Hennigan, Studdard, Hill, Mazzoccoli Drafted

By, Joshua C Flanagan

SAN MARCOS – The 55^th, 56^th, 57^th and 58^th Bobcats in Texas State’s history were drafted Saturday afternoon in the Major League Baseball Draft. Jonathan Hennigan, Granger Studdard, Tanner Hill and Pasquale Mazzoccoli joined Lucas Humpal to make the 2016 class of five drafted Bobcats tied for the most ever at Texas State, joining the classes of 2012 and 2011. Both juniors, Hennigan, a left-handed pitcher, and Studdard, an outfielder, were selected by the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox respectively. Meanwhile, Hill, a first baseman who has drawn comparisons to former Bobcat great Paul Goldschmidt, was selected by Goldy’s team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Finally, Mazzoccoli, Texas State’s right-handed closer, went to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Hennigan was the first pick of the 21^st round, the 617^th overall selection, and Studdard wasn’t far behind, going 658^th overall as the 12^th pick in the 22^nd round. Hill was selected with the 13^th pick in the 26^th round, the 779^th selection overall. Mazzoccoli went in the 29^th slot of the 35^th round, 1,065 overall. Hennigan is the first lefty hurler drafted from Texas State since Donnie Hart in 2013 while Studdard is the first outfielder since Jeff McVaney in 2012. Hill is the only Bobcat first baseman selected since Casey Kalenkosky in 2012 and 2011 and Goldschmidt in 2009. Mazzoccoli is one of many righties on the mound to have been drafted out of Texas State.

With Saturday’s selections of Hennigan, Studdard, Hill and Mazzoccoli, joining Humpal drafted Friday, Texas State has had multiple players selected in seven consecutive drafts and in 13 since Head Coach Ty Harrington took over the program in 2000. Hennigan, Studdard, Hill and Mazzoccoli are the 40^th, 41^st, 42^nd and 43^rd players selected in the MLB Draft since Harrington began coaching at Texas State.

In his first season at Texas State, Hennigan was second on the team in strikeouts, finishing the year with 64. He was a regular starter for the Bobcats, making 13 starts with five victories and a 3.13 ERA in 63.1 innings pitched this season. He held opponents to a mere .224 batting average. This season, Hennigan twice notched nine strikeouts in a game. In fact, the native of Center threw at least four strikeouts in eight of his 13 appearances with 21 strikeouts in his final three games.

“Being drafted is big time. It’s something every kid in the game of baseball wants,” Hennigan said. “I’ve got to give it all to the man upstairs. Without him, it wouldn’t be possible. Also, I give it all to my parents and family. They were and will always be there to back me. It means the world to truly have a family, friends and a staff you can always count on to back you in anything you do.”

Studdard has been a mainstay in the lineup for the Bobcats since stepping foot on campus. In three years he has worked his way into the top 10 of Texas State record books in games played, at bats, hits, home runs and walks. In his career, the Buda native was a power hitter, blasting 17 home runs in his first two seasons at Texas State. However, this year, Studdard has dramatically improved his walk-to-strikeout ratio with 37 walks to 26 strikeouts, pelting 63 hits for third on the team with the second-best on base percentage of .389. He also did not commit an error defensively in 2016 as he earned Sun Belt All-Conference honors.

“I would like to thank Texas State University for the opportunity to play college baseball in the amazing town of San Marcos. My time here is something I will cherish forever along with the friendships made,” said Studdard. “Thank you to all who supported me as I chased a childhood dream of mine to play professional baseball. It’s an unbelievable feeling, and I’m looking forward to getting a chance to play at the next level.”

Hill has shown off serious power since entering the lineup at Texas State, sending out 28 home runs at Texas State to finish his career in fourth place on the all-time Texas State list. He is also top 15 in at bats, hits, RBIs, total bases and doubles. In 2016, though, Hill took a giant leap with 15 home runs, 18 doubles, 77 hits, 42 RBIs and 140 total bases to lead the team. He also led the team with a .583 slugging percentage while hitting .321, the highest batting average of his career. The San Marcos native was one of the most feared players in the Sun Belt Conference this season, earning Sun Belt First-Team All-Conference honors.

“I feel very blessed to have received the opportunity to get to keep playing baseball. I want to thank my family, friends, coaches and teammates,” Hill said. “Also, I’m extremely excited for the rest of the guys continuing at the next level and for the future of Texas State Bobcat Baseball. I also need to thank the Arizona Diamondbacks for the opportunity to take my career to the next level.”

Mazzoccoli came to Texas State from Blinn last season and had a role as both a weekend starter and reliever. This season, however, he took over as closer and set a new Texas State record in single-season saves with 13. He also sits third on the all-time list for most saves in a Bobcat career. The Katy native made 44 appearances at Texas State with 28 this season. He was one of just three pitchers on the Bobcat squad with more strikeouts than innings pitched, finishing 2016 with 48 strikeouts in 40.2 innings.