Castle High School Alum Headed to the Big Apple After MLB Draft Selection
For the second time in three days, a Tri-State native is headed to the big leagues.
On Tuesday, Castle High School alum and Chandler, Indiana native, Zach Messinger was selected as the 393rd pick overall in the 13th round of the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft.
The 6'6", 225-pound, right-handed pitcher recently finished his junior year playing for the University of Virginia Cavaliers who advanced to the College World Series for the first time since 2015. Unfortunately for Zach and his teammates, their run at a national championship came to end when they lost an elimination game to number two seed Texas on June 24th.
After receiving numerous honors while at Castle including earning his varsity letter in baseball all four years and winning the 2018 Lonnie Fisher Male Athlete of the Year Award, Zach has pitched in 51 games for the University of Virginia during his three years with the team. 11 of those 51 were starts where he put together a career starting record of 5-3 and a 4.42 ERA (earned run average, arguably the biggest statistic pitchers are judged by).
As noted earlier, Messinger becomes the second Tri-State native to be drafted this year. On Sunday, Southridge High School's Colson Montgomery was taken with the 22nd pick overall by the Chicago White Sox. Montgomery, who had already committed to playing baseball for IU, told Blake Sandlin with our media partner, Eyewitness News, he planned to skip college to enter the majors.
It may be a while before we see either young man take the field wearing the jersey of the team that drafted them. Oftentimes, drafted players are first sent to play in the minor leagues to help prepare them for the difference in the game compared to what they were used to in college, or in Montgomery's case, high school.
Whenever they get their chance, they will no doubt have the support of the entire Tri-State on their side.
[Source: Evansville Courier & Press / Eyewitness News / University of Virginia]