Following one of the best stretches of his career, junior starter Cory Mazzoni was the first Wolfpack player chosen in the MLB First-Year Player Draft.
Mazzoni was chosen in the second round by the New York Mets with the 71st overall pick. Mazzoni had a stellar final stretch of the season, going 3-0 against Boston College, Florida State and Stetson in both the ACC Championship and NCAA Regional – the only wins in both competitions.
Coach Elliott Avent had high praise for the pitcher as he entered the draft stage of his career.
“Cory Mazzoni may be the most complete pitcher that I’ve had here in 15 years,” Avent said. “He has four pitches that are plus-pitches. His fastball, slider, curveball and split are all good pitches that [the Mets] will have to choose between.”
While Mazzoni was a considerably high draft choice, had he been able to declare for the draft last year he might have gone much higher. This year’s depth in pitchers was higher than last season’s crop, with the top four picks and 16 of the first 33 all being pitchers.
“Last year he probably would have gone much higher than this year,” Avent said. “This year’s draft is so deep in pitching that he will probably go much lower. But it would be a tough thing for him to risk to come back one more year and possibly fall even further back.”
The second player off the board for the Pack was junior catcher Pratt Maynard. The Los Angeles Dodgers selected the Franklinton native with the 103rd overall pick in the third round.
Maynard finished the regular season with a .331 batting average, good enough to earn him All-ACC First Team honors.
Maynard also finished his career as one of the most patient hitters in State history. If Maynard does decide to stay with the Dodgers, he will finish his three-year tenure at State with 133 walks, good enough for fourth in school history.
“It’s hard to find a quality catcher in the draft,” Avent said. “You can’t teach leadership in sports, and Pratt [Maynard] has shown that he can be a leader for this team. He’ll be a great player wherever he goes because of his work ethic. He’s an exceptional worker and he has a love for the game, which will help him to go far.”
One of Maynard’s best friends while he was here at State, junior first baseman Harold Riggins, was the next off the board for the Pack. Riggins was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the seventh round.
While Riggins may have gone much later in the draft than his teammates, Riggins was drafted in the 35th round by the White Sox when he came out of high school, and said he was happier with where he was chosen after attending State.
“Getting drafted at all is an honor,” Riggins said. “So, I really can’t complain at all about where I was drafted. I was picked much higher than when I came out of high school. I’m pretty satisfied with the outcome so far.”
Both junior center fielder Brett Williams and junior outfielder John Gianis were selected in the later rounds of the draft, and both players will have to weigh the option of returning to State or staying with the teams that selected them.
“I’ve been dreaming of playing in the majors all my life,” Williams said. “I feel like I’m going to get some pretty good offers today and that’s what I’ve been working for all my life. But at the same time, it would be tough to step away from N.C. State. I really want to graduate, too, so that I have something to fall back on if things don’t work out.”
