Eight CAA baseball players were chosen in the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft, which wrapped up on Tuesday afternoon.
James Madison outfielder Chase DeLauter was selected with the 16th overall pick by the Cleveland Guardians in the first round on Sunday evening, becoming the highest draft pick from the CAA since 2004. Two players were picked in the seventh round on Monday afternoon as Elon outfielder Alex Iadisernia was taken with the 217th overall pick by the St. Louis Cardinals and Northeastern pitcher Cam Schlittler went to the New York Yankees with the 220th overall pick.
There were five more selections from the CAA on Tuesday. UNCW infielder Brooks Baldwin was chosen in the 12th round (371st overall) by the Chicago White Sox, Northeastern pitcher Thomas Balboni went in the 15th round (450th overall) by the San Diego Padres and Northeastern pitcher Sebastian Keane was taken in the 18th round (550th overall) by the New York Yankees. In the 20th round, JMU infielder Nick Zona was taken by the Seattle Mariners and Elon pitcher Trevor Kirk was chosen by the New York Yankees.
DeLauter, who is the top draft pick in Dukes’ history, was the highest CAA selection since Old Dominion pitcher Justin Verlander was taken No. 2 overall by the Detroit Tigers in 2004. He is the third first-round draft pick from the CAA over the past three years, joining Elon pitcher George Kirby (No. 20 overall – Seattle Mariners) and UNCW shortstop Greg Jones (No. 22 overall – Tampa Bay Rays), who were chosen in the 2019 draft.
DeLauter was limited to 24 games due to a foot injury in 2022, but put up outstanding numbers. He batted .437 with eight doubles, eight homers and 35 RBI’s while stealing 10 bases. DeLauter finished his career as JMU’s all-time leader with a .520 on base percentage. He earned first-team All-CAA and CAA All-Rookie honors in 2021 and was a second-team all-conference pick in 2022.
Iadisernia batted .276 with 14 doubles, six homers and a team-best 44 RBI's in 2022. He also swiped 14 bases and committed just two errors defensively all season. Iadisernia was honored as a first-team All-CAA selection in 2021 and 2022, and was also the league's Co-Rookie of the Year last season.
Schlittler won five games and posted a 3.53 ERA for the Huskies this season while recording a team-high 85 strikeouts in 91.2 innings. In 2021, the right-hander went 8-1 with a CAA-best 1.88 ERA to garner first-team All-CAA and CAA Co-Rookie of the Year honors. Schlittler is Northeastern's highest draft pick since current Cleveland Guardian Aaron Civale in 2016.
Baldwin, the 2022 CAA Player of the Year, batted a league-best .347 with 13 doubles, 11 homers and 39 RBI's while also stealing 16 bases. Balboni recorded a team-high seven saves for Northeastern and posted a 4.29 ERA in 21 innings of work. Keane went 5-5 in the 2022 season and recorded 50 strikeouts. Zona batted .282 and scored 27 runs during the 2022 campaign. Kirk made 17 appearances for Elon this season and fanned 42 batters in 34.2 innings.
CAA PLAYERS IN 2022 MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL DRAFT
Chase DeLauter, OF, James Madison 1st round (16) Cleveland Guardians
Alex Iadisernia, OF, Elon 7th round (217) St. Louis Cardinals
Cam Schlittler, P, Northeastern 7th round (220) New York Yankees
Brooks Baldwin, IF, UNCW 12th round (371) Chicago White Sox
Thomas Balboni, P, Northeastern 15th round (450) San Diego Padres
Sebastian Keane, P, Northeastern 18th round (550) New York Yankees
Nick Zona, IF, James Madison 20th round (606) Seattle Mariners
Trevor Kirk, P, Elon 20th round (610) New York Yankees
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