Southern States Athletic Conference

 

LAKE BUENAVISTA, Fla. -- With the 22nd pick of the 18th round of the Major League Baseball - First Year Player Draft, the New York Mets selected Berry pitcher Collin McHugh. Although McHugh just finished his junior season with the Berry team, as the 554th overall pick in this year's draft he will have the opportunity to forgo his senior season to play professional baseball in the Mets' minor league system.

"It's been a very exciting day!" said McHugh. "Since I was a little boy it has always been my dream to be drafted and to have it happen today has been a great experience. I was just hoping to get drafted today, but the Mets where one of the top-five teams that I wanted to play for, so it makes it even better."

McHugh, a 6-2, right-handed pitcher from Stone Mountain, Ga., is coming off a season where, despite a 2-4 record, he led the team and the Southern States Athletic Conference in strikeouts per-nine innings with a rate of 9.05 strikeouts per-nine innings. The junior was No. 55 in the nation for NAIA pitchers with 62 Ks in just 61 and 2/3 innings of work.  He also had a 3 to 1 strikeouts to walk ratio (62/20).

"We are very excited that Collin has earned the opportunity to play professional baseball," said Berry head coach David Beasley. "We wish him the best of luck and are glad that we were able to play a part in Collin achieving his dream of playing professional baseball."

McHugh finishes with a 13-9 record and five saves in his three-year Berry career. He also has 167 strikeouts to just 66 walks during that time. He threw 171 and 1/3 innings for Berry and never allowed opponents to his better than .282 against him in any season. McHugh did not allow teams to get extra bases allowing just 37 extra base hits ins his career (2B 29, 3B 2, HR 6).

McHugh made an immediate impact on the Berry team in his freshman year with a 5-2 record and five saves. That season he posted a 3.98 ERA while playing in 17 games, including six starts. He held opponents to a .244 batting average and allowed only 19 earned runs (32 runs) that season. He followed his freshman campaign with his most successful year in 2007, posting a 6-3 record and 4.91 ERA as the team's Friday starter for most of the season. He had 71 strikeouts that year to just 31 walks and held opponents to a meager .254 batting average.

"Collin was a hard worker for our team both on the field and in the class room," said Beasley. "He was a leader for our team in every sense of the word. We are glad that he will continue Berry's rich history with the New York Mets team."

McHugh is the sixth Berry player drafted by the Mets and the fifth under coach Beasley. Berry assistant coach/pitching coach Josh Hopper was drafted by the Mets, as was the team's volunteer assistant Chuck Smith. Other former Vikings drafted by the Mets include Travis Hope, Troy Fry and Jason Adams.

"I am very appreciative of all the hard work that the Berry coaching staff has put in on my behalf," said McHugh. "If things work out right I might be playing with the Mets' short-season team in Brooklyn, which is where coach Hopper played." 

For most baseball players the day of the draft is a culmination of lifetime of work, that is spent waiting for your name to be called. McHugh was no different and was left to wait by the computer to see just when he would be selected.

"I was hoping to get drafted this year, but nothing is ever a certainty," said McHugh. "We waited through the first 15 rounds and watched every pick. When my name didn't come up I decided to walk away and take a breather. When I came back in the room it was the 18th round and my dad was standing by the computer and pointed at the screen. When I saw my name I just felt a huge rush of excitement, in the next few minutes the phone rang and it was the Mets' scout calling to congratulate me."

Having been drafted McHugh will now come to terms on a contract to play in the Mets' minor league system. The top-two options are for him to join the Kingsport Mets for Rookie Ball or the Brooklyn Cyclones for short-season minor league play.

"We still have some things to square away," said McHugh. "But if things go well, then I will hopefully be ready to report in the next couple of weeks. It's been a great time for me at Berry and I look forward to continuing my baseball career as a professional."