Texas Tech baseball had three student-athletes selected on day two of the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft on Tuesday afternoon.
Junior left-handed pitcher Steven Gingery was drafted with the 123rd pick in the fourth round by the St. Louis Cardinals, junior RHP Ryan Shetter was picked 262nd in the ninth round by the Atlanta Braves and senior righty Jose Quezada was taken by the Padres at No. 291 in the 10th round. They join sophomore outfielder Grant Little, who was drafted in the Competitive Balance Round B with the 74th overall pick on Monday night, also by the Padres.
Gingery is the ninth Red Raider lefty drafted since 2013 and is the second in as many years taken by the Cardinals, as Jacob Patterson was drafted in the 13th round last summer. It’s the first time since 2015 two Tech players have been taken by the same squad, when Matt Withrow & Matt Custred were drafted by the Braves. Overall, 22 Red Raider pitches have been drafted since 2013.
Gingery became the program’s first unanimous First Team All-American in 2017, totaling six awards in the process. In his second season in the scarlet & black, Gingery was masterful on the mound, racking up a 10-1 record over 15 starts. Through 91.1 innings, he allowed only 21 runs, 16 earned, for an ERA of 1.58. He struck out a team-best 107, while holding opposing batters to a measly .186 at the plate.
His 10 victories marked back-to-back seasons a Red Raider pitcher has hit double-digit win totals, as Davis Martin accomplished the feat in 2016. Gingery’s ERA of 1.58 is the lowest since Corey Taylor’s NCAA-best 0.31 in 2015. Gingery’s mark is the sixth-lowest in school history in a single season and is eighth in the country this year.
After throwing eight strikeouts against Sam Houston State on June 3, Gingery (107) became the first Red Raider to push past the 100-strikeout threshold in a season since Chad Bettis (102) in 2010. In doing so, Gingery’s 107 punch outs were the most at Tech in a season since Monty Ward rung up a school-record 151 batters in 1998.
Shetter, the Friendswood, native has put together a 2.97 ERA over 19 appearances and eight starts during the 2018 campaign. He’s recorded a 5-0 mark this season, along with three saves, over 63.2 innings pitched, allowing 21 earned runs & walking 26 to go with 69 strikeouts.
He’s totaled a 13-3 overall record during his three years at Texas Tech, lowering his earned run average each season. His 69 strikeouts in 2018 are five off a season-high for Shetter, who earned conference pitcher of the week accolades after the final weekend of the regular season in 2017.
Quezada joined the Red Raiders in 2017 and has been a force out of the bullpen, racking up 10 wins and six saves in his two seasons in Lubbock. This year, he’s 4-2 with a 1.99 ERA in 31.2 innings worked on the mound. He’s racked up 38 strikeouts while allowing just seven runs on 15 hits for a .139 opponent batting average.
Last year, Quezada put together a 6-4 record in 24 appearances out of the pen. He tallied four saves and rung up 52 batters, giving him 90 during his Tech career. Before his time in Lubbock, he played at Howard College, earning All-Conference & All-Region honors during his two years there.
The Red Raiders continue their season this weekend against Duke on June 9-11 in NCAA Super Regional action at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park.
2018 MLB DRAFT
Grant Little – Competitive Balance Round B – 74th overall – San Diego Padres
Steven Gingery – Round 4 – 123rd overall – St. Louis Cardinals
Ryan Shetter – Round 9 – 262nd overall – Atlanta Braves
Jose Quezada – Round 10 – 291st overall – San Diego Padres
COURTESY OF TEXAS TECH ATHLETICS
