During the fall baseball season, it is tradition for a Division I collegiate baseball team to open at least one practice for scouts from professional baseball teams to observe. This past Monday, Oct. 5, the Seattle U baseball team held its annual Scout Day in front of more scouts than have ever attended previous events since the program was reinstated.
"It is a great opportunity for our guys to show off their skills and big for the growth of our program. Looking back at our previous scout days - we did not have a scout our first year back, one the next year, three the following year, five, then seven, and now a dozen in the park," Seattle U head baseball coach Donny Harrel said.
"This day shows the progression of the program and with four Redhawks now in professional baseball, including three of those taken in the draft last year, we as a program are now showing that guys can come to Seattle U and receive the coaching they need to progress to the professional level," added Harrel. "It is a compliment to how hard our coaches work and the type of athlete we have gotten into the program to help it progress in the direction we envisioned. A great day for sure for Redhawk Baseball!"
Seattle U baseball alums currently in professional baseball include Eric Yardley, who was promoted to the San Diego Padres Double-A team in San Antonio at the end of August; Landon Cray, who batted .257 with two home runs and 25 RBI in 57 games with the Princeton Rays, the Single-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays; Will Dennis, drafted by the Baltimore Orioles and posting a 4-2 record with a 3.66 ERA and one save for the Gulf Coast League Orioles; and Brian Olson, who batted .302 in 32 games between the Gulf Coast League Twins and the Elizabethton Twins, affiliates of the Minnesota Twins.
The Seattle U baseball team continues its fall practice season, culminating in the annual Red and Black Series, four intrasquad contests to take place Oct. 10-11 and Oct. 17-18 at Meridian Park in Shoreline, with first pitch scheduled for 11 a.m. each day.