2024 MLB Draft Concludes With 12 CAA Players Selected Over Three Days
Rob Washburn
RICHMOND, Va. (July 16, 2024) – The 2024 Major League Baseball Draft concluded on Tuesday with two more CAA players chosen to increase the league total to 12.
Campbell pitcher
Cole Peschl was a 15
th-round pick (458
th overall) of the Minnesota Twins and UNCW pitcher
Jacob Shafer was a 17
th-round pick (521
st overall) of the Atlanta Braves.
It was a historic MLB Draft for CAA baseball as the conference had 10 selections in the first 10 rounds, which were the most ever for the league, shattering the previous record of seven.
Charleston infielder
Cole Mathis was selected by the Chicago Cubs with the 54th overall pick in the second round of the MLB Draft on Sunday night. He was joined by nine other players on Monday.
On Monday, Northeastern outfielder
Mike Sirota was taken in the third round (87
th overall) by the Cincinnati Reds and William & Mary pitcher
Nate Knowles followed in the fourth round (124
th overall), going to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Campbell catcher
Grant Knipp was chosen in the sixth round (183
rd overall) by the Seattle Mariners. A pair of pitchers went in the seventh round as Northeastern’s
Dennis Collaran (197
th overall) was picked by the Kansas City Royals and UNCW’s
Luke Craig (224
th overall) was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Diamondbacks added another CAA pitcher in the 8
th round with William & Mary’s
Travis Garnett (254
th overall). North Carolina A&T catcher
Canyon Brown was chosen in the 9
th round (257
th overall) by the Kansas City Royals. In the 10
th round, UNCW pitcher
RJ Sales (296
th overall) was selected by the Detroit Tigers and William & Mary outfielder
Joe Delossantos (301
st overall) was picked by the New York Yankees.
Mathis is the highest draft pick in Charleston baseball history. He earned first-team All-CAA honors this season after batting .335 with 17 doubles, 14 home runs, 57 RBI’s and 63 runs scored as the Cougars posted a 41-14 record. He also stole 14 bases. In 2023, Mathis made the NCBWA All-America second team after hitting .330 with 20 doubles and 51 RBI’s. He also contributed on the mound with a 5-1 record and a 3.45 ERA.
Sirota was Northeastern’s highest draft pick since 2006. He batted .298 with seven homers, 37 RBI’s and 58 runs scored this season. He also drew a team-high 59 walks and swiped 19 bases. Sirota was a first-team All-CAA and third-team All-American in 2023 after hitting .346 with 18 HR’s and 54 RBI’s.
Knowles was the fifth-highest pick in W&M history. The 2024 CAA Pitcher of the Year and a third-team All-American went 8-3 with a CAA-best 2.48 ERA and led the league with 112 strikeouts in 80.0 innings.
Knipp received first-team All-CAA accolades after batting .402 with 18 homers and 46 RBI’s in only 29 games. Colleran was 0-1 with a save in 20 appearances for the Huskies, striking out 46 in 40.2 innings. Craig was a first-team All-CAA honoree after going 4-1 with a team-high seven saves and posting a 2.13 ERA with 76 strikeouts over 55.0 innings.
Garnett was 5-0 with a 4.61 ERA and fanned 45 over 27.1 innings. Brown made the All-CAA first team after batting .310 with six homers and 49 RBI’s. Sales was a league-best 11-3 with a 3.41 ERA and struck out 93 in 95.0 innings to earn first-team All-CAA honors. Delossantos hit .330 with 14 homers, 67 RBI’s and 17 stolen bases to earn a spot on the All-CAA second team.
Peschl made a team-high 13 starts for Campbell, going 3-3 with a 5.48 ERA while striking out 83 over 69.0 innings. Shafer started 16 games for UNCW, posting a 4-6 mark with a 5.99 ERA while fanning 61 over 76.2 frames.
CAA PLAYERS SELECTED IN 2024 MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL DRAFT
Cole Mathis, IF, Charleston – 2
nd round (54
th overall) – Chicago Cubs
Mike Sirota, OF, Northeastern – 3
rd round (87th overall) – Cincinnati Reds
Nate Knowles, P, William & Mary – 4
th round (124
th overall) – Tampa Bay Rays
Grant Knipp, C, Campbell – 6
th round (183
rd overall) – Seattle Mariners
Dennis Colleran, P, Northeastern – 7
th round (197
th overall) – Kansas City Royals
Luke Craig, P, UNCW – 7
th round (224
th overall) – Arizona Diamondbacks
Travis Garnett, P, William & Mary – 8
th round (254
th overall) – Arizona Diamondbacks
Canyon Brown, C, North Carolina A&T – 9
th round (257
th overall) – Kansas City Royals
RJ Sales, P, UNCW – 10
th round (296
th overall) – Detroit Tigers
Joe Delossantos, OF, William & Mary – 10
th round (301
st overall) – New York Yankees
Cole Peschl, P, Campbell – 15
th round (458
th overall) - Minnesota Twins
Jacob Shafer, P, UNCW – 17
th round (521
st overall) – Atlanta Braves