More Diamond Heels are off the board in the MLB Draft.
Casey Cook and Anthony Donofrio heard their names called in the second day of the draft, with Cook going to the reigning World Series champion Texas Rangers and Anthony Donofrio going to the Seattle Mariners. The next day, Dalton Pence went off the board as the first pick of the 11th round, also to the Rangers. Shea Sprague followed soon after, going to the Boston Red Sox in the 13th round. The Minnesota Twins also selected pitcher Aidan Haugh in the 16th round.
Six total Tar Heels have been selected in the draft, after Vance Honeycutt went in the first round to the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday night.
Cook started all 64 of Carolina’s games in 2024, leading the team in hits and runs batted in while posting a .341 batting average. He ended the season by reaching base in 19 consecutive games, while ranking in the ACC’s top 10 in hits, runs scored and total bases. His 78 runs batted in are the fifth-most in a single season in program history.
Cook earned first team All-ACC honors this season while leading UNC to its 12th appearance in the Men’s College World Series. He also earned a spot on the All-ACC Academic Team.
Donofrio, whose college journey took him first to SUNY Cortland, then to Stony Brook, then Quinnipiac and finally to UNC, made the most of his only season in Chapel Hill. He started 60 games in the outfield, batted .326 and led the ACC with six triples. Donofrio’s .435 on-base percentage led the team, and his 19 stolen bases ranked second on the team and fifth in the conference.
A stalwart left-handed pitcher out of the UNC bullpen, Pence appeared in more than half of Carolina’s games in 2024. He compiled a 5-1 record, a 2.45 earned run average and recorded eight saves — including two in the Tar Heels’ run to the Men’s College World Series. Pence averaged 11.35 strikeouts per nine innings, earning himself second team All-America honors from multiple outlets and a third team All-ACC nod.
Sprague, a Massachusetts native who spent his first two collegiate seasons at Elon, stepped into a starting role after injuries ended two Carolina pitchers’ seasons. He made 15 starts and posted a 3-2 record with a 4.25 earned run average. His 2.07 walks per nine innings and 3.89 strikeout-to-walk ratio each ranked in the ACC’s top 5, and Sprague earned second team All-ACC honors following the regular season.
Haugh came to Carolina after two seasons at Fayetteville Tech in the junior college circuit. He appeared in 22 games and made eight starts in 2024, posting a 4-3 record and a 4.83 earned run average in 54 innings pitched.
The MLB Draft runs through Tuesday in Fort Worth, TX.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications
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