June 8, 2010

VAN METER SELECTED IN 21ST ROUND OF MLB DRAFT BY TEXAS RANGERS

RICHMOND, Va. – From the moment he first started tossing a baseball with his dad in the backyard of the family’s Farmingdale, N.Y. home, junior Joe Van Meter had dreamed about the opportunity to play in the big leagues.

On Tuesday afternoon, Van Meter had the first part of that dream come true when the Texas Rangers selected him in the 21st round of the 2010 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft.

“This whole draft experience has been incredible and it’s tough to put into words what this means to me because I’ve been waiting my whole life for this chance,” Van Meter said. “My family and I waited around all day listening for my name to be called and when we heard it, it was unbelievable. I can’t wait for the opportunity to be a great ambassador for VCU baseball.”

Van Meter, who put together one of the best offensive seasons in the program’s history, was taken as a right-handed pitcher after lighting up radar guns in the mid-90s throughout workouts last summer.

In his two seasons on the mound for the Black & Gold, Van Meter posted a 1-0 record in 15 appearances with a 5.45 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 26.1 innings of work.

“The Rangers told me they want me to work on developing my repertoire as a pitcher and that’s what I’ll do,” Van Meter said. “I’m just willing to do whatever it takes to make it at the next level.”

Out of the last four draftees to come out of the VCU baseball program, three have been taken by the Rangers with former Rams Jared Bolden and Cody Eppley, both of whom are still in the organization.

“I’m really excited about the chance to play with guys like Jared and Cody,” Van Meter said. “Both of those guys have been incredible at demonstrating what it takes to make it at the next level and it would be great to play with those guys.”

Sports News
 
May 5, 2010                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
Five Bentley Baseball Players Recognized by Northeast-10
 
WALTHAM, Mass. -- Five Bentley University baseball players were honored by the Northeast-10 Conference on Wednesday. Freshman pitcher John Yohe (Merrick, N.Y./St. Dominic HS) was named to the All-Rookie team.
Yohe had a solid freshman year off the mound, posting a 3-5 overall record and a 3.96 ERA in ten starts. He averaged 7.5 innings per start, second in the conference and had a team-best 2.28 ERA during the second half of the season. Yohe had four times as many strikeouts (37) as walks (9), and is currently tenth in Division II in walks per nine innings (1.08).
 
2010 Northeast-10 Baseball All-Conference Teams

All-Rookie Team
Shane Keddy - Assumption
John Yohe - Bentley
Rob Blanc - Franklin Pierce
Joe Flynn - Franklin Pierce
Nick Lacroix - Franklin Pierce
Garrett Cole - UMass Lowell
Mike Laracy - Merrimack
Taylor Candage - New Haven
Shane O'Connell - New Haven
Brian Sundberg - Pace
Robert Kelly - Saint Anselm
Scott Hladik - Saint Rose
Mike Cleary - So. Connecticut
Matt Boulter - So. New Hampshire
Taylor Eames - So. New Hampshire
John Pickowicz - So. New Hampshire
Derrick Sylvester - So. New Hampshire

LEXINGTON, Va. – Junior Joe Van Meter tied a school record with three home runs and Virginia Commonwealth University hit a season-high four long balls in an 11-4 rout of Virginia Military Institute on Tuesday evening at Gray-Minor Stadium.

VCU, which has won four straight and nine of its last 11 games, improves to 22-15, while VMI drops its fourth in a row and falls to 29-9 on the season.

Van Meter went 4-for-4 with three home runs and six RBI to pace the Rams, who recorded 15 hits for the fourth consecutive game.  Seniors Richard Gonzalez and Doug Otto, junior John Lenherr and sophomore Brent Mikionis each collected two hits for VCU.