BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A couple of Western New Yorkers have been selected in Major League Baseball's amateur draft.
Jackson Strong, a West Seneca East graduate who had a standout career at Canisius College, was picked in the seventh round (206th overall) by the Detroit Tigers on Friday, and Zach Evans, a Lake Shore graduate who played for Niagara County Community College before transferring to Lenoir-Rhyne University was taken in the ninth round (270th overall) by the San Diego Padres.
Strong, an outfielder who last month announced that he would transfer to Kentucky, is the 16th player ever drafted out of Canisius, and the 15th since 2009. Following the fourth-round selection of pitcher Matt Duffy last year, Strong is the second-highest draftee from the Golden Griffins program, and was the first player picked this year from a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
"This whole process was kind of a blur, but I am so happy and so blessed to be drafted today,” Strong said. “I was here at my house with my family, watching the draft on TV and my agent called and told me Detroit was going to take me in either the seventh or eighth round, and then about five minutes later, it came up on the screen in the seventh round. It is a dream come true and I am so excited that I got the chance to share this with my family because they have always been behind me every step of the way.”
A two-time All-MAAC selection, Strong batted .342 with 24 home runs in 111 career games for Canisius. He set a team record with 42 stolen bases in his junior season, ranking third in NCAA Division I, and is tied for the all-time lead stealing 57 in his career.
“Jackson has earned this opportunity and we could not be prouder of all he has accomplished in his time here at Canisius,” Canisius head baseball coach Matt Mazurek said. “Jackson stuck things out, worked hard and when given his opportunity, he took it and made the most of it. He made himself into a two-time All-MAAC First-Team selection and now he is the second-highest highest draft pick in our program’s history. It is pretty amazing. This is a testament to who Jackson is, and how he was raised. This is only just the beginning of what is ahead for him. We are truly excited to see where he will go.”
Evans became the second-highest of 10 players drafted from Lenoir-Rhyne, a Division II program in Hickory, North Carolina. He batted .321 and slugged .591 with 11 home runs and 42 RBIs as a redshirt junior this past season.
The fifth NCCC alumnus to be drafted since 2011, Evans batted .351 for the Thunderwolves team that reached the NJCAA D-III World Series in 2022.
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Jonah Bronstein joined the WIVB squad in 2022 as a digital sports reporter. The Buffalonian has covered the Bills, Sabres, Bandits, Bisons, colleges, high schools and other notable sporting events in Western New York since 2005, for publications including The Associated Press, The Buffalo News, and Niagara Gazette. Read more of his work here.