Big League Talent: Ryan McCarty, Andrew Cossetti, Joe Miller fulfill dreams in MLB Draft
He started as a Falcon. And now, Ryan McCarty is a Blue Jay.
A 2017 graduate of Pennsbury High School, McCarty signed a free agent contract with the Toronto Blue Jays after the 2022 MLB Draft on Tuesday.
McCarty, an infielder and pitcher, led the Falcons to their first PIAA State Championship in 2017, before playing Division III baseball at Penn State Abington.
McCarty, who won the NCAA Division III National Player of the Year award, becomes the first player from Penn State Abington to play professional baseball. He was also a semifinalist for USA Baseball’s Golden Spikes Award.
Double Play: For Morrisville Little League champions, winning and having fun go hand in hand
Described as the "best player to ever play Division III baseball," McCarty led the league in batting average, home runs, RBIs, and slugging, and was just the second Division III player to record more than 100 hits in a season. McCarty holds records in almost every offensive category at Penn State Abington, and is the all-time leader in hits, average, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI, runs and walks.
"I want people to know they can achieve anything they dream of if they truly believe it and put their mind to it," McCarty said in a press release issued by Penn State Abington. "I could not have been able to accomplish this goal without the support of the Penn State Abington family who have had my back since I arrived on campus."
La Salle teammates go in same round
Andrew Cossetti and Joe Miller were teammates on the La Salle College High School baseball team. On Tuesday, their paths intertwined again, as both were selected in the 11th round of the MLB Draft.
Cossetti, a 2018 La Salle graduate who was twice named the Philadelphia Catholic League Offensive Player of the Year, was drafted by the Minnesota Twins, while Miller, who also graduated in 2018, was chosen by the Detroit Tigers.
Cossetti played for Saint Joseph’s University, where he set single-season records for home runs and RBIs, and also became the program’s all-time home run leader.
Recruiting roundup: Find out where some of area's top football talent are looking to play in college
Cossetti, a catcher, played for the Trenton Thunder this season, where he put up gaudy offensive stats, including a .410 batting average and a .628 slugging percentage.
Miller, a left-handed pitcher, played for the University of Pennsylvania, but the COVID pandemic necessitated a change in plans after the team’s season was canceled two years ago. The next year, Penn had an abbreviated, and disappointing, season.
Miller soon received an invite to play summer ball for the Coastal Plains League. Pitching for the Savannah Bananas, Miller was named CPL Pitcher of the Year.
This past season, with things back to normal, Miller, who graduated in May, was a first-team All-Ivy selection with a 3.70 ERA.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: La Salle, Pennsbury grads selected in MLB Draft
