Six MAAC Athletes Drafted in 2015 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft
MAAC Sports
EDISON, N.J.- Six Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference student-athletes were chosen in the 2015 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft. The players were Canisius College’s Connor Panas, Brett Siddall and Devon Stewart, Fairfield University’s Mike Wallace, Iona College’s Mariano Rivera, and Marist College's Steve Laurino.
Panas was picked by the Toronto Blue Jays with pick No. 272 in the 9th round. The 2015 MAAC Championship MVP, Panas closed out his senior season by hitting .372 with 17 doubles, seven triples, 11 home runs, 68 RBI and 65 runs scored as the Blue and Gold secured its second trip the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship in the last three seasons.
Siddall was taken by the Oakland Athletics with the 23rd pick in the 13th round (389th overall).The 2015 MAAC Player of the Year and an All-MAAC First-Team selection, Siddall has posted career numbers of .339 batting average (182-for-537), 42 doubles, six triples and 16 home runs, including a career-high 12 in 2015.
Devon Stewart was selected in the 9th round with pick No. 274 by Cleveland Indians. Stewart finished his Canisius career with 24 wins, a 4.17 ERA and the second-most strikeouts by a Canisius hurler with 222. The senior pitcher completed the season in third-place in the MAAC for strikeouts with 72 and ranked seventh in the conference in ERA with a 3.65 mark. Stewart also completed the season tied for the conference lead in wins with seven.
With the 907th pick of the 2015 MLB Amateur Draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Mike Wallace in the 30th round. Wallace, a First-Team All MAAC Pitcher this season, became an innings machine for the Stags, tying for the conference lead with six complete games (a number that was tied for fourth nationally). Wallace led the league in fewest walks allowed per nine innings. For his career, the junior has shown his control on the mound and ranks second in Stags’ history allowing just 1.87 walks per nine innings.
Mariano Rivera was was selected by the Washington Nationals as the 134th pick overall in the fourth round. Rivera was named the 2015 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year on May 19. Rivera was also named to the All-MAAC First Team and led the MAAC in strikeouts during the 2015 season recording an Iona single-season record 113. He posted a dominating 11.96 strikeout per game mark and 12.87 strikeouts per game in conference play. The right hander earned five wins and a 2.65 ERA and while his ERA in MAAC play was a stingy 1.81. He held opposing batters to a .211 average against him overall and kept conference hitters south of a .155. Rivera threw six complete games, one shy of the Iona record and led the MAAC with three shutouts in 85.0 innings pitched. He was a three-time recipient of the MAAC’s Pitcher of the Week Award.
Laurino was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in 25th round with 763rd overall pick. Laurino was selected to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) All-MAAC Second team. He finished his senior season second with a .358 batting average. He led Marist in hits (67), RBIs (38), home runs (6), slugging percentage (.561), and on-base percentage (.442).