The South Atlantic Conference Posts Four Draft Picks on Final Day of MLB Draft
Newberry's Albert Baur selected by Pittsburgh Pirates in 28th Round of 2015 MLB Draft
NEW YORK - Newberry College graduate Albert Baur has been selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2015 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Baur is the 847th overall pick in the 28th round.
With his selection, Baur becomes the 17th Newberry College baseball player selected in the MLB Draft since 1972. Baur, a native of Philadephia, Pa., and graduate of Neumann-Goretti HS, graduated from Newberry College in May with a bachelor of science degree, majoring in sport management.
Baur was a consensus Division II All-American, earning first team All-American honors from Daktronics/D2SIDA and second team All-American honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association (NCBWA).
The two-time first team All-South Atlantic Conference selection was a consensus first team all-region selection from the NCBWA, Daktronics and the ABCA, the only player in school history to be named first team by each publication in a single year. He was also named an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division II All-Star on Tuesday.
He led the Wolves to their most prolific season in recent history, leading them to 34 wins - the most since 1977 - and 21 wins in South Atlantic Conference action, the first time Newberry has eclipsed the 20-win mark since joining the league since 1997. In his tenure, Baur led the scarlet and gray to 113 victories, the most by any player in a four year career dating back through 1982.
Baur hit .427 (88-for-206) for the season with 24 doubles, 16 home runs, 59 RBIs and 54 runs scored. He slugged .796 while reaching base at a .510 clip en route to setting the single season Newberry records for hits, doubles, total bases, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
In the South Atlantic Conference standings, Baur placed in the top six in hits, runs, doubles, home runs, RBIs, total bases, batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. His batting average, doubles, hits, home runs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and total bases also ranked in the top 20 in all of NCAA Division II.
Throughout the course of the season, Baur totaled 28 games with multiple hits, including 12 with three or more hits and three with five or more. He blasted two home runs in the same game four times in 2015. He had the longest hitting streak for Newberry this season with 11 games and the second longest streak of reaching base with 29 consecutive contests. Baur also tabbed 14 match ups with two or more RBIs, seven of which came with four or more.
His best game of the season came against Limestone on February 18 when he went 5-for-5, hitting for the cycle with two home runs, seven RBIs and crossed the plate five times. He tagged five hits in six trips to the plate against Catawba on February 27 with another pair of home runs and four RBIs. In the first game of the series at Lenoir-Rhyne on April 3, he was 5-for-5 with two home runs, just a triple shy of hitting for the cycle for the second time in the season.
The left-handed hitter caps off an illustrious career and leaves Newberry as the most decorated player in program history. Baur compiled a .353 career batting average (284-for-805) with 66 doubles, 29 home runs, 196 RBIs and scored 150 times. He donned the Wolves uniform 203 times in his tenure, making 200 starts, setting the Newberry standard in nearly every statistical category.
Baur leaves the program holding the all-time records for games played, games started, at bats, hits, doubles, RBIs, total bases, intentional walks, defensive putouts, defensive chances and double plays turned. His batting average, slugging percentage, runs scored, home runs and walks also rank in the top 10 in Newberry history.
Lenoir-Rhyne's Ivan Vieitez Drafted By Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers
Lenoir-Rhyne UniversityLenoir-Rhyne University's Ivan Vieitez has been selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 27th Round of the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft as the 822nd pick.
Secaucus, N.J. – Lenoir-Rhyne University's Ivan Vieitez has been selected today by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 27th Round as the 822nd pick in the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft.
Vieitez, a senior pitcher, outfielder and four-year starter from Miami, Fla., is the first Lenoir-Rhyne player drafted in 24 years.
Lenoir-Rhyne's Steve Davis and Michael Tidwell were both drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1991. Craig Corbett, a 2014 LR Sports Hall Of Fame Inductee, was the first-ever player drafted by the school in 1981 by the Montreal Expos.
Vieitez, drafted as a pitcher, went 5-6 on the year with a 6.17 earned run average, one complete game and 64 strikeouts. At the plate, Vieitez batted .288 with five home runs and 38 runs batted in while starting all 48 games.
Vieitez, a two-time All-South Atlantic Conference First-Team honoree (2013-14), had his best season as a junior in 2014.
That year, Vieitez ranked third in the nation in batting average - .451 – to go along with a team-high 39 runs scored, 65 hits, 15 doubles, four home runs, 38 runs batted in, 100 total bases, a .694 slugging percentage and .539 on-base percentage.
On the mound in 2014, Vieitez went 5-5 with a school-best 2.95 earned run average, three complete games and two shutouts. For his efforts, Vieitez earned NCAA Division II Third-Team All-American honors by Daktronics.
For his career, Vieitez hit .344 with 145 runs scored, 44 doubles, a school-record 16 triples, 21 home runs and 147 RBI to go along with 372 total bases and 42 stolen bases. As a pitcher, Vieitez was 15-14 with four complete games, two shutouts and 147 strikeouts.
Wingate All-American Thomas Spitz Selected by St. Louis Cardinals in MLB draft
St. Louis, Mo.----Wingate University All-American outfielder Thomas Spitz (West Chester, Pa.) was selected in the 32nd round of the 2015 MLB Player draft by the St. Louis Cardinals Wednesday afternoon. Spitz was taken with the 971st overall pick of the draft.
"It is truly a dream come true," Spitz says. "I couldn't' be more thankful to be a part of the Cardinals organization. This wouldn't' have been possible without the support of my family, friends and coaches. The past four years at Wingate have been the best of my life and I can't wait to see what the future holds."
Spitz is the first Wingate player taken in the MLB draft since 2012, when All-American Dodson McPherson was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 28th round.
"I'd like to congratulate Thomas on the opportunity," Wingate head coach Jeff Gregory says. "We are all very happy and excited for him. It has been a long process for Thomas and we are glad it's all come together and that he'll have a chance to continue to play baseball. He has been a tremendous player and he has been a big part of our program, and we're all very proud of him."
Spitz earned first team All-SAC and All-Region honors during his senior season at Wingate, leading the Bulldogs to a SAC Tournament title and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The SAC Tournament MVP earned second team All-American accolades from the ABCA, NCBWA and Daktronics. He was also named a semi-finalist for the 2015 Tino Martinez Award.
Spitz led the nation with 80 runs scored, ranking sixth with 77 RBI, eighth with 165 total bases, 11th with 87 hits and 12th with 17 homers. He hit .372 on the year, with a .705 slugging percentage and .468 on-base percentage. He was the only player in the nation with at least 17 homers and 20 or more stolen bases. Spitz also had 19 doubles and four triples on the season. He ranks in the top 10 in SAC history in career triples, hits and runs scored.
New York Yankees Draft Catawba's Albertson in 40th Round
SALISBURY, N.C. -- Catawba junior catcher Will Albertson (Sophia, N.C./Randleman HS/Campbell) was selected in the 40th and final round of the 2015 MLB first-year player draft. He was drafted by the New York Yankees with pick #1203 overall.
Albertson was a consensus first team All-American in his first year with Catawba. He earned National Position Player of the Year honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and by CoSIDA/Daktronics.
In 2015, Albertson led NCAA II with a .467 batting average, ranked second with 91 total RBI and third with 26 home runs. He set school and South Atlantic Conference records in RBI, home runs and hits, with 114. During one torrid stretch he went 38-for-48 which included a streak where he had 20 hits in 22 at bats.
The SAC and Southeast Region Player of the Year came up clutch in Catawba's bid to reach the NCAA II Finals. Down a run in the bottom of the ninth of the regional final, Albertson stroked a two-run walk off homer to send the Indians to the championship game. Again he came up big, singling the eventual winning run to third with no outs in the bottom of the ninth in a scoreless game.
Albertson joins teammate Craig Brooks as 2015 draftees. Brooks was taken in the seventh round by the Chicago Cubs. It marks the third straight year that Catawba has had multiple players picked in a single draft. Since 1970, Catawba has produced 24 draft picks, including 13 over the past eight years.
Being a junior, Albertson could opt to return to Catawba for his senior season and re-enter the draft next year. He is the third Catawba player to be drafted by the Yankees. Kevin Hemphill was a seventh round pick in 1978 and Benny Callahan was tagged in the 31st round in 1980. Callahan had a brief stint in the majors with the Oakland A's.