A quintet of Diamond Heels heard their names called during this week’s Major League Baseball draft. Shortstop Danny Serretti, outfielder Angel Zarate and pitchers Davis Palermo, Brandon Schaeffer and Shawn Rapp were all selected on the second and third days of the three-day event.
The Detroit Tigers picked Serretti in the sixth round, Palermo went to the Colorado Rockies in the eighth, Zarate to the Cleveland Guardians in the 17th, Schaeffer to the Seattle Mariners in the 18th and Rapp to the Guardians in the 20th.
All five players have college eligibility remaining and could choose to return to Chapel Hill, though head coach Scott Forbes gave the impression Zarate and potentially Serretti had concluded their UNC careers following the Super Regional games against Arkansas.
Serretti was a second team All-ACC honoree in 2022, finishing in the ACC’s top 10 in both hits and batting average. His .365 average was a career high, as were his hit totals, home runs, RBIs, total bases, slugging percentage and on-base percentage.
Palermo earned third team All-America status from Perfect Game while appearing in 37 games, fourth most in Division I. He ended the year with a 2-2 record and 2.78 earned run average in 58.1 innings, all while posting 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings.
Zarate was named to the All-ACC third team while leading the conference in hits (100, just the ninth Tar Heel to record 100 hits in a season). Zarate recorded a 24-game hitting streak and and finished the year with a .352 batting average and .925 OPS.
Schaeffer, a junior college transfer, made quite the impression in his first year with Carolina. His 18 starts were the most in the ACC, and he finished the season as perhaps the best pitcher on the staff. Schaeffer’s complete-game shutout against No. 2 Virginia Tech in the ACC Tournament was the only such game by a UNC pitcher this season.
Rapp’s 42 appearances (39 out of the bullpen) were the most in Division I and the fourth-most in program history. He recorded a 4-0 record in those appearances, averaging 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings.
This is the 45th consecutive season in which at least one Tar Heel has been selected in the draft.
Featured image via Associated Press/Chris Carlson
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