LOCAL PRODUCTS TAKEN IN DRAFT
Columbia’s Smith, Shen’s Yurchak selected from college
EAST GREENBUSH, N.Y. » Two baseball stars from the Capital District were selected in the MLB Draft.
Former Columbia high school standout Kevin Smith was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the fourth round with the 129th overall pick and former Shenendehowa shortstop Justin Yurchak was selected in the 12th round by the Chicago White Sox.
Smith spent the last three years as the starting shortstop for the University of Maryland. He also played in the Cape Cod summer league the last two seasons, known as a showcase for the top college players.
He’s been known as a solid defensive player, though his hitting for Maryland left a bit to be desired. He hit just .268 this season for Maryland, but did have 13 home runs, which was tied for the team lead. The Terps were eliminated in regional play of the NCAA Tournament in Winston Salem, North Carolina. He played shortstop for both the Blue Devils and the Terrapins.
He has decided to sign with the Blue Jays despite having one year of eligibility remaining in college.
Yurchak was a junior third basemen on the Binghamton University baseball team.
After transferring from Wake Forest in 2016, Yurchak ranked 22nd in the country in on-base percentage this spring (.474), thanks in part to drawing 41 walks (7th in nation). He hit .333 from the No. 3 spot in the order during the regular season and was a first team America East all-conference selection and second team All-ECAC pick. He started 2017 with an incredible stretch where he recorded two or more hits in nine straight games. Yurchak also will likely be on the ABCA All-Northeast Region team when that team is announced later in the week.
“This is a great day for Justin and his family,” head coach Tim Sinicki said.
“I’m very happy for him and equally as proud of him. Justin has worked very hard for this well-deserved honor and opportunity.” The Bearcats went 3013 this spring and captured the program’s second straight America East regular season title.
The Bearcats posted one of the highest win-loss percentages in the nation (15th, .698) and had the highest national RPI in program history (56th out of 299).