HPU Baseball’s Sean Townsley Drafted by the Miami Marlins in the 25th round of the 2013 MLB Draft

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Redshirt-junior Sean Townsley of the High Point University baseball team was selected in the 25th round of the 2013 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft by the Miami Marlins on Saturday, June 8. Townsley went 5-2 with a 4.08 ERA and two saves.

Sean Townsley made huge improvements on the mound over the course of this season and he was rewarded for that today,” HPU baseball head coach Craig Cozart said. “This is an exciting time for him, having been drafted by the Miami Marlins. It is a credit to the hard work he has put in since coming to High Point University.”

In his one season with High Point, Townsley appeared in 18 games with nine starts in 2013. The left hander allowed just 53 hits in 57-1/3 innings while striking out 50 batters. Townsley posted a .251 opposing batting average and finished second on the Panthers in wins.

“It feels great to have my name called today by the Miami Marlins,” Townsley said. “This was a lifetime goal of mine and is a dream come true. It took a lot of hard work to get me here and that’s not over. I have to keep working and keep trying to get better. I couldn’t have achieved this without the support of my coaches at High Point University as well as my friends and family. ”

Townsley opened the season in the rotation and went 3-2 in nine starts. His best start of the season came on the road at Tulane University where he pitched eight innings and allowed one run on two hits while striking out five. Townsley moved to the backend of the bullpen in the second half of the season and went 2-0 with two saves. The left hander pitched seven innings of scoreless relief with seven strikeouts in his first four appearances.

Townsley is the third HPU baseball player selected in the 2013 MLB Draft. Redshirt-junior Jaime Schultz was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 14th round and senior Jacob Newberry was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 18th round.

The three players drafted from High Point is a new program record for the Panthers. The previous single-year high was two players back in 2011 when pitcher Cody Allen and catcher Kyle Mahoney were both selected. Allen is now playing with the Cleveland Indians.