Four Shockers selected in the MLB Draft

Wichita State had four players selected in the 2019 MLB Draft. The Shockers had two seniors, Luke Ritter and Clayton McGinness, along with two juniors, Alex Segal and Mitchell Walters, selected in the three days of the draft.

Luke Ritter- 7th round No. 208 overall by the New York Mets

Easton Thompson
Wichita State’s Luke Ritter leads off of second base while University of Florida’s Chris Williams winds up for a pitch during their game at Tyler Field.

Ritter returned for his senior season after being picked by the Minnesota Twins in the 37th round following his junior season. Ritter followed that up with a strong senior campaign which included an all-conference selection.

Clayton McGinness- 20th round No. 558 overall by the Baltimore Orioles

Khánh Nguyễn
Wichita State senior Clayton McGinness pitches during the game against ECU on May 11, 2019 at Eck Stadium.

Despite struggling out of the gate, McGinness finished his senior campaign strong and threw a complete game against nationally ranked East Carolina on Senior Day, May 11. McGinness pitched to the tune of a 3.89 ERA in 74 innings of work.

Alex Segal-  22nd round No. 667 overall by the Atlanta Braves

Joseph Barringhaus
Wichita State’s Alex Segal pitches to ORU during their game on May 8, 2018 at Eck Stadium.

Segal’s role became more prominent as the season continued on. The lefty was counted on to get big outs in the AAC Tournament and recorded 47 strikeouts in 36 innings of work.

Mitchell Walters- 35th round No. 1,058 overall by the Tampa Bay Rays

Marshall Sunner
Wichita State junior Mitchell Walters pitches the ball in relief at Eck Sttadium on April 10, 2019.

Despite only being a Shocker for one season, Walters made an immediate impact as one of the pitchers used at the back end of games. Walters collected eight saves in 34 ⅔ innings while striking out 44 batters.

Both Segal and Walters will have important decisions in the coming days as they both have eligibility remaining. Segal has two years left while Walters has one year left.