Hokie ClubLinks: 2021 MLB Draft Tracker
DENVER – Tapped for their next-level talent, Virginia Tech baseball stars Shane Connolly, TJ Rumfield, Chris Gerard and Anthony Simonelli were proudly selected this week during the 2021 MLB Draft, comprising the Hokies' largest draft class since 2015.
Connolly came off the board on Monday when the Kansas City Royals used their 10th round pick to claim the Tech left-hand ace at No. 289 overall. Rumfield and Gerard were taken six picks apart midway through Tuesday's 12th round by the Philadelphia Phillies (No. 355 overall) and the St. Louis Cardinals (No. 361), respectively, while Simonelli was called during the 16th round by the Kansas City Royals (No. 469).
Additionally, Virginia Tech commit Mason Albright – a six-foot, left-handed pitcher from IMG Academy in Florida – was chosen during the 12th round by the Los Angeles Angels at No. 351 overall.
With four selections, Tech's 2021 MLB Draft class marks the largest the program has produced under the leadership of head coach John Szefc. Positionally, Rumfield also became the Hokies' highest infielder to be taken since Chad Pinder cracked the top 100 picks during the 2013 draft.
Connolly was the sixth of 12 pitchers selected this week by the Royals and the third of six left-handers. Having transferred to Tech from The Citadel before the 2021 season, the six-foot-two junior recorded 81 strikeouts across 63.0 innings this spring, stamping six saves for the Hokies in addition to making six ACC starts.
Rumfield – the lone infielder to be chosen by the Phillies this year – held a hot stick for Tech during the 2021 campaign. After two seasons at Texas Tech, the six-foot-five lefty bat paced the Hokies in batting average during ACC contests (.340) while charting 12 doubles, seven home runs and 37 RBIs onto his complete season card.
Gerard was the second of four left-handed pitchers taken by the Cardinals, who stocked their 2021 draft class with 12 arms in total. The rising junior has toed a 2.63 ERA across his 24 career starts at Tech and has been masterful in denying extra-base hits, allowing 16 from his 522 career batters faced (.322 opposing slugging percentage).
Joining Connolly among the Royals' pitcher picks, Simonelli has carved 103 strikeouts into his two-year Tech career that followed seasons at Coastal Carolina and St. John's River State College. The six-foot-two right-hander has tailored a 7-3 record and a 3.68 ERA across his 17 career starts for the Hokies while boasting a .181 opposing batting average at Tech.
Traditionally held in early June, the 2021 edition of the MLB Draft was the event's first to take place in conjunction with MLB All-Star Game festivities. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 draft was also shortened to 20 rounds from its traditional 40-round length – as agreed between MLB and the MLBPA.