Fresh off of winning the Greenville Regional Monday night, the ECU Pirates got, even more, to be happy about on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Days two and three of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft saw several Pirates picked up by pro teams; Pitcher Jake Agnos, outfielder Bryant Packard, first baseman Spencer Brickhouse, relief pitchers Trey Benton and Evan Voliva, shortstop Turner Brown and catcher Jake Washer.
It was the most picks in one draft class for ECU since 2004, another team that reached the super regional round. It was also the first time the program has ever had multiple players selected in the top five rounds of the draft.
Agnos was picked up first as he went 135 overall in the fourth round by the New York Yankees. His signing bonus slot for that pick is $414,000. Agnos is 11-2 with a 2.02 ERA up to this point. He won the AAC Pitcher-of-the-Year.
He is fresh off of making the All-Tournament team for the regional after pitching eight innings to eliminate in-state rival NC State. Agnos set the single-season AAC and ECU record with 131 strikeouts in the regular season and tied the AAC career strikeout record in the State game when he reached 290.
Packard went 142 overall to the Detroit Tigers in the fifth round. That spot signing bonus is for $386,000.
Packard, last year’s AAC Player-of-the-Year, joined Agnos on the All-Tournament team on Monday. He has hit .363 this year with seven home runs and 40 RBI. Packard dealt with several injuries throughout the season that cost him a few games here and there. Packard set the ECU record for All-American selections last season.
Brickhouse went third to the Arizona Diamondbacks at pick 212 in the seventh round. He has hit 13 home runs and drove in 55 runs with a .335 batting average this season. Brickhouse went 3-for-5 with four RBI in ECU’s 12-3 win over Campbell Monday night.
Benton went in the 15th round (460 overall) to the Cleveland Indians. Benton would have gone higher if not for a shoulder injury that forced him to have surgery recently and end his season prematurely. Benton will miss most of next season.
Voliva went in the 18th round (555 overall) to the Yankees along with Agnos. Voliva dealt with Tommy John Surgery earlier in his career and bounced back to have a strong senior season after a good showing in the postseason a year ago.
Brown went in the 19th round (579 overall) to the Colorado Rockies. Brown played shortstop all four years at ECU and was a great fielder. Brown was a career .269 hitter and played through shoulder injuries of his own last season.
Washer went in the 29th round (882 overall) to the Chicago Cubs. Washer didn’t play much early in his ECU career being behind former catcher Travis Watkins but took over and excelled. Washer’s 17 home runs this season leads the team.
Brown and Voliva are the only seniors picked and all the rest are juniors. There was technically one more, as ECU pitching commit CJ Mayhue was picked by the Seattle Mariners in the 36th round.