What 2 Watch 4: Virginia Tech's 2022 MLB Draft classWhat 2 Watch 4: Virginia Tech's 2022 MLB Draft class
Baseball

What 2 Watch 4: Virginia Tech's 2022 MLB Draft class

BLACKSBURG – Coming off its season for the ages, the Virginia Tech baseball team is in line to produce one of its most storied MLB Draft classes this week when the 2022 MLB Draft commences on Sunday, July 17, in Los Angeles – part of the revolutionized lead-up to Tuesday's MLB All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium.
 
DRAFT SCHEDULE

  • Sunday, July 17  |  7 p.m.  |  TV: ESPN (first round only)  |  Complete Coverage:  MLB Network, MLB.com & MLB Draft Tracker

    • Round 1  |  Pick Nos. 1-30
    • Compensatory Round  |  Pick Nos. 31-32
    • Competitive Balance Round A  |  Pick Nos. 33-39
    • Round 2  |  Pick Nos. 40-66
    • Competitive Balance Round B  |  Pick Nos. 67-74
    • Compensatory Round  |  Pick Nos. 75-80
  • Monday, July 18  |  2 p.m.  |  Complete Coverage:  MLB Network, MLB.com & MLB Draft Tracker
    • Rounds 3-10
  • Tuesday, July 18  |  2 p.m.  |  Complete Coverage:  MLB Network, MLB.com & MLB Draft Tracker
    • Rounds 11-20

THREE THINGS TO KNOW
• History Awaits:  Third-year sophomore outfielder Gavin Cross will be chasing Tech program history on Sunday night as he seeks to become the Hokies' highest all-time MLB Draft selection – a mark currently held by left-hand pitcher Joe Saunders (2002, No. 12 overall). Cross is widely coveted as a top-10 draft prospect, placing No. 5 on Perfect Game's final big board (July 14) and No. 10 on MLB Pipeline's list of the top 250 prospects (June 29). Among collegiate prospects, Cross improved to No. 4 on D1Baseball's latest and final reveal of its top 150 draft rankings, leapfrogging LSU outfielder Jacob Berry. Cross is looking to become the fifth Tech player to earn its sixth selection during the first round of the MLB Draft and join the elite company of first baseman Franklin Stubbs (1982), right-hand pitcher Brad DuVall (1987, 1988), right-hand pitcher Denny Wagner (1997; compensatory) and southpaw Joe Saunders (2002). Stubbs holds the record for the highest selection by a Tech position player, No. 19, which stands in jeopardy to fall during Sunday's opening round.
 
• Prospect Snapshot:  Virginia Tech enters the 2022 MLB Draft with eight players/commits ranked on Perfect Game's Final Draft Board Rankings (July 14), including four such players that are ranked among the top 130 prospects:

  • No. 5 Gavin Cross  |  Cross batted .340 and slugged .609 across three Tech seasons, appearing (and starting) in 124 of 127 possible games. He racked up 28 career doubles, 13 triples, 28 home runs, 93 RBIs and 132 runs scored with the Hokies, swiping 28 bases.
  • No. 82 Tanner Schobel  |  A draft-eligible sophomore, Schobel elevated his 2022 batting average (.362) by 83 points following his rookie year, pacing the Hokies' 2022 Super Regional team with 19 home runs. Starting each of Tech's 111 games since 2021, he mashed 28 career doubles, two triples and 26 home runs while logging 107 RBIs, 104 runs and 55 walks against 77 strikeouts.
  • No. 86 Nicholas Morabito (commit)  |  A native of McLean, Virginia, Morabito is a talented middle infielder and primary shortstop from Gonzaga College High School (Washington, D.C.) who carries athleticism from the right side of the plate. He was named the 2021-22 Gatorade Player of the Year for Washington, D.C., having batted .545 with 10 doubles, six triples and 12 home runs.
  • No. 126 Cade Hunter  |  Limited to 18 appearances as a sophomore in 2021 due to injury, Hunter improved his draft stock by leaps and bounds during 2022, bating .330 and slugging .637 with 14 doubles, 17 home runs and 66 RBIs. He ranks as the fifth best collegiate catching prospect this year per D1Baseball – the third of whom hails from the ACC.
  • No. 249 Nick Biddison  |  Biddison has batted .310 and slugged .529 across his four-year Tech career, boasting 35 career doubles, eight triples, 26 home runs, 105 RBIs and 128 runs. During Tech's run to the 2022 Blacksburg Super Regional, he posted a .351 batting average, setting the Tech single-season, ACC-era record for hits by a leadoff batsman (88).
  • No. 477 Griffin Stieg (commit)  |  A two-way player from McLean, Virginia, Stieg compiled a 0.90 ERA across 54 and two-thirds innings during his 2022 season at McLean High School, toeing 93 strikeouts and a 9-1 record. He also batted .368 as the Highlanders' leadoff hitter, swinging four home runs.
  • No. 527 Graham Firoved  |  A formidable force in Tech's bullpen, Firoved has made 48 relief appearances across two seasons with the Hokies, carrying over additional collegiate experience from Northwest Florida State (2020) and Radford (2019). During his Blacksburg tenure, he has recorded 108 strikeouts across 71 and two-thirds innings pitched while holding opponents to a .225 batting average.
  • No. 611 Brody Donay (commit)  |  An emerging prospect at catcher, Donay hails from Lakeland, Florida, where he competed at Lakeland Christian High School. The six-foot-five backstop is a .300-swinging bat who can provide tremendous athleticism behind the plate.

• What 2 Watch 4:  Virginia Tech has produced multiple MLB Draft picks during each of the last 14 seasons, highlighted by its nine-member class in 2010. The Hokies have yielded four or more selections on eight occasions, including last year's four-player class that marked Tech's largest since 2015. On a historical note, the Hokies have yet to witness multiple athletes taken among the top 100 picks within the same draft year – an occurrence that may be broken in 2022 with the likes of Gavin Cross and Tanner Schobel.