season at LSU-Eunice after redshirting in 2014…Selected by Tampa Bay in the 38th round of the 2015 MLB draft with the 1,138th overall choice...Named a first team junior college All-American after helping LSU-Eunice to the NJCAA Division II national championship…Ranked third nationally in home runs (21) and RBI (80)…Set a LSU-E record with 21 home runs…Hit .374 with a .466 on-base percentage and .778 slugging percentage…Stole 13 bases.

High School Selected in the 33rd round of the MLB Draft out of University High School by Minnesota in 2013…Was a Rawlings Third Team All-American and a Perfect Game All-Southeast Region First Team selection as a senior at U-High…Helped guide the Cubs to the class 2A State Championship game in 2013. …Received all-state honors in 2012 and 2013.

Personal Full name is Steven Sensley…Born on September 6, 1995 in Baton Rouge, La….Son of Ronald and Gladys Sensley…Has two older brothers, Ronald Jr. and Terrance…Majoring in general studies.

Sensley showing well as Cajuns head to Sun Belt tourney By Tim Buckley May 23, 2017

His name already has been called twice — straight out of high school by the Minnesota Twins in the 33rd round of the 2013 Major League Baseball Draft and again out of junior college by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 38th round of the 2015 MLB Draft.

Both times, he resisted whatever temptation there may have been.

Now Steven Sensley goes into this week’s Tournament as UL’s leading home run hitter by far, and as the Ragin’ Cajuns’ top hitter by average as well.

It’s a show of power and precision that — if properly combined — could lift Sensley to that seemingly inevitable next level, pro ball. But other elements will impact how far Sensley can climb once he’s there, and one is something UL’s usual starting right fielder has developed as the 2017 season has progressed.

It’s his play in the field.

“A lot of times power hitters that are born with power like that, they don’t care about their defense,” said coach Tony Robichaux, whose 35-20-1 Cajuns open SBC tourney play as the No. 4 seed against fifth-seeded host Georgia Southern. “They think they’re gonna ride one tool to the top. And that’s not the case.

“You have to make sure you can teach them that they have to not only be a professional hitter — go the other way, be able to use the middle of the field — but also be able to play good defense.

“There’s not much room at the big-league level for DHs (designated hitters),” Robichaux added. “You have to be able to play a position if you want to move up the ladder.”

Coming from LSU-Eunice in 2015, Sensley arrived at UL with the power tag.

At University Lab School in Baton Rouge, he helped lead the Cubs to the 2013 Louisiana Class 2A state-title game.

After redshirting one season at LSUE, Sensley helped lead the Bengals to the 2015 NJCAA national championship during a season in which he produced a school-record 21 homers.

Last year, though, was a season of transition for Sensley, as he faced much tougher pitching at the NCAA Division I compared to anything he saw at a second-level juco program or in high school.

He hit just six homers in 2016, but in the process took baby steps down the long road to becoming something much more — and much better — than a mere power hitter.

“Even the start of this year was tough on him,” Robichaux said.

But the Cajuns coach added, “I think what he’s starting to do is he’s starting to learn his craft more — (becoming) a professional hitter with power.”

A more selective hitter, too — not one who swings at every one thrown his way. When, that is, teams actually pitch to him.

A few times lately, opponents have pitched around Sensley when the situation allows.

The result?

“I’ve learned to be patient,” Sensley said, “and I’ve learned to put good swings on the pitches I do get. “I just can’t miss it when I get it.”

Sensley went into last week’s regular season-ending three-game sweep of UL Monroe with 10 home runs, double that of any other Cajun.

Heading into the Sun Belt tourney, he has 11 — five more than next-closest teammates Joe Robbins and Kennon Fontenot. Only five SBC players have more, topped by 18 from Kevin Woodall Jr. of defending national-champion Coastal Carolina.

Sensley also has a team-best 46 RBIs, a .585 slugging percentage that’s fourth-best in the Sun Belt and — hitting third in the order — he’s been hit a team-high 10 times.

Perhaps more importantly than all that, though, Sensley is hitting a team-high .319 — well up from last year’s .252 average.

Oh, and he’s also currently riding a team-best on-base streak of 25 games.

“He’s having better at-bats all the way around,” Cajuns pitcher Wyatt Marks said.

“He’s not just swinging out of his shoes on everything. He goes deeper into counts. He’s getting good at hitting off-speed too.”

That’s key.

“He’s a very, very big guy,” Marks said. “Not a lot of people are going to challenge him with a fastball.”

Sensley, for his part, doesn’t seem sure how, or even why, the metamorphosis from power hitter to hitter with power has happened.

The 6-foot-1, 220-pounder suggests confidence plays a part, but mostly shrugs his broad shoulders when pressed on what’s prompted it.

“I don’t feel any different from the start of the season than I am right now,” Sensley said.

“I feel like I’ve been doing the same thing all season. It’s just starting to click now, and big things are starting to happen for me.”

Robichaux knows why, though.

Sensley’s maturity at the plate — evidenced by increasing ability to use the whole field — is partly a product of experience and partly evidence of a willingness to accept coaching.

“He’s buying into an approach,” Robichaux said of the left-handed hitting Sensley. “Everybody wants to be a pull-hitter. But when you’re a pull-hitter, you’re vulnerable. The one thing he’s been able to do is … staying out over the middle and attacking the green monster in centerfield and not pulling off stuff.

“When you use the foul line on pull side as your hitting zone, your miss (window) is so small. Because if you miss it a hair, it’s foul; it’s you miss it to this side, it’s a popup,” the Cajun coach added. “But when you hunt the middle of the field, you can get the ball in the other gap, you can get the ball down the other line.”

Pull-side hitting is all about power.

Opposite-field hitting, Robichaux suggests, hinges on timing and starts with trusting that it’s doable.

“(If) you can hit the ball over the lights thattaway,” he said, “you can hit can hit them over those lights too the other way.

“Hitters don’t believe that.”

Hitters also don’t always understand how much fielding really is just as important as what happens at the plate.

But Sensley was reminded of that earlier this season, when he was pulled from a game for allowing a single to be stretched into a double.

A point was made by Robichaux, who once yanked a hitter after he homered simply because he had missed a bunt sign.

Sensley responded in UL’s final home series of the regular season by throwing out two Texas State runners at third base — from right.

“Give him credit,” Robichaux said. “He came out, came back in and took off with it. That’s good for him, and good for us.”

UL goes into the Sun Belt tourney on the bubble for making its fifth straight NCAA Tournament, and the Cajuns — inconsistent hitters up and down this season — likely will need both Sensley’s bat and his field work if they’re going to advance.

The only Cajun to play in all 56 games this season, he has 38 starts in right and 14 at DH. Last season, he had 27 starts in right and 15 at DH.

“I go out there with the same confidence I go up to the plate with,” Sensley said of his defense. “I think that’s been helping me in the field.”

Since being removed from that one game, he said he’s taken an approach of “I’ve just to go out there, play hard, hustle, get to every ball as fast as I can, get it in as fast as I can, help the team.” That could pay off beyond college ball.

Ditto for becoming a complete hitter.

But just how much it helps in next month’s MLB Draft, and whether it’s enough to prompt him to leave school early this time around, remains to be seen.

Robichaux knows pro scouts have been watching closely.

“I think he’s gotten committed to being a total ballplayer, not just a guy that worries just about hitting,” the Cajuns coach said.

“When you can put a show on like him in batting practice, you have a tendency to worry just about that. ‘I just want to take B.P., and put a show on.’ But the difference-maker is Major League Baseball and the scouts already know he has power.

“What they’re wanting to see is ‘What about the other side?’ But a lot of times kids don’t worry about that, because they’re so good at one area,” Robichaux added. “They think that one area’s gonna cover them up, and it’s not gonna.”

Robichaux, who doubles as UL’s pitching coach, understands how that can happen.

“When you’re gifted like he is, when you’ve got a lot of power on the front end of your career,” he said, “it’s just like training a pitcher who’s got high velocity early in his career.

“They don’t worry about the pitch-ability; they worry about the radar gun. Hitters have a tendency to worry about the home run vs. just being a good hitter.”

Those types come a dime a dozen.

And those types don’t always make The Show.

“There’s a lot of guys in pro ball that can throw hard, but they can’t pitch,” Robichaux said. “There’s a lot of guys in the minor leagues that have power, but they can’t hit.”

Sensley, it seems, has shown more and more lately that he’s able, and willing, to rise above all that.

That’s a good thing, especially for someone who — besides his bat — does have a big arm and does run well relative to his size.

“So I appreciate his approach — committed to being a professional hitter,” Robichaux said. “That’s what’s gonna get him up in the draft. That’s what’s gonna keep him into pro ball.”

1B Eric Wagaman, Orange Coast College (Calif.), 13th round, 392th pick

OCC slugger Wagaman trusts in himself and is rewarded

By Barry Faulkner

May 18,2017

Eric Wagaman glides to the batter’s box with stealth-like purpose, thinking to himself that he is on the better side of a mismatch.

He is most often correct.

Even when others doubted that such confidence was appropriate, the Orange Coast College sophomore first baseman somehow trusted there were great things for him on the diamond.

It was this belief in himself, in the face of snubs from Division I recruiters, that prompted the courage to choose OCC over a scholarship to Chico State, following his senior season at Aliso Niguel High.

It was not a popular decision, even in his own living room.

“My mom [Julie] freaked out a little bit,” Wagaman recalled of his choice to give himself another opportunity to land a Division I scholarship. “She asked me ‘What if something happens [at OCC] and you can’t go to another university?’ I said, ‘So be it,’ but I just want to give myself another shot. I did not want to ever look back and regret [going to Chico State].”

That decision appeared sketchy in 2016, when Wagaman hit .214 in 56 at-bats as a freshman, with one home run, seven RBIs, and a lot of idle time on the bench.

“The game sped up for me,” Wagaman said. “I started the season in the lineup, but when I had a couple bad games, I was taken out of the lineup. I didn’t really know how to deal with that, because I had been in the lineup my whole life. That’s when my confidence went down and it was tough to get it back.”

Wagaman’s swag returned last summer, when he blasted seven homers and collected 46 RBIs and was named Player of the Year in the Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas Collegiate Summer League.

Heading into the second game of a best-of-three sectional series at home against No. 5-seeded El Camino, on Saturday, Wagaman is a big reason the Pirates (36-10) won the Orange Empire Conference and earned the No. 1 seed in the Southern California regional playoffs.

The Pirates are one win away from heading to the four-team state tournament in Fresno to bid for the program’s third state title in four seasons. He is hitting .339 and leads the top-seeded OCC in homers (14), RBIs (49), hits (59), doubles (13) and slugging (.655). He tied a school record with three dingers in a game at Canyons on Feb. 28. He belted two more big flies against Fullerton on April 16 and he has had at least one hit in 37 of his 45 games.

In a three-game Super Regional playoff series against Santa Ana completed Sunday, Wagaman was six for 12 with five RBIs and one towering home run.

“He went out and had a good summer,” OCC Coach John Altobelli said. “He came back and got it going [in the fall] and as soon as the uniforms went on, he hasn’t stopped. It has been fun to watch his progression and he hasn’t really slumped all year. He’ll be a guy I nominate for the Big Stick award in the state, with the year he is having with his RBIs and home runs.”

The 6 feet 4, 210-pound Wagaman, who chose baseball over street hockey as a sophomore in high school, garnered recruiting attention from San Diego, San Jose State, Kansas State and Houston. He committed to Houston recently, realizing his Division I dream.

“The difference in my confidence from last year to this year is crazy,” Wagaman said. “I gained it during the summer. I wasn’t getting Division I looks [at Aliso Niguel], but I knew I could play Division I. It was tough to pass up a scholarship and an opportunity to go to [Chico State] and have it paid for. But I wanted to give myself a shot to play Division I, because I felt I was kind of overlooked.”

Wagaman said he trusts in his talent, which he believes will allow him to pursue an opportunity in professional baseball.

“I feel like no one was expecting to me to play professional baseball, so I need to prove I can,” Wagaman said. “I feel I can succeed at it, too.”

His mother is among the growing legions of believers.

“She’s definitely happy about me going to Houston,” Wagaman said.

RHP Aaron McGarity, Virginia Tech , 15th round, 452nd pick

Aaron McGarity Position: Pitcher Height: 6’3” Weight: 195 lbs. Bat/Throw: R/R Hometown: Richmond, Va. High school: Mills Godwin Career Honors

. 2017 First-Year Player Draft – 15th-round selection, New York Yankees

. 2016 First-Year Player Draft – 34th-round selection, Boston Red Sox

. 2016 Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List 2017: Appeared in 23 games, making one start … Finished a team-high 17 games and his 23 games was third-most on the team … Had a 4.26 ERA in a total of 38.0 innings, struck out 46 batters, walked 20 and posted a 2-6 record with a team-high five saves … Tossed a season-high 4.0 innings against (April 21) earning one of his wins with the other at Nevada (Feb. 25) … In 21 of 22 appearances out of the bullpen, threw at least 1.0 innings, including each of his saves – at USC Upstate (Feb. 18), at Nevada (Feb. 24), Radford (Feb. 28), Florida State (March 18) and William & Mary (March 21) ... Inherited 14 runners and five of them scored … Retired 16-of-22 first batters faced in relief outings … Struck out a season-high six batters versus Binghamton (March 4) and struck out at least two 15 times … Pitched a total of 20 scoreless innings, including 7.2 consecutive … Also, threw seven perfect frames, struck out the side three times and, at one point, retired nine straight batters … Had a five double plays turned behind him, all GDPs. 2016: Appeared in 10 games, all in relief … Had a 2.38 ERA in a total of 11.1 innings, struck out 19 batters, walked four, and posted a 2-1 record with one save (one of six Hokies to record a save in 2016) … Earned wins out of the bullpen against Radford (March 1) and Quinnipiac (March 5) … Picked up his only save versus Quinnipiac (May 4) … Tossed a season-high 2.0 innings twice – at The Citadel (Feb. 20) and versus Manhattan (Feb. 28), while throwing at least 1.0 innings in nine of his 10 outings ... Inherited five runners and all five of them scored … Retired 6-of-10 first batters faced … Struck out at least three batters four times, including a season-high five twice (The Citadel and Manhattan games) … Struck out the side four times – in the seventh at The Citadel and in the ninth versus Manhattan and both Quinnipiac appearances … Pitched a total of eight scoreless innings, including 7.0 consecutive … Also, threw three perfect frames and, at one point, retired seven straight batters … Opponents hit just .244 against him … Missed the last two months of the season due to injury. 2015: Appeared in 20 games (tied for second most on the team) and made eight starts (fourth most) … Had a 4.57 ERA (third best) in a total of 67.0 innings (third), struck out 50 batters, walked 20, and posted a 5-4 record with two saves … In his 12 relief appearances, posted a team-best 2.18 ERA in 20.2 innings, allowed just two extra base hits (two doubles) and picked up three of his wins … Inherited 16 runners (second most on team) and allowed just five to score for a team-best 68.8 percent held rate … His last 10 appearances were all in relief, and he tossed at least 1.0 innings in nine of them, and did not allow an earned run in seven of those ... Posted four quality starts, including tossing nine scoreless innings on February 28 against Toledo – a game the Hokies won 1-0 in 10 innings – while striking out a career-high eight batters … Struck out at least two batters 11 times, including at least four five times … Pitched a total of 46 scoreless innings, including 14.0 consecutive … Also, threw 22 perfect frames, tied for the team lead and, at one point, retired 11 straight batters … Had five double plays turned behind him, three were GDPs ...... His four wins in ACC play was one shy of tying for the most ever in single-season at the school. 2014: Appeared in 16 games making seven starts (fourth on the team) … Had a 4.61 ERA in a total of 52.2 innings (third), struck out 36 batters (tied for fourth), walked 15, and posted a 0-5 record with one save … In his nine relief appearances, had a 2.49 ERA (second best among pitchers with at least 11 IP) in 21.2 innings … Threw at least 1.0 inning in every relief appearance and did not allow an earned run in five of them … Recorded one quality start of his seven in a no-decision effort against West Virginia … Struck out at least two batters nine times and at least five twice … Pitched a total of 31 scoreless innings, including 8.0 consecutive … Also, threw nine perfect frames, struck out the side once, and, at one point, retired five straight batters ... Had four double plays turned behind him, all GDPs. High School: Earned a pair of varsity letters while playing for Coach John Fletcher at Mills Godwin … Named all-region pitcher after senior season. Personal: Aaron McGarity … Born January 31, 1995 in Allentown, Pennsylvania … Son of Mac and Janice McGarity … Has a younger brother, Trey … Majoring in business.

Tech’s McGarity excelling after tragedy By Mike Barber April 14, 2017 BLACKSBURG — Aaron McGarity said the sadness is behind him now. When McGarity, a Virginia Tech freshman pitcher and former Mills Godwin High School baseball star, thinks about his late brother, he can smile. “It’s all happy thoughts,” McGarity said this week before practice. “Wondering what he’d be doing now or what we’d be doing together. He’d be proud of me, but at the same time, I’d be proud of what he’s doing. He was definitely turning his life around.” McGarity will never know what his older brother, Reid, a volleyball player who hoped to eventually go into coaching, might have done with his life. Reid McGarity fell to his death from Lee Bridge on Nov. 17, 2012, dropping through a space between the north and south bound lanes and falling about 70 feet before hitting the pedestrian walkway below. Reid McGarity, then an 18-year-old Deep Run High graduate who had briefly attended Virginia Commonwealth University, had been on the bridge with a friend taking in the view of the city skyline and was attempting to jump from one side of the bridge to the other, unaware of the gap between them. Reid was a sibling rival to Aaron and someone for their younger brother Trey, a 16-year old volleyball player at Godwin, to look up to, Aaron said. Then, suddenly, Reid was gone. “How would life be if Reid was still here? We just don’t know,” Mac McGarity, Aaron’s father, said this week. “We all think about him every day. We all miss him. But I think Aaron’s done a good job of figuring out, life isn’t what happens to you, it’s what you do with what happens to you.” What Aaron did was rededicate himself to baseball, working out, and his schoolwork, starting almost immediately after his brother’s funeral, a service attended by, among many others, Virginia Tech coaches Pete Hughes and assistant Pat Mason, who had recruited him. “There’s not much you can say during a time like that,” said Mason, now the Hokies’ head coach. “It was a terrible time. You never know what the right thing to say is. But I always err on the side that being there is the most important thing.” McGarity went into his senior year at Godwin not only dealing with Reid’s loss, but struggling with his own health. McGarity, who had already committed to Virginia Tech, suffered a broken elbow in his left (pitching) arm that summer. John Fletcher, his first-year coach at Godwin, put McGarity on a tightly regimented throwing program, limiting his pitch counts and instructing him not to throw sliders, his best pitch, for the first three months of the season, not wanting to put extra stress on the elbow. But McGarity quickly showed he was ready for a big senior season. He went 4-2 with a 1.85 ERA, striking out 61 batters and walking just six in 41.2 innings of work. He also moved from the outfield to first base and hit .412 with five home runs. “When Aaron walks into the room, there’s an energy,” Fletcher said. “And he still had that even after his brother passed. You could tell there were times he was down, but once baseball started, he was excited.” If his arm was strong, his resolve to excel in the wake of his brother’s death was stronger. “It was tough. It was really tough,” McGarity said, thinking back on his senior year. “It was a different feel than the year before. I feel like I was pitching for something a little more. Not just for fun. It was pitching for something.” Now, he’s brought that sense of purpose to Virginia Tech, quickly establishing himself out of a large freshman class. He has made four starts, the most of the true freshmen, and is the only one to start a conference game, which he did March 15 against Pittsburgh and Saturday against Maryland. McGarity might start this weekend against Duke unless Mason uses him in relief on Saturday. On the season, he’s 0-1 with a 4.09 ERA with 19 strikeouts and 10 walks in 33 innings. McGarity said he doesn’t talk much about his brother’s death. If he does talk about Reid, it’s just recalling happy memories. “People always ask me, ‘Do you need to talk about anything?’” McGarity said. “I really appreciate the offers, but I had my time of mourning. Every time I think about him now, it’s just remembering how he was and knowing he’s in a better place. I’m not sad anymore.”

Virginia Tech trying to get the most out of McGarity on the mound By Mike Barber May 8, 2017 BLACKSBURG – When the team’s top two closers suffered injuries, Aaron McGarity and his coaches were thinking the same thing. Virginia Tech’s baseball team needed him to finish off games. Then, when back-to-back weekend series came and went with McGarity getting minimal work, he and the staff, again, agreed on what to do. “We were all on the same page,” Virginia Tech baseball coach Pat Mason said. “He saw it.” The Hokies (20-27, 8-16 ACC) weren’t getting enough use out of the junior right-hander and former Mills Godwin High School star in the traditional pitch-the-ninth-inning closer role. So Mason and McGarity agreed he’d start getting longer outings, 2-3 inning saves. After making just six relief appearances in the month of March – when Tech played 17 games – McGarity has seen his workload increase. He pitched eight times in April, with five of those appearances lasting longer than a single inning. “We started thinking, ‘OK, we need to get a little more out of him,’” Mason said. “And he was, again, thinking the same thing we were thinking.” Before the season, McGarity was hoping for an entirely different role. After closing for the first half of last season, before missing the final two months with a knee injury, McGarity wanted to be a starter. He had been a weekend starter for a little over a month in 2015, and started seven games the season before that, as a freshman. “Ideally, I would like to start,” McGarity said. “I think starting is a great opportunity for me to contribute innings to my team. Right now, I’m just doing whatever the coaching staff, whatever the team needs me to do.” Starting was McGarity’s goal in the fall, as he recovered from the knee surgery. Mason went into the spring undecided about the role in which the 6-foot-3 195-pounder would be most helpful. Then when the team’s top two candidates to close – junior right-hander Luke Scherzer (Powhatan) and sophomore righty Cole Kragel – suffered injuries, it became clear McGarity’s place would be in the bullpen again. Scherzer is missing a second consecutive season with an elbow injury. Kragel is out for the year with a back injury. “Those were are two biggest arms coming out of the pen,” McGarity said. “It was a big hit to our team.” Remaining as a reliever does afford McGarity the chance to take a more aggressive approach with hitters. He said he doesn’t have to worry about his pitch count, since he’s not being asked to go five, six or seven innings per outing. He focuses more on getting hitters to swing and miss than he does at producing weak contact. The results? McGarity is averaging a career-high 1.2 strikeouts per inning. He has struck out 38 batters this year, 12 short of his career high, and Tech still has eight regular-season games, including two ACC series, remaining. McGarity is 2-4 with five saves and a 2.87 ERA for the Hokies, who have this weekend off, and are fighting for the final spot in the conference tournament. He pitched 2⅓ innings in a relief appearance against Clemson on April 9, appeared in two games in the weekend series against rival Virginia, threw four innings in an outing against Georgia Tech on April 21, and pitched twice in the Hokies’ last series, against State. “It wasn’t a huge adjustment,” McGarity said of going back to the bullpen. “It was just a quick flip of the mindset. … That’s just where the cards fell and I’m happy to be contribute any way I can.” Mason has been tinkering with the starting rotation for most of the season, moving senior left- hander Kit Scheetz (James River High) out of the bullpen to start conference games last month. He hasn’t ruled out moving McGarity into the rotation, even this late in the year. And with the longer relief appearances under his belt, McGarity’s arm should be sufficiently stretched out if he’s called on to do so. “We really love Aaron as our closer,” Mason said. “It’s a good feeling to put him in in the ninth inning. But more importantly, we have to make that ninth inning matter.”

SS Ricky Surum, University of Mount Olive, 16th round, 482nd pick

Ricky Surum Height: 5’10” Weight: 170 Hometown: Atlanta, Ga. Position: SS B/T: R/R Previous School: Virginia Tech Personal Reasons For Attending UMO: "The baseball program here is nationally known and the classes provide for more teacher-student interaction." Plans After College: "I want to work at ESPN one day, hopefully a news reporter. Anything that keeps mew associated with sports." Fun Facts Nickname: "Slim." People Would Be Surprised To Find Out...: "My dad was a Maasai warrior from Kenya." What is your most memorable sports moment? "Making it onto top 10 plays frehsman year." What Major League pitcher/batter would you like to hit/pitch against? "." What superpower do you have? "I can make anyone smile." What superpower would you like to have? "Super speed." My "fantasy" job ambition: "Starting shortstop for the Red Sox."

Pre-game rituals or sports superstitions: "Prayer and tying my cleats." Three people - living or dead, real or fictitious - that you would want to have dinner with: "Will Smith, and J. Cole." 2015: Made 27 starts, all at shortstop, and played in 31 games total … Had a season long four- game hitting streak and reached base in six straight games … Batted .134 with nine hits, including first career home run, and had 12 total bases for a .179 slugging percentage … Scored five runs and knocked in four RBIs … Drew seven walks and was hit by four pitches for a .256 on-base percentage … Was 1-for-2 on stolen base ... Tied for the team-high with seven sacrifice hits ... Scored one game-winning run - the walk-off run versus No. 1 Virginia (March 13) - and also had one game-winning RBI. 2014: Made 37 starts – 34 at shortstop and three at third – and played in 47 games total… Had four multi-hit games, including one three-hit contest, two multi-RBI games, including a three- RBI effort, and two multi-run scoring games … Had a 10-game hitting streak, second-longest on the team, and a 10-game reached base streak … Batted .250 with 31 hits, including eight doubles and a triple, for 41 total bases and a .331 slugging percentage … Scored 17 runs and knocked in 12 more … Drew nine walks and was hit by a pitch twice for a .309 on-base percentage … Was 1-for-2 on stolen base attempts … His 13 sacrifice hits led the team and ranked 43rd in the NCAA in total sacrifice bunts and 29th in per game average (0.28). High School: Earned three varsity letters while playing for Coach Michael Santoro at Riverwood International Charter School … Earned all-region honors as a sophomore (second team), a junior (first) and a senior (second) all at second base while helping the Raiders to three state tournament berths … As a junior, batted .369 with a .468 on-base percentage and .554 slugging percentage … Had 24 hits, five doubles, two triples and a home run, drove in 17 runs and scored 19 more … In senior year, he added four more doubles, another home run, eight RBIs and 34 runs to his totals. Personal: Roderick Surum … Born December 7, 1994 in Boston, Massachusetts … Son of Lynn and the late Tom Mpeti Ole Surum … Enrolled in university studies.

2B Chris Hess, University of Rhode Island, 17th round, 512th pick

7 - Chris Hess

Height: 6-2

Weight: 193

Year: RS FR

Hometown: North Kingstown, R.I.

High School: North Kingstown

Position: INF

Bats/Throws: R/R

2014 (Freshman):

 Appeared in 10 games overall, starting eight.

 Reached base eight times in eight games, tallying four hits (three doubles) and drawing four walks.

 Also recorded four runs and one RBI. High School:

 Was a member of the baseball, soccer and basketball teams at North Kingstown High School.

 Captained all three teams.

 Batted .438 with a .588 slugging percentage and a .490 on-base percentage as a junior.

 Drove in 89 runs on 85 hits – 26 of which were for extra bases – and scored 67 runs in his three seasons at NKHS.

 Was a two-time All-Division, All-State and All-Area selection in baseball.

 Also earned All-Division and All-Area honors in soccer. Personal:

 Born December 3, 1994.

 Son of Kathleen and Michael Hess.

 Has an older brother, Andy, was a two-year (2012-13) member of the men's soccer team at URI.

 Favorite athlete is Evan Longoria.

 Favorite teams are the Angels, Lakers and Bears.

 Enjoys fishing and snowboarding.

 Chose to attend URI over Boston College and UConn.

 Majoring in Health Studies.

RHP Ron Marinaccio, University of Delaware, 19th round, 572nd pick

Ron Marinaccio Position: RHP Height: 6’2” Weight: 205 Hometown: Toms River, NJ High School: Toms River North AT DELAWARE Junior right-hander who is expected to be the Hens' closer this spring after spending the past two seasons as a starter • named 2017 co-captain with fellow pitcher Nick Spadafino • owns career record of 11-7 with a 4.72 ERA in 25 games with 24 starts • has 116 strikeouts in 152 career innings pitched. 2016 SEASON Started and appeared in 14 games as team's No. 1 pitcher • Opening Day starter vs. Stetson (won game with eight strikeouts and one hit in six innings) • was named the Colonial Athletic Association Pitcher of the Week (Mar. 14) • threw seven one run innings against Binghamton (3/11) after throwing seven shutout innings the week prior against UMass Lowell (3/5) • had seven starts with five or more strikeouts • opened the season with back-to-back eight strikeout performances. 2015 SEASON Named to CAA All-Rookie Team • selected the UD Pitching MVP • finished 4-3 with a 4.11 ERA in 11 appearances on the year • made 10 starts for the Blue Hens, allowing 34 runs (28 earned) and striking out 43 batters in 61.1 innings of work • gave up just one unearned run in 6.2 innings to pick up his first win of the year over Canisius • fired a complete game victory over Hofstra, allowing one run on four hits with five strikeouts • named CAA Pitcher of the Week and ECAC South Rookie of the Week on Mar. 23 following his effort vs. the Pride • scattered eight hits and surrendered two runs while striking out seven to pick up a win at James Madison • earned his final victory of the year at Elon.

HIGH SCHOOL Attended Toms River North High School • played basketball and baseball in high school • was a starting pitcher and outfielder • won a conference and county championship his senior season • two time All-Conference first team selection • two time All-County selection • tallied a 0.72 ERA during his senior year. PERSONAL Ronald James "Ron" Marinaccio ("mare-uh-nachio") • son of Renee and Ron Marinaccio • born July 1, 1995 • has one younger brother, Patrick • lists the Knicks, Yankees, and Giants as is favorite teams • criminal justice major at Delaware.

Delaware's Marinaccio now making his pitch from the pen By Kevin Tresolini February 16, 2017

NEWARK – Delaware has decided the best way to get off to a strong start is by being able to finish baseball games better than last year.

For that reason, 2016’s No. 1 starter, fourth-year junior Ron Marinaccio, will be the Blue Hens’ primary reliever when the 2017 season commences Friday as Delaware plays Pittsburgh in Kissimmee, Florida.

“Last year we kind of struggled with a little depth in the bullpen,” Marinaccio said, “so we think that having me and a couple other guys will add depth to the end of the pen.”

The 6-foot-2 right-hander has started 24 of his 25 career games for Delaware while compiling an 11-7 record and 4.72 ERA with 116 strikeouts in 143 innings pitched.

Last year, he was Delaware’s anointed Friday starter, meaning he’d get the ball in the opener of Delaware’s three-game Colonial Athletic Association series, where the Blue Hens would also face their opponent’s No. 1 pitcher.

Delaware went just 1-7 in those games en route to finishing 10-14 in the league and missing the CAA playoffs. Delaware was 32-22 overall.

Marinaccio was the losing pitcher in just four of those games. In five of the seven losses, Delaware scored a total of just 10 runs.

“We need to finish games,” Delaware 17th-year baseball coach Jim Sherman said. “ . . . I just think if we have somebody who can come out of the pen throwing 90 miles an hour – Ronnie can get up to 92, 93 – to be able to maybe shut down a couple games, it’s going to boost us in conference games over the weekend. He’s willing to do it and hopefully it works to our advantage. “He’s got the bulldog mentality. He’s got the fastball. And he wants to do it.”

For a Delaware team that returns its entire lineup in the field and is traditionally strong on offense – the Hens’ .296 batting average was No. 2 in the CAA last season – it is hoped that pitching adjustments make a big difference.

“Our Achilles’ heel has been pitching and we just need to develop and get better athletes and that bodes well for us,” Sherman said.

This year, sophomore Brandon Walter moves up to the No. 1 spot. The Hodgson Vo-Tech graduate went 7-3 with a 3.63 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 89 1/3 innings last year, which certainly qualifies him for Friday duties.

“We know we’ve got a bona fide No. 1 in Walter,” said Troy O’Neal, Delaware’s pitching coach. “ . . . There’s not really a true closer in college baseball because you don’t really have a lot of 2-1 games. I liken it to last year in the playoffs how Cleveland used [Andrew] Miller. Not a closer, but you’re going to get the five most important innings of the weekend.

“That’s kind of Ronnie’s role. Maybe he can follow Walt in game one and let’s see if we can get two more out of him on Saturday or Sunday. I’m real excited and Ronnie’s totally on board and his stuff matches what we’re asking him to do.”

Marinaccio, from Toms River, New Jersey, consistently throws two pitches, a fastball and slider. He missed what would have been his true freshman season in 2014 after reconstructive elbow surgery.

"I just need to keep my arm fresh at all times because you never know when you're going to go in," Marinaccio said, "and the outs are so much more crucial in those late-game situations.

"The coaches felt it would help with our depth in the bullpen and it would also help me out with my future career by having my velocity come up a little bit," added Marinaccio, who hopes to pitch professionally. D1 Baseball recently ranked him the CAA's No. 10 draft-eligible prospect.

With Marinaccio now poised to follow Walter out of the bullpen, Delaware feels better armed for competition in the challenging CAA, whose southern geography lends itself to very competitive baseball.

After dominating America East, Delaware has not won a title in 15 CAA seasons, finishing second three times in the postseason tournament and tying for first place once in the regular season. UNCW, William & Mary and Charleston were 1-2-3 in the preseason coaches’ poll. Delaware was fourth in the nine-team league, just ahead of Elon.

Nick Spadafino, the junior out of Dover High, is now the No. 2 starter even though 38 of his 41 career appearances have come out of the bullpen. Senior lefty Kevin Milley presently sits third in the rotation with junior Matt Hornich next. Among those providing relief are Salesianum grad Kyle Hinton, starting shortstop James Meeker, Scott Zimmer, Colman Vila, Burk Fitzpatrick, Cole Benjamin and even freshmen Jordan Hutchins out of Dover and Andrew Reich from St. Mark’s. Polytech grad Conner Chasanov will miss the season after elbow reconstruction.

Preseason All-CAA selections from Delaware were Walter, sophomore first baseman Nick Patten and senior outfielder Jordan Glover, while sophomore outfielder Kyle Baker, the Wilmington Charter grad, received honorable mention.

“Our lineup’s going to be one of the best lineups in the country,” Marinaccio said.

C Ryan Lidge, Notre Dame, 20th round, 602nd pick

Ryan Lidge Hometown: Barrington, IL High School: Barrington Height/Weight: 6’2”/216lbs Position: C B/T: S/R HONORS & AWARDS:

 MLB Draft Pick (2013 - 40th Round by Boston Red Sox)

 Johnny Bench Award Watch List (2015)  Northwoods League No. 1 Defensive Catcher (2014)

 Three-time Monogram winner (2014, 2015, 2016)

 Rosenthal Leadership Academy participant (2015) JUNIOR SEASON (2016):

 Played in 40 games during the season while battling injuries

 Recorded six multi-hit games

 Recorded eight two-out RBI SOPHOMORE SEASON (2015):

 Named to Johnny Bench Award Watch List

 Finished second in the ACC in runners picked off (six) and fourth in runners caught stealing (17)

 Was second on the team with 15 two-out RBI, while leading the team by converting 16 of 20 chances with a runner on third and less than two outs

 Drilled a game-winning two-run home run in the 7th innings against SIU Edwardsville

 Hit .455 over opening weekend of season

 Recorded four hits, including two doubles, with three runs against Western Michigan

 Went 3-for-4 with a double, RBI, hit by pitch and two runs scored in NCAA Regional victory over Wright State FRESHMAN SEASON (2014):

 Made 24 starts during rookie campaign, splitting time behind the dish

 Had five multi-hit games during season

 Recorded 128 putouts and 30 assists without committing an error

 Threw out six would-be base stealers

 Notched first career hit against No. 24 Florida Atlantic

 Had a 4-for-4 day with two RBI versus Chicago State HIGH SCHOOL:

 Ranked the No. 3 catcher in Illinois by Perfect Game coming out of Barrington

 Named all-state, all-area and all-conference as a senior thanks to a .381 average, eight doubles and .711 slugging percentage  Named second team all-region by Rawlings during final prep season after leading Barrington to Mid-Suburban League West Division title

 Selected as honorable mention Underclass All-American as a junior

 Won 10th District American Legion Championship with Barrington Post 158 PERSONAL:

 Born in Arlington Heights, Illinois

 Son of Chris and Peggy Lidge

 Has a twin brother, Dylan, in addition to an older brother, Mike, and older sister, Maggie

 Cousin, Brad Lidge, played baseball at Notre Dame from 1995-98 prior to 10-year Major League career with Houston, Philadelphia and Washington which included 2008 World Series title with Phillies

 Enrolled in College of Arts & Letters as a film, television and theatre major.

Lidge prepares to begin career with Yankees By Bryan Hoch June 14, 2017 NEW YORK -- Ryan Lidge recalls leaping off his living room couch and celebrating with his family after his cousin, Brad, threw the final strike of the 2008 World Series. The catching prospect hopes to make his mark on the other end of those 60 feet and six inches. Lidge heard his name called by the Yankees on the third and final day of the 2017 Draft on Wednesday, selected in the 20th round out of the University of Notre Dame. He said that it helped his development to have a connection to the big leagues just a phone call or text message away. "He taught me the way I should go about my business as a professional baseball player in college," Lidge said. "I'm really thankful to have a cousin like that who could really help me. Not many people have that kind of resource." A two-time All-Star, Brad also attended Notre Dame before an 11-year Major League career with the Astros, Phillies and Nationals. Growing up in Arlington Heights, Ill., Lidge said that he traded in his Cubs garb for whatever team Brad was pitching for. Now the script can be flipped, as Lidge prepares to begin his pro career. He said that he intends to sign and fly to Tampa, Fla., later this week, where the fruits of the Yankees' pitching-heavy Draft will put Lidge to work on the back diamonds of the player development complex. "I'm speechless, honestly. It's pretty cool," Lidge said. "I wasn't the biggest Yankees fan growing up, but it's hard not to respect that organization. All those championships and all those Hall of Fame players that have come through there, to hear my name with the Yankees is a dream come true." Reputed as a strong defender, Lidge said that he takes pride in developing relationships with his pitchers as well as sharpening his throwing, blocking and pitch framing. The switch-hitter batted .215 (42-for-195) with 10 doubles, two triples, a homer and 31 RBIs as a senior, playing in all 58 of Notre Dame's games and starting 57 of them. "Once I got to college, you learn your true responsibility as a catcher," Lidge said. "You might have three or four at-bats in a game, but you're going to catch around 150 or 200 pitches a game. That's where you're needed most, and that's really what I learned through college." Lidge was previously drafted by the Red Sox in the 40th round of the 2013 Draft, and while it was mildly tempting to go pro out of high school, he is satisfied that he made the right choice to attend Notre Dame. "You only get one chance at college," Lidge said. "I played four years there. No regrets. It was an incredible experience. It's pretty cool to say that I'm a professional baseball player in the New York Yankees' organization."

Former Barrington baseball star has become part of the Notre Dame family By Greg Travis February 23, 2017 Former Barrington High School standout Ryan Lidge is pursuing a big dream: he is well on his way toward joining first cousin Brad Lidge as the second member of his family to play Major League Baseball.

Brad pitched in the majors from 2002 through 2012 and is best remembered for striking out the last batter in the 2008 World Series, clinching the championship for the . Ryan, a 6-foot-2, 211-pound junior, is entering his second season as the starting catcher for Notre Dame. The fighting Irish opened the 2016 season on Feb. 19 at Santa Clara, California, taking one win in the three-game series.

Head Baseball Coach Mik Aoki recently told the Lake County Gazette that Lidge's greatest strength as a catcher is his ability to control the opposition’s running game. “I think that he would agree that the strength of his games rests in his defense," Aoki stated. “He’s a really good kid. He has matured a lot and developed a lot in our program. He is a big part of our team, a really good college baseball player.”

Lidge is majoring in film, and one day hopes to produce or direct major motion pictures.

“I didn’t really want to sit behind a desk all day and I love movies, so I decided to pursue something in the film or television business," he told the Lake County Gazette.

As a youngster, Lidge had a single overriding goal.

“When I was younger, the only thing on mind was that I wanted to play in the major leagues,” he said. “To play for the Chicago Cubs and win the World Series would be the coolest thing ever.”

Lidge still hopes to follow his cousin’s lead by getting to the big leagues, but he also has specific goals for this season.

“My goal right now is to win as many games as possible and go to Omaha, Nebraska (to reach the college World Series) with this team,” he said.

Lidge is also a very conscientious student and strives to make top grades in the classroom. He also emphasizes his personal connections.

“Strengthening the relationships with my friends and with my family are definitely my top goals," Lidge said. "Baseball and academics are important, but I think that the relationships you develop in life are some of the most important things that you will ever do.”

Like so many students leaving home for the first time, Lidge was apprehensive about coming to the fabled Notre Dame.

“I was a little nervous," he said. "I didn’t really know how college life would go, and I didn’t know how the social life would be. The first thing I learned when I got on campus is that everyone here is Notre Dame, it doesn’t matter what your background is or where you come from. If you come here, you become part of the family. Going to my family of fellow students, teammates and teachers helped me get comfortable here and helped me to start to learn more about myself, and learn how to combine the strengths of academics and athletics.” Lidge is known as “Fridge” around the Fighting Irish clubhouse because, like many catchers, he is not a particularly fast runner.

“I never had a nickname in high school, but as soon as I got to Notre Dame they started calling me ‘Fridge’ because it looks like I’m running with a refrigerator on my back,” he said.

During his freshman year, his foot speed was put to a test. Following a series win at Clemson, teammates encouraged Lidge to participate in a foot race against another notoriously slow runner, Notre Dame Assistant Coach Jesse Woods. With half the team rooting for Lidge and the half the team rooting for Woods, the race began.

“I ended up winning,” Lidge recalled. "But the funniest part of it is that as I’m crossing the finish line and I am celebrating, everyone was laughing. When I looked back (Woods) had tripped and fallen down about halfway through the race. Everyone loves that story, not only because of the hilarity of the event itself, but also because of the fact that our coach tripped over his own feet while running.”

When he is not studying or playing baseball, Lidge likes to watch films.

“My No. 1 hobby is watching movies," he said. "I love movies; it doesn’t matter what kind of movie it is — you throw it on the TV and I’ll probably end up watching the whole thing.”

Lidge also loves music and enjoys playing the guitar.

“Growing up, my favorite band was Metallica," he said. "I was the little kid who listened to that '70s and '80s rock stuff.”

These days Lidge prefers a wide variety of genres including country, and old and new rock. His favorite performers are Florida Georgia Line, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Hank Williams, Jr., along with classic rockers such as Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger and Journey.

Lidge also describes himself as a big eater.

“Ever since I was a little kid, hands down, if you ask any of my closest friends what my favorite food is they’d tell you chicken fingers,” he said, adding that “almost every time I’m out at a restaurant I check to see if they have it, in case I need a backup plan."

He also has developed a taste for Asian food, namely sushi and orange chicken. “Honestly, if you put it front of me, I’ll probably eat it," he said. "I have got to get that food in me — as everyone says college students are always hungry.”

Lidge is very grateful to everyone in Barrington who helped him get to where he is today.

“The main thing I realize is how much I owe to the community that I lived in, how much I owe back to them," he said. "Not just for the person it helped to make me, but also for all the things I learned from the experience. I wouldn’t be here without the people and without the support of those people in my community. I can’t thank them enough because of that.”

Along with his aspirations to be a professional baseball player, Lidge looks forward to starting his own family.

“In the long term, I hope that my siblings and I will be able to have something like the family gatherings we used to have while visiting my uncle in Wisconsin," he said. "I hope that the whole family can get together once in a while and hang out and be together, just like we did in the old days.”

Ryan Lidge’s bat is finding its rhythm for Notre Dame By Zach Klonsinski April 21, 2017 For Irish senior catcher Ryan Lidge, baseball is a series of dances. Behind the plate, he has multiple partners: the umpire, the batter and his pitcher on the mound. Those are dances he’s excelled at — he was named the top defensive catcher in the Northwoods League during summer ball in 2014, and then he was named to the Johnny Bench Award Watch List for the nation’s best catcher as a sophomore. He finished second in the ACC that season with six runners picked off and fourth in the conference cutting down 17 would-be base stealers. After dealing with injuries during much of his junior season, Lidge has already gunned down 13 runners while picking off two more this year. But for most of last season and the first third of the 2017 campaign, Lidge tried to dance with two left feet while in the batter’s box. “There’s a saying I heard from a couple big leaguers, and it’s ‘Dance with the pitcher,’” Lidge said Wednesday night. “Have a dance with him, so that when his hands break, maybe that’s when my leg comes up and that’s when I’m slowly coming forward. I was being super fast earlier in the year. I wasn’t really in rhythm with him, so I was late on balls, super early on balls.” “He was pressing a bit to force some things, and in this game, that never works,” Irish head coach Mik Aoki said of his catcher. “ … It also really throws off your timing. It tends to lengthen up the swing, and it kind of felt like he was that way early in the year. And I felt like he kind of battled with that last year.” Lidge’s batting average bottomed out at .125 in the Clemson series finale on March 12, Notre Dame’s 14th game of the season. Lidge has found his groove recently, however. In Notre Dame’s last 23 games, Lidge has hit .289 with 16 RBIs while drawing 12 walks and posting a .381 on-base percentage. “I put a little more rhythm in my swing. Once I had that, there was just a day where it just clicked,” Lidge said, snapping his fingers for emphasis. “I think it was way back in Pitt when we played them [March 17 and 19]. From there, I’ve just been a lot more comfortable at the plate, not pressing or anything.” Lidge said focusing on the little things he did right in each at bat slowly pulled him out of his funk. “I just kind of sat back and said I had to start taking positives from things that maybe had a negative result,” Lidge said. “Maybe I hit a hard ground ball to the second baseman with two strikes, but I hit it on the barrel, just right at him. Or maybe I swung at the pitch I wanted to, and maybe it resulted in a fly out. “The game is so hard, and it’s such a game of failure, but it’s those positives that you’ve got to take to help you keep going.” “Even [Tuesday against Central Michigan], he only had one hit to show for a solid game,” Aoki added. “And the hit that he had got was the one that he hit absolutely the worst. He stepped on the other three balls he hit — a missile to the second baseball, one bomb to center field the guy somehow got to and there was one more that he just absolutely stepped on.” During his current 15-game on-base streak though — dating back to Notre Dame’s win over Chicago State on March 28 — Lidge has hit .320 and posted a .426 on-base percentage while knocking in 13 runs and drawing 10 walks. “Now, I tap the plate, I say, ‘Alright, have a dance with the pitcher right here,’” Lidge said. “Every pitcher is different with where I have to time him up, but for the most part, I just try to get my leg up early and trust that my foot is going to get down.” Lidge figuratively completed his return to form Wednesday night. With Notre Dame trailing 3-0 and two outs in the bottom of the first inning against Illinois State at Frank Eck Stadium, Lidge stepped to the plate with two outs and two runners on. He turned on the 3-1 pitch and sent the ball flying down the right field line, hooking all the way. “I hit it and I see it tailing, and I’m just praying, ‘Please. Please, please, please,’” Lidge said. “I pretty much knew the only way it was going to be fair was if it hit the very, very edge of the foul pole.” It did just that, glancing off the outside of the pole for his first home run of the year. Combined with an RBI double in the third inning, Lidge’s four-RBI night powered the Irish to a 7-6 victory. “That was huge, just to get our energy back up,” Aoki said, adding that the team did not return to campus until 1:30 a.m. Wednesday morning after its game against Central Michigan at Detroit’s Comerica Park on Tuesday night. “That could have easily been where we slept-walked through something, so Lidge giving us that spark was really big.” Lidge’s return gives Notre Dame another weapon in its lineup that struggled to score runs for much of the early part of the season. “There was a stretch there, those first three weekends of us getting turned around, where we had like five guys in our lineup that were hitting, and our pitching staff really picked us up,” Aoki said. “Now, you see [freshman left fielder] Jake [Johnson] coming out of it a bit. Lidge has come out of it in a big, big way. Now we’re able to actually score some runs. “It adds a dimension that was sorely needed.” Despite his recent success with the bat in his hands, though, Lidge said he still knows where he’s needed most. “I go out there and say, ‘Catching first,’ because you’re a catcher,” Lidge said. “You’re in every play. “Hitting’s kind of an extra.” Lidge demonstrated his abilities calling a game behind the plate Wednesday night, too. With the Irish clinging to a one-run lead, Lidge combined with junior righty closer Sean Guenther to strike out five of the six batters Illinois State sent to the plate over the final two innings. “I love catching Sean Guenther,” Lidge said. “ … Sean is just like a bulldog coming out of the pen. You can see it in his face. He says, ‘I’m going to get you out. If you get a hit, good for you, but I’m going to get you out.’ He just says, ‘Here it is.’” Lidge said he gets a thrill out of the chess match of calling a game, and not just against the opposing batter. “I just like the chemistry with the pitcher,” Lidge said. “A guy like [senior left hander] Scott Tully who shakes a ton versus a guy like Sean who might never shake, or [graduate student lefty Michael Hearne] who might never shake. The, ‘OK, I get it, you don’t want that. Now I know what you want.’ Then later, as the game goes on, that feeling that we’re on the same page, that we want the same pitch. “It’s hard to explain, but it’s like you have that connection, that energy flow between the two that I think is really cool.” Kind of like dance partners? That drew a laugh from Lidge as he started back toward the dugout. “A baseball game’s just a dance, I guess.”

RHP Bryan Blanton, Catawba College, 21st round, 632nd pick

Bryan Blanton Bats/Throws: R/R Position: P Ht.: 6-0 Wt.: 175 Hometown: Albemarle,NC Previous School: Albemarle 2015: Posted a 2-2 record and two saves over 24 appearances ... recorded a 3.00 ERA with 29 strikeouts over 21 innings ... saves came in an innings of scoreless relief at USC Aiken and at Southeast Regional vs. North Greenville ... collected win at USC Aiken with two scoreless innings where he fanned five ... tossed scoreless inning of relief in 3-2 win over Wilmington at NCAA II National Finals ... initial win came against Coker on March 28 ... HIGH SCHOOL: Three-year starter at Albemarle High School ... named all-conference and all- county and was team's defensive player of the year ... helped Bulldogs to state playoffs ... also played football for the 2010 state champions ... PERSONAL: Born Bryan Michael Blanton on Dec. 19, 1995 in Charlotte, NC ... son of James and Jan Blanton ... has interest in sports management with a very good 3.30 GPA for fall semester.

Baseball: Catawba’s Blanton agrees to term with Yankees By Mike London June 16, 2017 The New York Yankees closed the deal quickly with Bryan Blanton, in much the same manner that the fireballing reliever put away Catawba College’s opponents. Drafted in the 21st round on Wednesday, Blanton, who had 14 saves for the Indians as a junior, reached a verbal contract agreement with the Yankees within 24 hours. He flew to Tampa on Thursday night for a physical and to officially sign with the Pinstripers. Blanton has ordinary physical stature (6 feet, 190 pounds), but his fastball makes that hissing sound that MLB scouts love to hear. The radar guns they hoisted at Newman Park whenever Blanton took the mound for the ninth inning reinforced the audible evidence. “Bryan throws 91-93 mph consistently and he’ll touch 94 now and then,” Catawba coach Jim Gantt said. “He threw a lot here, and the more he threw, the stronger his arm got. He’s got the velocity they’re looking for.” Blanton racked up 50 strikeouts in 33 innings as an All-Southeast Region hurler in 2017, but he didn’t just blow the ball past people. His changeup fooled college hitters when he uncoiled it in fastball counts, and his slider can be an effective pitch for him in the pro ranks. “Blanton could end up being a long reliever,” Gantt said. “He’s got three effective pitches.” The 90-mph guys don’t usually end up at Division II colleges, but the truth is, Blanton, despite a stellar high school career as a three-sport athlete, almost didn’t end up anywhere. “I grew up playing whatever sport was in season, and I went to a small school (Albemarle is 1A),” Blanton said. “That gave me a chance to play three sports and to have some success in all three.” Blanton would be all-conference for the Bulldogs, not only as a pitcher/shortstop in baseball, but as a football quarterback and basketball guard. “But when I started my senior year at Albemarle, I only had one college offer, and that was from Brevard,” Blanton said. “I really wasn’t interested in going there, and I was thinking I was probably done with baseball.” But at least one other college coach was interested in Blanton. That was Gantt. Besides coaching Catawba, Gantt coaches the vaunted Rowan County American Legion every summer, and Gantt’s boys of summer had competed against Stanly County teams that included three players who would become difference-making signees by Catawba — Blanton, catcher Zac Almond and lefty pitcher Russ Weiker. “Blanton was playing shortstop when I first saw him in Legion ball,” Gantt said. “I wasn’t sure if he could hit in college, but it was easy to see that his arm worked pretty good.” Catawba made Blanton an offer in the fall of 2013. He signed that November. That helped inspire him for his senior baseball season. He was All-State, 6-1 with an 0.40 ERA and 82 strikeouts. Catawba always brings in a lot of recruits, and in the fall of 2014, as a college freshman, Blanton found himself buried at the bottom of a seemingly endless depth chart. “I had a pretty rough fall season, struggled a lot, and I was way down the list of pitchers,” Blanton said. “But things changed so quickly that it was hard to believe.” By the middle of his freshman season, Blanton had emerged as a key guy in the bullpen. At High Point’s Finch Field, he closed a tense regional win against North Greenville. In Catawba’s opening game in the Division II World Series in Cary, Gantt handed Blanton the ball in the seventh inning and he helped protect a 3-2 lead and a win against Wilmington (Delaware). Blanton became Catawba’s closer in 2016 and proved to be nearly automatic as a fearless finisher the last two seasons. In his career, he accumulated six wins, 25 saves and 116 strikeouts in 85 innings. “That tough mentality he developed from being in tight situations in football and basketball games really helped him become a great closer for us,” Gantt said. Blanton was hopeful, but not certain that he’d be drafted. He was pitching for the , a team in the , a summer wood bat circuit for college players. On Wednesday, the third day of the MLB draft, Blanton was eating lunch with his Copperheads host family and following the fast-moving draft selections on his phone. “All of a sudden my name popped up on my phone,” Blanton said. “I hadn’t heard anything from the Yankees, but there it was, ‘Bryan Blanton, Catawba.’ I told my host family, ‘You won’t believe this, but I just got drafted by the Yankees.'” Yankees area scout Billy Godwin, the former East Carolina head coach, actually wanted to call Blanton before the Yankees picked him, but he was involved in a conversation/negotiation with New York’s 16th-round pick, Mount Olive infielder Ricky Surum when Blanton’s name came up. Godwin called Blanton to confirm his selection as soon as he had a chance. A lot of thoughts flooded through Blanton’s head after his selection. The MLB dream’s always been there, of course, even growing up in a small town in North Carolina and even going to a Division II school. Being chosen in the draft, getting a shot to play in the minor leagues against guys who were the superstars in their own hometowns, is a necessary step along the way. “My first phone call after I was drafted was to my dad (Mike),” Blanton said. “He was my baseball coach from T-ball through eighth grade, and he got me started in sports. I told him I’d been drafted by the Yankees and his one-word reaction was, ‘Really?’ He’s excited. I’m excited, but I believe he’s even more excited than I am.” Most people either love the Yankees or loathe them. Blanton was neutral before the draft. “I’ve always followed individual players, more than picking a team,” Blanton said. “My favorite player is (Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop) Corey Seager because I got to play against him in Legion ball when Stanly County played Kannapolis.” Blanton wasn’t interested in a drawn-out negotiation. The Yankees made a reasonable offer. Now he’s ready to get his pro career started. “But I’ll miss Catawba,” Blanton said. “That school didn’t just make me a better baseball player, it made me a better person. I grew a lot there.” The Yankees will have a Tampa-based rookie league team in the Gulf Coast League, and they’ll have short-season teams for more advanced draft picks starting up in Pulaski, Va. and Staten Island, N.Y. (New York-Penn League). Staten Island is A ball, but Blanton, with three college seasons under his belt, could be pitching there this summer. Blanton’s early departure leaves an Aaron Judge-sized hole in Catawba’s bullpen. Catawba has gotten used to having seniors drafted, but losing a pair of talented juniors (Almond signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks) is a new wrinkle for the program to overcome. “When you lose juniors at a small school, it hurts, because you don’t have the depth,” Gantt said. “But we can’t be anything but happy for Blanton and Almond. This is absolutely a dream for them. They’re great people and they deserve this. Now there’s an opportunity for other guys.” The New York Yankees closed the deal quickly with Bryan Blanton, in much the same manner that the fireballing reliever put away Catawba College’s opponents. Drafted in the 21st round on Wednesday, Blanton, who had 14 saves for the Indians as a junior, reached a verbal contract agreement with the Yankees within 24 hours. He flew to Tampa on Thursday night for a physical and to officially sign with the Pinstripers. Blanton has ordinary physical stature (6 feet, 190 pounds), but his fastball makes that hissing sound that MLB scouts love to hear. The radar guns they hoisted at Newman Park whenever Blanton took the mound for the ninth inning reinforced the audible evidence. “Bryan throws 91-93 mph consistently and he’ll touch 94 now and then,” Catawba coach Jim Gantt said. “He threw a lot here, and the more he threw, the stronger his arm got. He’s got the velocity they’re looking for.” Blanton racked up 50 strikeouts in 33 innings as an All-Southeast Region hurler in 2017, but he didn’t just blow the ball past people. His changeup fooled college hitters when he uncoiled it in fastball counts, and his slider can be an effective pitch for him in the pro ranks. “Blanton could end up being a long reliever,” Gantt said. “He’s got three effective pitches.” The 90-mph guys don’t usually end up at Division II colleges, but the truth is, Blanton, despite a stellar high school career as a three-sport athlete, almost didn’t end up anywhere. “I grew up playing whatever sport was in season, and I went to a small school (Albemarle is 1A),” Blanton said. “That gave me a chance to play three sports and to have some success in all three.” Blanton would be all-conference for the Bulldogs, not only as a pitcher/shortstop in baseball, but as a football quarterback and basketball guard. “But when I started my senior year at Albemarle, I only had one college offer, and that was from Brevard,” Blanton said. “I really wasn’t interested in going there, and I was thinking I was probably done with baseball.” But at least one other college coach was interested in Blanton. That was Gantt. Besides coaching Catawba, Gantt coaches the vaunted Rowan County American Legion every summer, and Gantt’s boys of summer had competed against Stanly County teams that included three players who would become difference-making signees by Catawba — Blanton, catcher Zac Almond and lefty pitcher Russ Weiker. “Blanton was playing shortstop when I first saw him in Legion ball,” Gantt said. “I wasn’t sure if he could hit in college, but it was easy to see that his arm worked pretty good.” Catawba made Blanton an offer in the fall of 2013. He signed that November. That helped inspire him for his senior baseball season. He was All-State, 6-1 with an 0.40 ERA and 82 strikeouts. Catawba always brings in a lot of recruits, and in the fall of 2014, as a college freshman, Blanton found himself buried at the bottom of a seemingly endless depth chart. “I had a pretty rough fall season, struggled a lot, and I was way down the list of pitchers,” Blanton said. “But things changed so quickly that it was hard to believe.” By the middle of his freshman season, Blanton had emerged as a key guy in the bullpen. At High Point’s Finch Field, he closed a tense regional win against North Greenville. In Catawba’s opening game in the Division II World Series in Cary, Gantt handed Blanton the ball in the seventh inning and he helped protect a 3-2 lead and a win against Wilmington (Delaware). Blanton became Catawba’s closer in 2016 and proved to be nearly automatic as a fearless finisher the last two seasons. In his career, he accumulated six wins, 25 saves and 116 strikeouts in 85 innings. “That tough mentality he developed from being in tight situations in football and basketball games really helped him become a great closer for us,” Gantt said. Blanton was hopeful, but not certain that he’d be drafted. He was pitching for the Asheboro Copperheads, a team in the Coastal Plain League, a summer wood bat circuit for college players. On Wednesday, the third day of the MLB draft, Blanton was eating lunch with his Copperheads host family and following the fast-moving draft selections on his phone. “All of a sudden my name popped up on my phone,” Blanton said. “I hadn’t heard anything from the Yankees, but there it was, ‘Bryan Blanton, Catawba.’ I told my host family, ‘You won’t believe this, but I just got drafted by the Yankees.'” Yankees area scout Billy Godwin, the former East Carolina head coach, actually wanted to call Blanton before the Yankees picked him, but he was involved in a conversation/negotiation with New York’s 16th-round pick, Mount Olive infielder Ricky Surum when Blanton’s name came up. Godwin called Blanton to confirm his selection as soon as he had a chance. A lot of thoughts flooded through Blanton’s head after his selection. The MLB dream’s always been there, of course, even growing up in a small town in North Carolina and even going to a Division II school. Being chosen in the draft, getting a shot to play in the minor leagues against guys who were the superstars in their own hometowns, is a necessary step along the way. “My first phone call after I was drafted was to my dad (Mike),” Blanton said. “He was my baseball coach from T-ball through eighth grade, and he got me started in sports. I told him I’d been drafted by the Yankees and his one-word reaction was, ‘Really?’ He’s excited. I’m excited, but I believe he’s even more excited than I am.” Most people either love the Yankees or loathe them. Blanton was neutral before the draft. “I’ve always followed individual players, more than picking a team,” Blanton said. “My favorite player is (Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop) Corey Seager because I got to play against him in Legion ball when Stanly County played Kannapolis.” Blanton wasn’t interested in a drawn- out negotiation. The Yankees made a reasonable offer. Now he’s ready to get his pro career started. “But I’ll miss Catawba,” Blanton said. “That school didn’t just make me a better baseball player, it made me a better person. I grew a lot there.” The Yankees will have a Tampa-based rookie league team in the Gulf Coast League, and they’ll have short-season teams for more advanced draft picks starting up in Pulaski, Va. and Staten Island, N.Y. (New York-Penn League). Staten Island is A ball, but Blanton, with three college seasons under his belt, could be pitching there this summer. Blanton’s early departure leaves an Aaron Judge-sized hole in Catawba’s bullpen. Catawba has gotten used to having seniors drafted, but losing a pair of talented juniors (Almond signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks) is a new wrinkle for the program to overcome. “When you lose juniors at a small school, it hurts, because you don’t have the depth,” Gantt said. “But we can’t be anything but happy for Blanton and Almond. This is absolutely a dream for them. They’re great people and they deserve this. Now there’s an opportunity for other guys.”

RHP Janson Junk, Seattle University, 22nd round, 662nd pick

Janson Junk – 37

Position: Righthanded Pitcher

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 177

Year: Junior

Hometown: Federal Way, Wash.

High School: Decatur HS

Experience: 1 Letter

2017: Selected by the New York Yankees in the 22nd round (662nd overall pick) in the 2017 MLB Draft... appeared in 21 games, starting 12… won a team-high six games, striking out 61 batters on the season… struck out a season high eight against UNLV (Apr. 29)… finished the season by pitching 8.2 scoreless innings over five games… 2016: 17 APP/11 GS, 6-4, 4.21 ERA, 68.1 IP, 80 H, 39 R, 32 ER, 18 BB, 59 SO … May 15: struck out thirteen batters in just six innings, allowed three hits and one earned run for his fifth win of the season against Northern Colorado … March 29: pitched 4.1 innings, recorded 6 strike outs with one hit and zero runs scored against Portland … February 27: struck out eight batters in six innings, allowed three hits and three runs in a win against Bowling Green 2015: 19 APP, 3.99 ERA, 29.1 IP, 31 H, 15 R, 13 ER, 19 BB, 25 SO ... April 24: in 1 inning of relief against Bakersfield he struck out two batters and didn't give up any hits or earned runs ... April 15: in 1 inning of work allowed zero hits or earned runs while striking out two batters against Puget Sound ... March 12: in 5 innings of work against Northwestern, he struck out four batters while allowing only one hit and zero earned runs ... February 28: in 2 innings of relief against Fairleigh Dickinson he let up only one hit and zero earned runs, while striking out three batters High School: A four-year starter for the Decatur Gators, Junk posted a 1.46 earned run average as he earned First Team All-League and All-City honors in 2014. In 2013, he helped the Gators to a fifth-place finish in the state before returning to the regional tournament in 2014. Personal: Junk is the youngest child of John and Pamela Junk, and he has an older sister named Kayleigh. He is a pre-major.

RHP Alex Mauricio, Norfolk State University, 27th round, 812th pick

Alex Mauricio – 7 Position - RHP/IF Ht./Wt. - 6-0 / 180 Class - Jr. Hometown - Midlothian, Va. Last School - Manchester HS Bats/Throws – R/R 2017 (Junior): Became the first MEAC Player of the Year in school history … First-team All- MEAC utility selection … Selected in the 27th round of the 2017 MLB Draft (No. 812 overall) by the New York Yankees … One of nine semifinalists for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award … Ranked first among the team’s regulars and ninth in the MEAC with a .345 batting average … Ranked second in the MEAC in slugging percentage (.528), third in doubles (17) and 10th in on-base percentage (.427) … Ranked 48th in the nation in doubles per game (0.37) … Also hit three triples and one home run and tallied 11 stolen bases in 14 tries … Scored 28 runs and knocked in 27 … Also one of the top pitchers in the conference, Mauricio went 4-4 on the mound with a 3.49 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 59.1 innings pitched in 11 starts … Ranked sixth in the MEAC in opponent batting average (.247) and ninth in ERA … Named the team’s Co-MVP along with Brian Beard … Played in 17 games at second base, 12 at first base, eight at designated hitter, two at shortstop and one in right field in addition to his 11 starts at pitcher … In his first career start on the mound, pitching six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts and allowed just five hits in the season-opening win over Villanova … Batted 5-for-7 with two doubles and two RBI in the second and third games of the Villanova series, helping the Spartans pull off their first-ever sweep of a Big East team and earning Mauricio MEAC Player of the Week honors … Matched his career high with nine strikeouts in his next start, a loss to Niagara … Fanned eight over 6.1 scoreless innings in a no-decision against Delaware State … The following week, went 2-for-4 with three runs scored, two RBI and a pair of doubles in a win at Richmond … Allowed just two hits and one unearned run while striking out six in a win at Maryland Eastern Shore in late March … Had two three-hit games in a series sweep of Coppin State, going 6-for-8 with two triples, one double and four RBI in the two games that weekend in which he batted … Posted his third straight three-hit game, going 3-for-3 with a solo home run in a loss at Delaware State the following week to collect his second MEAC Player of the Week award for the year … Pitched his first and only career complete game a week later against MDES, striking out seven and yielding just one unearned run over seven innings in an 11-1 victory … Batted 6-for-10 with five RBI, two doubles and one triple in the same series with MDES, which was part of a season-long 10-game hitting streak … Allowed no earned runs in his second start against Coppin State, earning the win in a five-inning performance …Tied his career high with four hits, finishing 4-for-6 with four runs scored and three RBI in a win at Longwood … Batted 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI in the second matchup with Longwood a week later.

2016 (Sophomore): All-MEAC first-team relief pitcher … Also started 44 times in the infield (11 at shortstop, 33 at third base) … Named to the watch list for the John Olerud Award for the nation’s top two-way player … Tied for the MEAC lead with five saves … Tied for the team lead with five home runs … Led NSU with 35 RBI while also batting .283 with nine doubles, 31 runs scored and eight stolen bases in 10 attempts … As a relief pitcher, tallied a 3-1 record with a 3.23 ERA in 16 appearances, all out of the bullpen … Allowed just 22 hits and a .210 opponents’ batting average with 22 strikeouts in 30.2 innings of work … Hit two home runs, including a grand slam, while knocking in a career-best five runs in the third game of the Lehigh series … That was the first of 13 multi-hit games on the year for Mauricio … Batted 2-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI in the first game with NJIT … Struck out three in two perfect innings pitched to get his first save of the year in the series-opener with Towson … Matched his career high with three runs scored in the second victory over Towson … Finished that game 3-for-5 with a double and also stole home … Batted 7-for-16 with seven RBI in the first three-game series with MDES … Went 3-for-5 with three RBI in the series opening, 2-for-6 with two RBI in the second game and 2-for-5 with two RBI in the final game … In game 3 of that MDES series, Mauricio hit a two-run homer in the top of the seventh and final inning to help the Spartans force extra innings, where they went on to complete the rally … Also earned the pitching victory in that game with 1.1 scoreless innings of work … Had a career-high four hits, going 4-for-4 with a solo homer, two runs and two RBI in the second game of the first series with Coppin State … Took the pitching loss at VCU despite allowing just one run and three hits in 4.1 innings pitched … One week later, struck out four in four innings pitched to get the win relief against William & Mary … Added another three-hit game against CSU (3-for-5) in the second series later in April … In the same series, hit a two-run double and picked up a save with two scoreless innings of relief of his brother Jonathan in the CSU series finale in late April … Had two two-hit games in the final CSU series … Posted saves in three straight appearances in early May, against Delaware State, Richmond and Coppin State … Named MEAC Co-Player of the Week after leading NSU to a 3-0 record against Richmond and CSU, going 5-for-8 at the plate with two saves on the mound in that span … Hit the game-tying two-run double in the top of the ninth to force extra innings in the game at Duke … Was 2-for-5 in that contest … Earned the win with 3.1 innings of scoreless relief, fanning three in the MEAC tournament win over Coppin State … Also went 2-for-4 with an RBI in the MEAC tournament win over Florida A&M … Pitched for the of the Coastal Plain League during the summer … Went 2-1 with a 4.26 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 19 innings pitched for the regular-season champion Pilots.

2015 (Freshman): Mauricio started 26 times and played in 31 games in his rookie campaign … Played shortstop, third and second bases at various points during the year … Also made two pitching appearances, logging 2.2 innings … Batted .256 with 10 RBI and 16 runs scored while also stealing five bases … Hit the go-ahead two-run single to help NSU win the rubber game of the season-opening series at N.C. Central … Also pitched in that game, striking out two in 2.1 innings of work … Won MEAC Rookie of the Week honors for his performance in the NCCU series … Notched his first multi-hit game as a collegian with a 2-for-3, one-RBI effort in the final game of the IPFW series … Batted 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in the first game of April’s series at Coppin State … Finished that series by recording a season-high three hits (3-for-3) and an RBI as the Spartans swept the Eagles, helping Mauricio win his second conference Rookie of the Week Award … Had a six-game hitting streak from late April to early May … Including in the stretch was another three-hit game in the victory over VCU, matching his season high … Had one RBI in the first four games of that six-game hit streak … Scored two runs in a game three times, all in the final six games of the year … Won his third MEAC weekly honor by going 5-for-12 in the four games with VCU and Jackson State … Went 1-for-2 with two runs scored in the MEAC Tournament win over MDES … Pitched over the summer for the Waynesboro Generals of the Valley Baseball League in the western portion of Virginia … Named to the VBL all-star game … Went 1-0 with a 1.48 ERA and three saves, recording 35 strikeouts in 30.1 innings pitched in the regular season for Waynesboro … Helped Waynesboro to the VBL playoff semifinals, pitching 4.1 scoreless innings with six strikeouts in three playoff pitching appearances.

High School: Three-year letterwinner in baseball and also a two-year standout for the MHS volleyball team … In baseball, Mauricio went 2-3 with a 2.13 ERA and batted .333 en route to second-team All-Conference 12 honors at both pitcher and utility as a senior … Was second- team All-Dominion District pick as a junior … Won the team’s Defensive MVP Award as a senior and Offensive MVP Award as a junior … Ranked the ninth-best right-handed pitcher in the state as a senior by Perfect Game … Also a 2013 Underclass Honorable Mention All- America selection by PG.

Personal: Alexander James Mauricio was born on Sept. 24, 1996 … Son of Romuald and Carolina Mauricio … Older brother, Jonathan, also played for NSU from 2014-17 … Alex is majoring in sociology.

NSU’s Alex Mauricio makes move to mound July 7, 2015 It was almost like Alex Mauricio went to bed a shortstop and woke up a pitcher. Mauricio showed off a powerful right arm last spring by throwing out runners from his position as shortstop for Norfolk State University’s baseball team. This summer, he’s putting that lively wing to use from a different diamond location — the pitcher’s mound. The 6-foot, 170-pound rising sophomore has made the Valley League All-Star team on the strength of dominating performances coming out of the bullpen. In 11 relief appearances through July 17 for the Waynesboro Generals, the hard-throwing Mauricio from Manchester High School in Chesterfield County had 29 strikeouts and just eight walks while posting a 1.90 ERA. His mound menu includes a mitt-popping fastball, slider, curve and splitter (split-fingered fastball). “I’m throwing in the low 90s (miles per hour) on a good day and I hope to get it a little higher toward the end of the season,” he said. He fired one scoreless inning of relief in the Valley All-Star Game on July 12 in Harrisonburg. Most of Mauricio’s assignments come near closing time, in tense eighth and ninth innings. “I really don’t see it as pressure,” he said. “Yes, it puts a lot of responsibility on my shoulders, but I like that.” The Valley League is one of several collegiate, wooden bat leagues around America subsidized by Major League Baseball. Waynesboro is the defending Valley champ. There were approximately 30 MLB scouts in attendance for this year’s Valley showcase. Mauricio sparkled as a pitcher and shortstop at Manchester High — Class of 2014 — under Coach Ricky Saunders. His older brother, Jonathan, was a year ahead of Alex at Manchester (Class of 2013) and also plays for NSU. Jonathan Mauricio is pitching this summer for the Prince George Blue Sox of the Virginia Commonwealth Baseball League. Alex’s role has changed dramatically since NSU’s season ended. For NSU, he was primarily the shortstop, hitting .256 and contributing defensively with 35 putouts and 54 assists. He pitched just two innings for the Spartans. For Waynesboro, he has become exclusively a pitcher. “My future may be as a pitcher, but it’s too soon to tell,” he said. “I still think I have a lot of potential as a shortstop.” At Manchester High, Mauricio was a second team All-Dominion District and Conference 12 performer as both a pitcher and infielder. Mauricio is the son of Romauld and Carolina Mauricio, who are natives of The Philippines and Nicaragua, respectively. Baseball is becoming more and more of a multiracial sport at HBCUs. Savannah State University’s Charles Sikes, who is white, was named MEAC Player of the Year. Catcher Connor Andrus, also who is white, was named tournament MVP for CIAA champion Winston- Salem State University. Whether as a pitcher or middle infielder, Mauricio is hopeful his baseball career will continue past college. “I’d like to think I’ll be good enough for the next level (pros),” said Mauricio, a sociology and criminal justice major. NSU’s only current pro baseball player is Ernie Banks Jr., no relation to the Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer. From Deep Creek High School in Chesapeake, outfielder Banks was selected in the 44th round of the 2007 draft. Banks now plays for Garden State Grays of the Canadian-American Association Independent League.

Five Questions: Alex Mauricio By Brian Carlton July 17, 2015 Alex Mauricio wasn’t always a pitcher. In fact the Generals player, who was one of three team members named to the Valley League All-Star Game, started out as a shortstop. But in time, the Midlothian native developed his skills on the mound, finishing with a 2.13 ERA as a high school senior. This year, he took his skills to another level, playing as a freshman with Norfolk State. Now, the sociology major is the subject of this week’s Five Questions. News Virginian: Have you always been a baseball fan? Alex Mauricio: I wasn’t really into baseball when I first started out, I didn’t really like it. My brother and dad invited me to try it, just once, so I went out for Little League one year and loved it. It kinda clicked from there. NV: What’ve you grown to love about the sport? AM: The discipline it shows you. It shows you how to handle your emotions, how to handle your energy, lot of communication involved. NV: Making the switch from metal bats in college to wooden bats here in a summer league, what’s that been like? AM: As a pitcher, I think it’s actually easier. You don’t have to be as spot on with your pitches as you have to be with a metal bat. We look at the batter’s stats, what they did in college, but until we know the hitter, we just go right at them. NV: How did you get started as a pitcher? Was that your spot from day one or have you moved around? AM: For the most part, I started out in infield. I grew up playing shortstop for my high school. But I threw the ball hard and one time, my coach said to get on the mound and see what I could do with it. I threw it hard and hit my target. Then after that, he had me starting.

NV: You’ve done a bit of both starting and closing this summer. Which do you like better? AM: Closing. I think it just pumps so much adrenaline into you. I love that.