BC Baseball: Three go in 2017 MLB Draft

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Three BC Baseball Players Drafted in 2017 MLB Draft

19 have been selected under coach Mike Gambino

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Three members of the Boston College baseball team were selected in the 2017 Major League Baseball First-Year Players Draft on Wednesday. Seventh-year head coach Mike Gambino has seen 19 Eagles drafted under his watch.

Rising senior outfielder Donovan Casey was selected in the 20^th round by the LA Dodgers, recent graduate shortstop Johnny Adams was taken in the 22^nd round by the Seattle Mariners and rising junior right-hander Jacob Stevens was drafted in the 33^rd round by the New York Yankees.

Casey, the 610^th overall pick, has recorded a .287 batting average, 150 hits, 54 RBIs and 22 stolen bases in three years at The Heights. He also has a 2.41 ERA in 33 appearances with 37 strikeouts and opponents have hit under .200 against him. The Stratford, N.J., native has six career saves, tying for ninth all-time while his five saves in 2017 tied for eighth. On March 29, he hit for the cycle in a 13-1 over Massachusetts, becoming the first BC player to do so since 2013. He earned New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) All-New England Second-Team honors after leading the Eagles with 39 runs and 18 multiple-hit games, tied for a team-high 12 stolen bases and was second on the team with 57 hits and 72 total bases. Casey’s 0.23 stolen bases per game ranked 10th in the ACC during the regular season and his eight outfield assists tied for third in the nation. The hard-throwing Casey did not allow a run in his final eight appearances – 11.2 innings – and won three of his final four regular-season outings.

Adams, the 663^rd overall pick, was a career .243 hitter with 100 runs, 169 hits, 79 RBIs and 28 stolen bases in his four-year career. A mainstay at shortstop, he compiled a .961 career fielding percentage, making just 34 errors in 835 chances. The Walpole, Mass., native was the first two-time recipient of the No. 8 jersey, worn in honor of Peter “Sonny” Nictakis, for battling adversity and representing the best qualities of BC Baseball after he was the first junior selected to wear No. 8 in 2016. He started his senior season by being voted a team captain by his teammates and ended it by earning BC’s Unsung Hero Award as the male recipient. Adams is ranked on five career record lists, including games played (tied third – 203), games started (tied third – 201) and sacrifice hits (fourth – 24). His career-long, 14-game hit streak tied for sixth in BC history. The shortstop ranked three times on the single-season assist lists and twice for double plays turned in a season. He was named to the 2016 Oxford All-Regional Team and earned Most Outstanding Player.

Stevens, the 992^nd overall pick, is currently ninth in Boston College’s record book for a 3.89 career ERA. In 31 appearances, the Darien, Conn., native has a 9-11 record for the Eagles with 143 career strikeouts. He ranks twice on BC’s single-season list for starts, tying the number-one spot with 16 in 2017, and his 2.54 ERA recorded as a freshman ranked ninth on the single-season list. He earned Freshman All-American second-team honors from D1baseball and Baseball America, picked up ACC All-Freshman Team accolades and was named the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) Rookie of the Year. As BC’s Friday starter, he logged a 5-7 record with a 5.10 ERA and 73 strikeouts. In his final regular-season outing, Stevens struck out a career-high 10 over seven innings, helping BC to a series-opening victory over Notre Dame as they went on to sweep the Irish and make the ACC Tournament. The 33^rd-round selection is the second for Stevens, as he was also taken in the 33^rd round coming out of Choate Rosemary Hall in 2015 by the Philadelphia Phillies.