Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG, Va. - Former Virginia Tech pitcher Joe Saunders, who now plays for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, has been selected as a Major League Baseball All-Star and will represent the American League at the 2008 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium in New York on July 15.
Saunders, in his first full season in the rotation after two seasons as a spot starter, led the A.L. in wins with 12 as of July 6. He was 5-0 in April with a 2.04 ERA in six starts and has maintained his consistency throughout the first half, yielding two or fewer runs in 12 of his 17 starts with a 3.04 ERA.
Saunders becomes just the third former Hokie to ever be named to an MLB All-Star Team, joining Mike Williams (Pirates, 2002 and 2003), who pitched at Tech from 1988-90; and Toby Atwell (Cubs, 1952), who was a catcher in Blacksburg in 1943.
The left-handed Saunders graduated from West Springfield High School in northern Virginia in 1999 and enrolled at Tech that fall, turning down a $150,000 contract from the Philadelphia Phillies, who had drafted him in the fifth round of Major League Baseball's amateur draft that June. He left Tech after his junior season after the Angels took him in the first round of the 2002 draft with the 12th overall pick - the highest a Tech player has ever been taken in baseball's amateur draft.
Saunders finished his junior season at Tech with a 9-2 record and a 2.86 earned run average. He appeared in 15 games, including 14 as a starter, and struck out 102 batters and walked just 22 during his 97.2 innings of work. Saunders posted two shutouts and five complete games on the way to first-team All-BIG EAST Conference honors.
Saunders is tied for third in career pitching victories at Tech with 27, following three consecutive nine-win seasons. He ranks second among Tech left-handers in career wins behind Brian Fitzgerald (28). Saunders led the BIG EAST in strikeouts in 2002 with 102. His 1.81 ERA in BIG EAST games was the best of any league starter and the second-best overall.
During his three seasons at Tech, Saunders compiled a 27-7 overall record and a 3.43 earned run average. He registered 255 strikeouts and 115 walks in 315 career innings pitched. Both his strikeout and innings pitched totals rank fourth all-time at Tech.
The 79th Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and Sportsnet HD and televised around the world by Major League Baseball International, with pregame ceremonies beginning at 8 p.m. ET. ESPN Radio will provide exclusive national radio coverage, while MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage.