Baseball: WVU to Host Scout Day
October 05, 2003 07:46 PM | General
October 5, 2003
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University baseball team is hosting a professional scout day on October 6, at Hawley Field.
In head coach Greg Van Zant’s tenure at WVU, professional teams have drafted 20 of Van Zant’s former players. Two Mountaineers were taken in Major League Baseball’s first-year player draft this past June. The Baltimore Orioles chose Jarod Rine and Jason DiAngelo was taken by the Colorado Rockies.
The scout day will be similar to a professional baseball tryout. Players will be evaluated based on their performance in a series of tasks starting with batting practice at 5:30 p.m. The Mountaineers will then run a series of 60-yard dashes, go through a defensive workout, followed by a round of pre-game infield/outfield. The evening will conclude with a nine inning inter-squad game at 6:30 p.m.
"Our annual scout day is one of the highlights of our fall baseball season,” says Van Zant. “It is a great opportunity for us to showcase our players, facilities and program to Major League Baseball. We are anticipating over 20 of the 30 major league baseball teams and the Major League Baseball Scouting Bureau to be in attendance."
Scouts representing all 30 professional teams have been invited to the WVU Scout Day. West Virginia has seen 12 players sign professional contracts in the last three years.
“Mountaineer Scout Day is open to the public and there is no admission charge,” says Van Zant. “This is an annual event so that we can showcase our players to the major league scouts.”
The Mountaineers will host the annual Blue-Gold World Series, Oct. 12-14, at Hawley Field. The 13th annual alumni game is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 18.
