Former Waynesburg pitcher Mason Miller reached the pinnacle of his sport on Monday when he heard his name called in the third round of the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft. Miller was selected 97th overall by the Oakland Athletics. Joining Miller as a Monday selection was Gardner Webb. A graduate of Hampden-Sydney, Web was taken by the Texas Rangers in the seventh round after spending a year pitching for Virginia Commonwealth University.

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Mason Miller, RHP, Waynesburg

Oakland, 3rd round, No. 97 overall

Ht.: 6-5. Wt.: 200.
Bats: Right. Throws: Right.
Hometown: Bethel Park, Pa.

Mason Miller made the best of an extra year of eligibility and was drafted by Oakland in the third round of the 2021 MLB Amateur Draft. Miller spent 2021 with Division I Gardner-Webb, which he transferred to after graduating from Waynesburg in 2020. The former first-team All-Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) selection not only saw mound time at G-W, but shined as the ace of the Runnin' Bulldogs' staff. In his one-and-only season in Boiling Springs, North Carolina, he went 8-1 with a 3.30 ERA and 121 strikeouts over 92.2 innings of work.

Waynesburg athletics photo

"I couldn't be any happier for Mason. Hard work and dedication make a great combination and Mason has both. They will serve him well on his journey," said Mike Humiston, who was Miller's head coach over his four years as a Yellow Jacket. "He'll have his chances to make an impact at the next level and all of us will be watching and praying for him."

Following two quiet seasons at Waynesburg, Miller established himself as a dominant force during his junior campaign. He started 11 games on the mound and finished with an 8-2 record, a 1.86 ERA and a Waynesburg single-season record 97 strikeouts in 67.2 innings. He led the PAC in ERA, strikeouts, strikeouts looking (25), opponent batting average (.173), complete games (six) and shutouts (four). He was twice named PAC Pitcher of the Week, lauded as a first-team All-PAC performer and gathered All-Region awards from both D3baseball.com and the American Baseball Coaches Association.

His 2020 season was off to a similar start before it was cut short by the Coronavirus pandemic. In two outings, Miller went 2-0 over two complete games (14 innings) with a 2.57 ERA, 24 strikeouts and a .160 opponent batting average. He was named Pitcher of the Week by the PAC during the first week of the season.

Miller's personal story of success has reached the national level as he has risen up team's draft boards. Prior to his junior campaign, Miller was diagnosed with Type 1 juvenile diabetes. After adjusting his diet in response to the diagnosis, Miller's 6-5 frame filled out with around 30 pounds of muscle that allowed his fastball to transform from a usable tool to a blistering 99 mph fireball that played a huge role in his eventual selection by Oakland.

Current Waynesburg head baseball coach and former Yellow Jacket pitching coach, Perry Cunningham, had a front row seat to Miller's amazing transformation and ascension to an elite level.

"On behalf of the entire Waynesburg University baseball community, I would like to congratulate Mason on being selected in the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft by the Oakland A's," Cunningham said. "There are stories out about his health and the physical changes that have been documented and there are improvements that are easily recognized when looking at his year-to-year stats. However, his teammates, our coaching staff and I saw the work and effort that he put in every day. Mason was driven to improve and develop and he is now being rewarded for that dedication. We wish him nothing but the best of luck and look forward to following his journey."

Bradford Webb, RHP, Hampden-Sydney

Texas, 7th round, No. 194 overall

Ht.: 6-5. Wt.: 200.
Bats: Right. Throws: Right.
Hometown: Charlotte Court House, VA

The Texas Rangers selected VCU graduate pitcher Bradford Webb with the 194th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB Amateur Draft.
 
Webb, a native of Charlotte Court House, Va., joined the Rams for the 2021 season as a graduate transfer after graduating from Hampden-Sydney College. For the Tigers, Webb. a 2020 team captain, made 30 career mound appearances, starting six games with a career record of 3-6, 6.93 ERA, 62.1 innings pitched, 54 strikeouts (7.80/9), 24 walks (3.47/9) and five saves.

The right-hander made 17 appearances for VCU this spring, including 14 starts, leading the team with 57 strikeouts and a 3.16 ERA.
 
In the winner's bracket game of the 2021 Atlantic 10 Championship at The Diamond, Webb started the contest with eight strikeouts across five crucial scoreless innings, paving the way for a 10-4 win over Rhode Island. The performance helped guide VCU to the A-10 title and earned Webb a selection on the A-10 All-Championship Team.
 
Webb also started VCU's opening game of the NCAA Regional in Starkville, Miss., striking out five batters in 4.2 innings in a 19-4 win over Campbell. 

Mo Hanley, LHP, Adrian

Los Angeles Angels, 13th round, No. 194 overall

Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 195.
Bats: Left. Throws: Left.
Hometown: Tampa Fla.

On the final day of the MLB Amateur Draft, Mo Hanley was drafted 381st overall in the 13th round by the Los Angeles Angels.

Hanley spent his time at Adrian as a left-handed pitcher for the Bulldogs where he developed a mid-90s fastball with a mid-80s slider. In his career, Hanley made 33 appearances for Adrian while making 17 starts on the mound. He compiled a 10-3 record with one save and a complete game in 113.0 innings. Hanley finished his college career with 159 strikeouts including 27 in 14 innings in 2021 to result in a K/9 of 16.57.

"The Adrian College baseball team is very excited for Mo Hanley, and the next step in his professional MLB career with the Angels," head coach Craig Rainey said. "Mo has worked extremely hard to overcome some setbacks this year to get to this moment. So happy to see his dream come true of being drafted by an MLB team. This is another tremendous day for our baseball family and program."

The largest setback the Hanley faced was tearing his UCL forcing his 2021 season to end early and result in Tommy John surgery. During the season, Hanley traveled to Alabama to see Dr. James Andrews for his surgery. Dr. Andrews performed Tommy John surgery to multiple professional athletes such as Roger Clemens, Drew Brees, and John Smoltz.

Hanley grew up in the Virgin Islands before moving to Tampa, Florida at the age of 13. Mo didn't have a plan to play college baseball until he got a call from Coach Rainey to play for the Bulldogs. Hanley is now the first Virgin Islands native to be drafted since Jharel Cotton in 20th round of the 2011 draft and Midre Cummings in the 29th round of the 1990 draft according to Jon Morosi of MLB.com.

Hanley will join Tommy Parsons, Dugan Darnell, and Ryan Dorow as Adrian College baseball alums playing professional baseball for an MLB team. Parsons and Darnell signed as undrafted free agents with the St. Louis Cardinals and the Colorado Rockies, while Dorow was selected in the 30th round of the 2017 draft by the Texas Rangers.

Adam Zebrowski, C, St. John Fisher

Atlanta, 13th round, No. 397 overall

Ht.: 6-3. Wt.: 230.
Bats: Right. Throws: Right.
Hometown: Albany, N.Y.

The storybook season continued for junior Adam Zebrowski on Tuesday as the All-American catcher became the third player in St. John Fisher College's history to be drafted by Major League Baseball after being selected with the 397th pick in the 13th round by the Atlanta Braves.

"We are beyond happy to Adam and his family," added head coach Brandon Potter who guided the Cardinals to an Empire 8 title and an appearance in the NCAA Championship this spring. "He earned this and all of the accolades that came his way throughout the year. He put in the time, effort and energy to achieve this and we couldn't be prouder. We are all excited to watch him live out his dream of playing professional baseball!"

Zebrowski joins Marc Iseneker (28th round by the Texas Rangers – 2016) and Dan Jurik (25th round by the Atlanta Braves - 2010) as Major League draftees and will likely begin his professional career with the Augusta Green Jackets or the Rome Braves in the coming weeks.

A consensus First-Team All-American, Zebrowski was named the Division III National Player of the Year earlier this summer by both the American Baseball Coaches Association and D3baseball.com following a prodigious 2021 campaign that saw him nearly hit for the Triple Crown.

Zebrowski, who was also named the Empire 8 and New York Region's Player of the Year in May, was a menace for opposing pitching all season long. Over 38 games this season, Zebrowski led the nation and set a new single season program record with 20 home runs and 70 RBI. The backstop ranked second in all of Division III with a .500 batting average and concluded the 2021 campaign riding a 31-game hitting streak – the longest in Fisher's storied history.

Zebrowski, who is just the third player ever in the College's history to be named the National Player of the Year joining hall-of-famers Scott Harris, Jr. who earned the same accolade in 2008 and Susan Heidt of the women's basketball program in 1990, led the country with a .993 slugging percentage and was fourth among all Division III players in on-base percentage at .594.

A First-Team All-Region selection, Zebrowski authored 22 multi-hit games and had two games with at least five base knocks. He accounted for 74 total hits, 13 doubles, 61 runs scored, 26 walks and was retired via strikes just 13 times in 148 at-bats.

Zebrowski was also one of the top fielding catchers in the game this year after finishing the year sporting a .992 fielding percentage. He completed halted the running game for Fisher's opponents after throwing out five and surrendering just eight stolen bases all season.

Caleb Durbin, SS, Washington University

Atlanta, 14th round, No. 194 overall

Ht.: 6-5. Wt.: 200.
Bats: Right. Throws: Right.
Hometown: Charlotte Court House, VA

Washington University junior Caleb Durbin was drafted on Tuesday in the 14th round of the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft by the Atlanta Braves. Durbin was the 427th draft pick overall.

D3photography.com photo by Larry Radloff

Durbin marks just the third player in WashU baseball history to be drafted into the majors, and the first since Russ Chambliss was drafted by the N.Y. Yankees in the 54th round in 1997. The first-ever draft pick from WashU was John Herzing in 1967, who was drafted in the eighth round by the Detroit Tigers.

During his junior campaign, Durbin was an integral part of the Bears' historic run to the Division III World Series. While at the World Series, he recorded eight RBI, five runs including two home runs, 10 hits and four stolen bases. For his performance, he was one of three Bears named to the 2021 NCAA Division III World Series All-Tournament Team.

Durbin finished the season with a .385 batting average with 46 runs on 62 hits, 16 doubles, two triples, seven home runs, 47 RBI and 20 stolen bases. He was the toughest batter to strikeout in Division III with over 94 at-bats.

After a stellar season, Durbin earned ABCA/Rawlings Second Team All-Central Region Honors as well as All-UAA honors. He collected several weekly awards as well, including D3baseball.com Shortstop of the Week on May 10 and NCBWA Hitter of the Week on March 10.

In his career at WashU, Durbin has played in 93 games and has a career batting average of .386. He has made 365 plate appearances, scoring 117 runs, recording 141 hits including 10 home runs and 89 RBI. He has a career on-base percentage of .477 and has stolen 39 bases. He is a three-time All-UAA Selection, including UAA Rookie of the Year in 2019. He was also named D3baseball.com Central Region Rookie of the Year that same season.

Recent graduate Ryan Loutos signed with the St. Louis Cardinals as an undrafted free agent.

Ryan Long, RHP, Pomona Pitzer

Baltimore, 17th round, No. 497 overall

Ht.: 6-6. Wt.: 225.
Bats: Right. Throws: Right.
Hometown: Woodinville, Wash.

Ryan Long finished his career with Pomona Pitzer with a 8-2 record. He had a 3.61 ERA and 5.75 K/9 in three years. Pomona Pitzer did not play in the 2021 D-III season.

Other players drafted that played with a D-III program: Patrick Monteverde. Monteverde played his freshman year with Virginia Wesleyan, earning ODAC Rookie of the Year honors, before transferring to Seton Hall. He finished his college career with a year at Texas Tech and was drafted as a Red Raider by the Miami Marlins in the 8th round, 239th overall.