Seton Hall right-hander Shane McCarthy was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 18th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Wednesday, June 14.
McCarthy is one of three Pirates chosen in this year’s draft, with fellow pitchers Zach Schellenger and Chris Morris also earning selections. McCarthy is the 544th player selected in the draft.
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Photo via SHU Athletics[/caption]
“I’m getting a great opportunity to play professional baseball with an organization that has been so successful,” McCarthy told The Setonian. “[The Cardinals] stick with the players that they drafted and developed. It’s something that makes them really credible and one of the best at development.”
The 6-foot, 2-inch junior out of Fair Haven, N.J. has had an impressive tenure at Seton Hall. Making his debut in 2015, he led the Big East with a 2.19 ERA and held opposing batters to a .222 average. He was named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American Team for his efforts.
McCarthy continued to impress in his sophomore season in 2016. A member of the All-Big East First Team, McCarthy led the conference in ERA (2.38), innings pitched (102.0) and strikeouts (84).
Perhaps the highlight of McCarthy’s career came on April 15, 2016, when he threw the first perfect game in the history of Seton Hall and the Big East conference. He recorded eight strikeouts on just 88 pitches in that dominant performance against LIU Brooklyn.
McCarthy struggled a bit in his junior season, posting a 3-7 record in 12 starts with an ERA of 5.13.
A four-time Big East Pitcher of the Week recipient, McCarthy was a Big East Academic All-Star in his first two seasons at Seton Hall.
“I had a feeling something might happen today, and I’m glad it did,” McCarthy said. “It’s what I’ve always wanted to do, and it’s always been a goal of mine. It’s a whole new journey now.”
Matt Lapolla can be reached at matthew.lapolla@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @MatthewLapolla.
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