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Two Hokies Selected in 2017 MLB Draft

By Justin Cates

Jun 13, 2017; San Diego, CA, USA; A detailed view of a basket of Major League baseballs before the game between the Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 13, 2017; San Diego, CA, USA; A detailed view of a basket of Major League baseballs before the game between the Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /
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Two pitchers from Virginia Tech were selected in the 2017 MLB Draft.

Left-hander Packy Naughton was chosen by the Cincinnati Reds in the ninth-round with the 252nd overall pick. The 6’1″, 190-pound prospect struck out 63 batters and walked 30 in 17 appearances this season. He served as Tech’s Friday night starter as a freshman and sophomore before being moved to the bullpen after a rough start this year. He did start seven games in 2017.

Naughton marks the highest pick from Tech since Mark Zagunis went off the board in the third round in 2014.

The Massachusetts native has a fastball which has topped out at 95 MPH. While his second and third pitches are fairly average, it’s no surprise that a team took a shot on the hard-throwing lefty.

Right-hander Aaron McGarity was chosen on the final day of the draft by the New York Yankees. He was chosen in the 15th-round with the 452nd overall selection. That’s a vast improvement over last year when he was picked in the 34th round, ironically by the Boston Red Sox.

McGarity moved up 566 picks after returning to school marking the second-best improvement in Hokie history. He also becomes just the fourth player in school history to move up more than 400 spots from one draft to another.

https://twitter.com/VT_Baseball/status/875122312089128961

The 6’3″, 185-pounder appeared in 23 games this season for the Hokies. He struck out 43 with just 20 walks over 38 innings this season. In 2015, he notched four ACC wins, which was one shy of tying the single-season school record. He finished his career with 69 appearances over four seasons.

With these selections, it marks the ninth consecutive season that the Tech program has had at least two players chosen in the MLB Draft.

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