Trio Of Spartans Sign With Chicago White Sox
TAMPA, Fla. - After being selected by the Chicago White Sox in the second day of the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft, University of Tampa baseball players Mike Blanke, Mike Schwartz and Austin Evans each signed with the organization in a ceremony at the UT Baseball Field on Friday night.
The group was part of a record nine UT players who were chosen in the draft, with a 10th (Correy Figueroa) signing as a free agent. Tampa finished with more draftees than any other school in the state as Auburn (11), Arizona State, Georgia Tech, Louisville and San Diego (10), were the lone schools to produce more selections than the Spartans.
Blanke was selected by the White Sox in the 14th round as Schwartz went in the 17th. Evans then made it three UT players with the organization when they chose him in the 23rd round.
Blanke, a junior from Palm Bay, Fla., spent one season at UT after transferring from St. Petersburg College. As a Spartan, he hit .377 with nine home runs and 65 RBI. While starting 54 of 56 games, the catcher also clubbed 18 doubles and three triples for Tampa.
A first-team all-Sunshine State Conference selection, Blanke was also a first-team all-region choice by ABCA/Rawlings, Daktronics and the NCBWA. He was also an honorable mention NCBWA All-American.
He also earned the most valuable player award for the NCAA II South Regional. In the championship game of the regional, he clubbed a fifth-inning grand slam to give UT a 7-2 lead over Southern Arkansas as it went on to capture the South Region title.
Schwartz, the Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year was also a semifinalist for the Tino Martinez Award, which was presented to the top player in NCAA Division II. A first-team all-SSC selection, he was also a first-team all-South Region choice by ABCA/Rawlings and Daktronics.
The second-team Daktronics All-American was also a two-time SSC Player of the Week honoree, earning the honor on Apr. 5 and Apr. 26. The senior designated hitter from Montville, N.J., led Tampa with a .415 batting average and also set a single-season school record while leading the nation with 75 walks. With a .596 on base percentage, Schwartz also smacked 11 home runs and 55 RBI.
Evans, a right-handed pitcher from Tampa, pitched as a junior for UT after transferring from the University of Alabama. He pitched in 10 games and logged 11.2 innings of work while striking out 14.