Yanks draft UD pitcher
OUR UD | University right-handed pitcher Ron Marinaccio, AS17, has been selected by the New York Yankees in the 19th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft.
The selection came just weeks after the Blue Hens made a spirited postseason run in which they captured the Colonial Athletic Association tournament title and battled to the end in two tough setbacks to nationally ranked Texas Tech and Arizona at the NCAA Regionals in Lubbock, Texas.
“Since I was a kid, I’ve wanted to play professional baseball, and today I am one step closer to achieving that dream,” Marinaccio said. Thanking his teammates and coaches, he added, “I will always consider myself a Blue Hen and continue to follow the program.”
Marinaccio, who recently completed his redshirt junior season for the Blue Hens, compiled a 4-3 record in 22 appearances (eight starts) with an ERA of 2.09, a mark that led the team and currently ranks 28th among all NCAA Division I pitchers. He also struck out 68 batters in 64.2 innings.
“Ron has worked his tail off to get this opportunity, and today is the start of the return on that hard work,” said head coach Jim Sherman, who compared Marinaccio’s style to current Pittsburgh Pirate and fellow Blue Hen Chad Kuhl, AS14.
Marinaccio was selected with the 572nd overall pick and joins former UD right-handed pitcher Chad Martin, EG16, in the Yankees organization. Martin was selected in the 30th round following the 2015 season and played with the Class A short-season club in Staten Island in 2016.
A criminal justice major at UD, Marinaccio is the 44th MLB draft pick in program history, the 10th Blue Hen to be selected by the Yankees, and the highest drafted player for the Blue Hens since the 2014 season when Jimmy Yezzo, HS14, was selected in the seventh round, Kuhl was picked in the ninth round, pitcher Matt Soren, BE13, was picked in the 19th round and Nick Ferdinand, AS13, was selected in the 35th round.
