Seton Hall right-handed pitcher Zach Schellenger was selected in the sixth round as the 191st overall pick by the Boston Red Sox in Major League Baseball's First-Year Player Draft Thursday.
Schellenger is the first Pirate off the board in this year’s MLB Draft.
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Photo via SHU Athletics[/caption]
In his time in South Orange, Schellenger was named a Big East Academic All-Star twice and earned two Big East Pitcher of the Week honors.
“I was excited that I was able to get my foot in the door in my pursuit of becoming a major leaguer,” Schellenger told The Setonian of his reaction to being drafted.
The 6-foot, 5-inch righty from Malvern, Pa. arrived at Seton Hall in 2015 primarily as a starter, however, in 2016 he became a reliable relief pitcher for the Pirates, appearing in 30 games and posting a 4.34 ERA while compiling a 4-4 record. Schellenger pitched in just 10 games as a junior in 2017 for the Pirates, posting a 2.08 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 13 innings pitched.
The 21-year-old Schellenger has a mid-90s fastball with a wipeout slider, which he uses to tally up the strikeouts on a consistent basis. He compiled 111 strikeouts in 84 innings pitched in his three seasons at the Hall.
Schellenger is the first Pirate hurler to be selected in the draft since Conor Krauss went in the 20th round to the Cincinnati Reds back in 2014. He is also the first Seton Hall Pirate drafted by the Red Sox since Steve Hayward in 1993.
This is the first step in a long journey for Schellenger, but he is eager to get after it with the Boston Red Sox organization.
“It’s good that I’m headed in the right direction, and ready to make the most of this opportunity,” Schellenger said.
Matt Ambrose can be reached at matthew.ambrose1@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @mambrose97.
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