Four Appalachian State players drafted Saturday
BOONE, N.C. – A school-record-tying four Appalachian State baseball players were selected during the 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, which concluded on Saturday.
The Philadelphia Phillies picked senior left-handed pitcher Rob Marcello in the 17th round (511th overall selection), the New York Yankees tabbed both junior right-handed pitcher Sam Agnew-Wieland in the 24th round (734th overall) and senior second baseman Hector Crespo in the 34th round (1,034th overall) and the San Francisco Giants selected senior shortstop Will Callaway in the 37th round (1,122nd overall) of the 40-round draft.
Appalachian State’s four MLB draftees tie the program record originally set in 2009 (Zach Quate, Rand Smith, Isaac Harrow and Josh Dowdy) and matched last year (Nathan Hyatt, Tyler Tewell, Seth Grant and Ryan Arrowood).
Additionally, two members of Appalachian’s incoming freshman class also heard their names called on Saturday. The Seattle Mariners selected right-handed pitcher Zack Littell in the 11th round (327th overall) and the New York Mets picked right-handed pitcher Matt Brill in the 24th round (716th overall).
As seniors, Marcello, Crespo and Callaway are expected to sign contracts with their respective organizations in the near future and be assigned to minor-league teams. As a junior, Agnew-Wieland can choose to sign a contract with the Yankees by July 12 at 5 p.m. or return to Appalachian State for his senior season and be eligible to be drafted again in 2014. As high-school seniors, Littell and Brill can choose to sign contracts with the Mariners and Mets, respectively, or begin their collegiate careers this fall. If they choose to attend Appalachian, they will not be eligible to be drafted again until 2016 (following their junior seasons).
Marcello embraced many roles during his two seasons at Appalachian State. The left-hander was a member of the Mountaineers’ weekend rotation as a junior in 2012 and won six games to help lead Appalachian to its first Southern Conference championship in 25 years and the finals of the NCAA Charlottesville Regional. As a senior, he pitched exclusively out of the bullpen and recorded five saves with 28 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings of work.
In his first season as a Mountaineer, Agnew-Wieland won seven games, limited opponents to a .255 batting average and struck out 71 in 85 2/3 innings. He became the first hurler in seven years to be named the SoCon’s Pitcher of the Week in back-to-back weeks when he tossed consecutive complete-game shutouts versus Wofford (March 30) and Georgia Southern (April 6). The back-to-back shutouts were part of a 19 2/3-inning scoreless streak during which the right-hander surrendered just eight hits (all singles, only three of which left the infield) and struck out 22.
A four-year starter, Crespo set Appalachian State records with 225 games played (all starts – 171 at second base and 54 at third base) and 101 stolen bases. He also ranks among Appalachian’s all-time leaders with 283 career hits (second in program history), 208 runs (second), 47 doubles (tied for seventh), nine triples (tied for sixth), 381 total bases (third), 124 walks (second) and 874 at-bats (second), while his 101 career steals also ranked sixth in SoCon history. In recognition of his efforts, Crespo earned freshman All-America accolades in 2010, was a second-team all-conference selection in 2012 and first-team honoree in 2013.
A two-time finalist for the Brooks Wallace Award (given to college baseball’s top shortstop), Callaway hit .323 over his three seasons at Appalachian State. He averaged 76 hits and 19 stolen bases a season over his final two campaigns and hit a team-best .344 as a senior in 2013. His terrific senior season included a school-record-tying 27-game hitting streak from April 2-May 23, during which he hit a gaudy .415 (49-for-118) with 15 multi-hit games, 27 RBIs and 24 runs scored.
The Citadel’s Pritcher drafted by Detroit Tigers
CHARLESTON, S.C. – After a senior season that saw him earn Southern Conference Pitcher of the Year honors, The Citadel's Austin Pritcher has been selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 19th round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft.
Pritcher joins Joe Jackson as Bulldogs heading to professional baseball. Jackson was taken by the Texas Rangers in the fifth round Friday. The Citadel has had multiple players chosen nine times in Fred Jordan's 22 seasons as head coach, with Pritcher the 29th player selected in the Jordan era.
Pritcher finished the 2013 season with a record of 8-3 and an ERA of 2.99, ranking third in the SoCon in wins and fourth in ERA. He was also third in innings pitched with 99 1/3, ninth with an opponent batting average of .255 and tied for ninth with 80 strikeouts. He had a conference-low 2.45 ERA entering the SoCon tournament.
The James Island High School graduate threw a pair of complete games during his senior campaign, including his second career shutout when he blanked Furman 6-0 on April 26. He also went the distance in a 7-1 win over College of Charleston on May 10. Those two wins were part of his six in SoCon play.
Pritcher helped carry The Citadel during the second half of the season, winning five times and taking two no-decisions in his final seven starts of the year. After losing to Western Carolina on March 29, he allowed only 10 earned runs in 50 1/3 innings the remainder of the regular season.
As part of that late-season run, Pritcher was named the SoCon Pitcher of the Month in April, repeating the award he also won for his performance in February.
He pitched in 56 games with 53 starts in his career and won 22 games, the most by any SoCon hurler who was active during the 2013 season. He threw a total of 321 1/3 innings and finished with an ERA of 3.87 and 236 strikeouts.
Five Elon players drafted Saturday
ELON, N.C. – The Elon University baseball team had five players selected on day three of the 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Saturday. Junior Ryan Kinsella was selected in the 18th round (540th overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks, senior Alex Swim was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 22nd round (650th overall), junior Antonio Alvarez was selected by the Diamondbacks in the 22nd round (660th overall), senior Kyle Webb was selected in the 32nd round (965th overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals and junior David Whitehead was selected in the 34th round (1,021st overall) by the Philadelphia Phillies.
The 2013 Southern Conference Player of the Year and a third-team All-American this season, Kinsella hit .313 as a junior with 21 home runs and 78 RBIs. Kinsella’s 21 home runs are second in the nation behind San Diego’s Kris Bryant (31), while his 78 RBIs are second to North Carolina’s Colin Moran (86). Kinsella also finished the season with a .656 slugging percentage, while also tallying 20 multi-RBI games and 23 multi-hit games in 2013. Kinsella was also a first-team All-Southern Conference honoree this season.
Elon’s all-time hits leader, Swim started all 64 games for the Phoenix this past season, batting .273 and collecting 74 total hits. Swim was successful in 15 of 18 stolen base attempts. Behind the plate at catcher, Swim caught 11 runners stealing on the year and committed only four errors all season. Swim was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in last year’s MLB Draft, but chose to return to Elon for his senior season.
Alvarez started 63 games for the Maroon and Gold this past season, batting .300 with 58 runs scored and 44 RBIs. Alvarez tallied 22 extra-base hits in 2013 and was successful in 10 of 14 stolen base attempts. Alvarez also drew a team-best 48 walks on the year.
A second-team All-Southern Conference performer this season, Webb was the lone SoCon weekend regular starter to go undefeated in league play this year as he put up a 6-0 mark with a 2.93 ERA in conference play. In 61 1/3 SoCon innings, the Jacksonville, Fla., resident struck out 65, issued just 13 walks and held opponents to a .256 batting average. Webb finished the season with a 7-3 record and 3.89 ERA in 18 appearances (16 starts), striking out 97 batters in 104 innings pitched. Webb walked just 21 batters this season and held opposing hitters to a .277 batting average.
Whitehead spent most of his 2013 season on the bench due to injury but made nine appearances, including six starts, for the Phoenix. A native of West Chester, Ohio, Whitehead struck out 25 batters in 32 2/3 innings pitched this season. Whitehead was named a Cape Cod League All-Star last summer and was selected in the MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2010 out of high school.
Elon has now had a total of 70 MLB Draft selections. This year marks the 14th consecutive year that the Phoenix baseball program has had at least one player selected in the MLB Draft. Elon’s five selections Saturday are the third-most in a single draft in program history. Seven Elon players were selected in both the 2010 and 2009 MLB Drafts.
Two Furman players drafted Saturday
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Furman outfielder Taylor Johnson and right-handed pitcher Ben Carlson have been selected by the Los Angeles Angels in the 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, it was announced Saturday. Johnson was selected in the 31st round, while Carlson was picked in the 40th round.
Their Furman teammate, left-handed pitcher Nate Smith, was selected by the Angels in the eighth round on Friday.
Johnson was the 21st pick in the 31st round and 937th overall selection.
A product Greer, S.C., and Greer High School, Johnson batted .332 with 10 home runs and a team-leading 82 hits and 56 RBIs this year in helping the Paladins to a 32-25 overall record and sixth-place finish in the Southern Conference. His 17 doubles also paced the squad.
His best performances in 2013 included a 3-for-4, two-home run, three-RBI effort that included four runs in an 11-9 road win over the College of Charleston; and a career best 5-for-5, three-RBI outburst in a 13-7 triumph over UNCG. He matched a career high with five RBIs in a 4-for-5 performance against Dayton, a 19-3 victory, and belted a game-tying home run, part of a 3-for-3, three-RBI effort in a 6-5 win over South Carolina at Fluor Field.
In three seasons at Furman, Johnson saw action in 153 games and posted 132 starts, batting .317 with 18 home runs and 106 RBIs.
He posted Furman top-10 entries in several season categories, including at-bats (247/1st), hits (82/2nd), doubles (21, 2012/2nd; 17, 2013/T8th), RBIs (56/3rd), total bases (129/3rd) and runs (49, 2012/T10th).
Johnson hit .322 as a junior and was named to the SoCon All-tournament squad.
Carlson was the 21st pick in the 40th round and 1,207th overall selection.
A Mauldin, S.C., native and product of Mauldin High School and Spartanburg Methodist Junior College, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Carlson went 5-3 with four saves and a 4.64 ERA this past season.
In 30 appearances, all in relief, he worked 52 1/3 innings and allowed 65 hits, 29 earned runs and 11 walks while striking out 45. Opponents hit .298 against him.
He notched wins against Michigan State (4-3), USC Upstate (6-5), South Carolina (6-5), College of Charleston (6-5), and Georgia Southern (5-3), and picked up saves against Elon (10-6), Coastal Carolina (4-1), Davidson (7-1), and UNCG (6-4).
Carlson played a huge role in helping Furman record its best start to a season since 1926, going 2-0 with three saves over his first 11 appearances – a stretch that saw him register an 0.54 ERA and post 17 strikeouts with no walks over 16 2/3 innings.
UNCG has two drafted Saturday
GREENSBORO, N.C. – For the 10th straight year, the UNCG baseball team has had one or more players’ names called in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft as junior catcher Cambric Moye and senior RHP Dominique Vattuone were picked up by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (30th round) and the Oakland Athletics (32nd round), respectively, in this year’s event.
Notably, with Vattuone’s selection, a UNCG player has been drafted by the Athletics organization in six of the last eight seasons – most recently Tyler Holstegge in the 21st round of the 2012 proceedings. Moye is the first Spartan to join the Angels club.
Moye started 52 of 53 games played this season and was one of six UNCG players to hit over .300 as he checked in at .303. The junior tallied 59 hits, six home runs and 35 RBIs and scored 30 runs while committing just seven errors in a team-high 415 chances for a .983 fielding percentage. Moye helped the Spartans lead the Southern Conference in batting average for the first time in program history as UNCG produced a .311 team mark. He also produced 14 multiple-hit efforts and eighth multi-RBI performances.
The beginning of the season saw Moye record 12 hits in his first six games, including a pair of four-hit outings in the Dayton series. He also tallied four base knocks against North Carolina A&T at NewBridge Bank Park as part of a 4-for-4 performance that saw him add two runs scored, an RBI and a double. As a result, Moye earned his first career Southern Conference Player of the Week accolade.
Among SoCon catchers, Moye paced the league by throwing out 19 runners attempting to steal bases. He also finished 10th in both chances and putouts.
Vattuone finished his UNCG career making upward of 46 appearances on the bump in two seasons after transferring into the program from Hartford Community College. In his first year with the team, he compiled a 2-1 record with 23 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings pitched. Vattuone made his lone start of the season at No. 8 North Carolina as the Spartans knocked off the Tar Heels 8-4 while also striking out six in six innings of a 4-3 win over Samford.
This campaign, he compiled a 2-0 record in 29 appearances with victories against Albany and North Carolina Central. The hard-throwing righty fanned five N.C. Central batters in the 17-8 win and recorded multiple strikeouts in 13 outings.
Wofford’s Osborne drafted by Houston Astros
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Wofford College pitcher J.D. Osborne was selected by the Houston Astros in the 36th round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft on Saturday afternoon. Osborne was the 1,067th overall selection. It marks the third straight season a Terrier pitcher has been drafted.
Osborne, a left-handed fifth-year senior from Rochester Hills, Mich., made 27 relief appearances in 2013 with a 2-1 record. In 33 1/3 innings, he had 37 strikeouts and posted a 4.86 ERA.
For his career, Osborne is second in school history with 98 career appearances. He ranks first in school history in relief appearances with 86 and also made 12 starts. He has a career record of 7-5 with one save. In 153 career innings, he recorded 129 strikeouts. Against St. Peters in 2010, he had a career-high 10 strikeouts. He graduated in May with a degree in mathematics.
Osborne becomes the ninth Terrier to be drafted since 1982. He is the fifth player to be drafted in the last seven seasons, joining Brandon Waring (seventh round, Reds) in 2007, Michael Gilmartin (27th round, Oakland) in 2009, John Cornely (15th round, Braves) in 2011 and Alex Wilson (15th round, Braves) in 2012.
Western Carolina duo drafted
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina junior outfielder Julian Ridings and senior third baseman Tyler White were selected Saturday in the MLB First-Year Player Draft. Ridings was selected in the 18th round by the Tampa Bay Rays with the 548th overall pick and White went to the Houston Astros in the 33rd round with the 977th overall pick.
Ridings and White were among 22 players from the Southern Conference drafted during the three-day, 40-round event, which concluded Saturday. All told, 1,216 players were selected in the 2013 draft.
Ridings was the 22nd pick of the 18th round, while White was the first pick of the 33rd round. Ridings and White are the first-ever Catamounts to be drafted by their respective clubs, Tampa Bay and Houston. Ridings does join Eric Whitson, who signed as a free agent following the 1996 draft and played in the Rays’ farm system.
Ridings turned in a career year for the Purple & Gold, leading the squad with a .377 batting average with 16 doubles, four triples and 11 home runs. He finished the year a perfect 14-for-14 in stolen bases. Ridings was named first team All-Southern Conference in the outfield by both the league’s head coaches and voting media.
Ridings was additionally named to the SoCon All-Tournament team after hitting .455 in three games at Fluor Field, finishing 5-for-11 with two doubles and a home run for a .909 slugging percentage
Being taken in the 2013 MLB Draft put an exclamation point on a solid career and superb senior year for White. A first-team All-Southern Conference selection and the media’s SoCon Player of the Year, White hit .363 in 2013 to rank tied for second on the squad, while his .416 batting average in SoCon play led the team. He also paced the squad with 66 RBIs and 16 home runs, while his 27 doubles broke a 10-year old single-season record.
White was additionally named to the SoCon All-Tournament team and was tabbed third team Louisville Slugger All-America, becoming just the 12th different Catamount to earn the latter distinction all-time.
Over his four-year college career, White hit .325 and tallied 77 multi-hit games while posting multiple RBIs 42 times. The Forest City, N.C., native finished tied for fourth in career games played (228) and tied for third in career games started (220) for WCU, while his 882 career at-bats were the third-most in program history. White’s 287 career base hits put him fourth in program history, while his 64 career doubles rank third.