North Carolina State University Athletics
Mazzoni, Maynard Go In Second and Third Rounds
6/7/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 7, 2011
RALEIGH, N.C. - Working exclusively on a five-day cycle with four days of rest between starts, Cory Mazzoni was nearly unhittable his last three appearances of 2011. And the New York Mets took notice, selecting Mazzoni with their second-round pick Tuesday in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
One round later, Mazzoni's batterymate, catcher Pratt Maynard, was selected with the 103rd overall pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers. First baseman Harold Riggins went in the seventh round to the Colorado Rockies. Outfielders Brett Williams and John Gianis went late in the day, Williams to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 25th round and Gianis in the 26th round to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Mazzoni, who finished the year with a very deceptive 6-6 record and a 3.30 ERA, entered the final month of the season projected as a likely third- or fourth-round pick, but shot up MLB draft boards with his performances down the stretch. He went 3-0 with a 0.78 ERA in starts against Boston College, Florida State and Stetson the last two-plus weeks of the season. In 23 innings in those games, Mazzoni worked 23 innings, allowed two runs on 11 hits, struck out 32 and walked just two. Opponents batted .141 against him.
Mazzoni finished the year with 137 strikeouts, third most in a single season in NC State history, and finished his career with 256 strikeouts, which ranks seventh in school history.
"Cory had such a great season and such a great career here, but he really stepped it up for us the last few weeks," Wolfpack coach Elliott Avent said. "It's unusual for a college starter to pitch on four days' rest, and he flourished on four days' rest his last three starts. He's been a very special pitcher for us and I couldn't be happier for him."
Maynard earned All-ACC honors in 2011 after leading NC State in multiple offensive categories. He batted .323 with 21 doubles, five home runs and 41 RBIs. He led the team in batting, doubles, base hits (81), slugging percentage (.474), total bases (119) and walks (38). After setting a school record with 64 walks a year ago, Maynard finished his career with 133 walks, which ranks fourth in school history.
"Pratt never caught before he came here, but we felt it was a way to get his bat in the lineup as a freshman, and he took to it right away," Avent said. "Pratt's a throwback player, hard-nosed, extremely competitive, and gives everything he has every time he's on the field. He was the focal point of our team."
Riggins was hitting .259 after 26 games, but batted .349 the final 34 games to wind up the season hitting .314 with 11 doubles, four home runs and 35 RBIs. Riggins drew 37 walks and was hit by 10 pitches. He led the team with a .436 on-base percentage.
Williams batted .286 for the Wolfpack and showed a wide range of skills. He led the team with six home runs with six and stolen bases with nine, and he tied for the team lead with 46 runs scored. He also was excellent defensively, running down balls in both gaps and turning in numerous defensive gems.
Gianis batted .289 with 11 doubles, one triple and one home run. He drove in 24 runs, scored 34, and was second on the team with six steals in seven attempts.
