MM 7.11: Trio of Terps selected on second day of MLB draft

Three Maryland baseball players were selected on day two of the 2023 MLB Draft.

A day after shortstop Matt Shaw was drafted No. 13 overall by the Chicago Cubs, catcher Luke Shliger (No. 180 overall, San Francisco Giants), pitcher Jason Savacool (No. 185 overall, St. Louis Cardinals) and third baseman Nick Lorusso (No. 276 overall, New York Mets) heard their names called.

This is the first year since 2015 in which four Maryland players were selected within the first 10 rounds. Last year’s team saw its first draftee come on the third day of the event.

Shliger is coming off a record-breaking junior season, during which he set the program record in runs (93), which ranked second in the country. As well, he hit .336 with a 1.105 OPS and 11 home runs.

The catcher was named to the All Big-Ten first team and was a consensus All-American selection.

Savacool, taken just five picks after Shliger, put his name on the map after an impressive 2022 campaign, compiling a 2.93 ERA and 122 strikeouts en route to an All-Big Ten and second team All-American selection.

While not as effective in his junior campaign, Savacool was still Maryland’s ace and ranked second on the team in earned run average (4.12), earning a spot on the All-Big Ten second team.

Lorusso had to wait until the ninth round to hear his name called. The top RBI-getter in Division I drove in 105 runs in just 61 games this past season. He recorded a batting average of .379, slugging percentage of .765 and added a program-record 26 home runs.

Lorusso joined Maryland after three seasons at Villanova, and in just two years, became one of the best players in Maryland history. He holds the program’s career and single-season RBI records.

In other news

Maryland athletics announced the implementation of a new lighting system at SECU stadium.

Former Terp Alex Len re-signed with the Sacramento Kings.

Maryland softball pitcher Keira Bucher took home a gold medal with the Puerto Rican national team at the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games.

Maryland men’s basketball freshman Jamie Kaiser had an impressive performance in the Kenner League.