As the Chants hit the practice field in Cary, NC preparing for the Super Regional against UNC, word came trickling in that three CCU players were taken on day two of the First Year Players Amateru baseball draft. OF David Sappelt, OF Tommy Baldridge and RP Jeff Richard were all taken by major league ball clubs.
Sappelt was picked in the ninth round of the draft by the Cincinnati Reds. Sappelt joins Dock Doyle and Pete Andrelczyk as Chanticleers drafted in the top-10 rounds. Sappelt, a First Team All-Big South and an All-Conway Regional Team member, is hitting .355 with 24 doubles, 18 home runs and 67 RBI for the Chanticleers this season. In the Conway regional, Sappelt was 8-for-15 with six runs scored, two home runs and six RBI in three games. He also was slugging .933 and had a .611 on-base percentage in the tournament. Sappelt was a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award and was the Big South Preseason Player of the Year. He hit three home runs and had seven RBI in the win over Radford May 17. In the Big South Tournament opener against UNC Asheville, Sappelt was 4-for-4 with four runs scored and three RBI. He also had two home runs in the win over Georgia Tech May 3. Sappelt leads the Big South in doubles and is tied with Doyle in home runs.
Baldridge was picked in the 33rd round of the by the New York Yankees. This is the second straight year that the Yankees have picked up a Coastal player. Chris Raber went to the Yankees last year. Baldridge, a First Team All-Big South outfielder and co-MVP of the Conway Regional, is hitting .352 with 17 doubles, 10 home runs and 44 RBI for the Chanticleers. Baldridge was named to the All-Big South Tournament Team and has 23 multi-hit games and 13 multi-RBI performances. He had surgery to repair a torn ACL in September, but started on Opening Day in February. In the Conway Regional, Baldridge hit .429 with two home runs and six RBI. He also had a home run in the 24-11 win over East Carolina June 1 in the championship game. He was a First Team Preseason All-American by Rivals.com and was on the Wallace Award Watch List in 2008.
Richard was picked in the 38th round of the draft by the Atlanta Braves. Richard has 11 strikeouts in 13.2 innings or work in 14 appearances for the Chanticleers. He struck out three in 1.1 innings against the College of Charleston Feb. 26. Richard had two strikeouts in wins over Toledo March 5 and Charleston Southern April 11. He pitched 1.2 scoreless innings in two games against Maryland and gave up one hit in one inning against Marshall Feb. 29.
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