For the second time in the last three days, the Oakland A’s turned to Rutgers on Tuesday afternoon as they continued to build for the future. With the 316th pick in the MLB Draft, Oakland selected former Rutgers star Drew Conover.
In his only season as a Scarlet Knight, the New Jersey native posted a 4.50 ERA in 68 innings of work. In 17 appearances, 14 of which were starts, Conover struck out 83 batters. He proved to be a reliable arm as Rutgers had one of its best seasons in recent memory.
While Conover will join a new organization, he will have a familiar face to lean on in teammate Ryan Lasko who Oakland selected with the 41st pick in the draft.
Drew Conover and his nasty arsenal are headed to the West Coast!
The @Athletics got themselves another good one 🤝 pic.twitter.com/pUHU8gHYzJ
— Rutgers Baseball (@RutgersBaseball) July 11, 2023
“It’s awesome. I’m excited. Ready to get to work,” Conover told NJ Advance Media after he was selected. “Sticking together, like once you develop a friendship being teammates, it’s good to carry that on to the next level.”
Before transferring to Rutgers last season, Conover began his collegiate career at Seton Hall. He appeared in 23 games for the Pirates and posted a 2-2 record. In 41.1 innings, opponents hit .240 against him. After his time with the Pirates ended, he took his game to another level in Piscataway.
Spartans plate a run on an error, but Drew Conover works around it with a strikeout.
JKG will lead us off in the bottom of the first. pic.twitter.com/uMiTl4gWao
— Rutgers Baseball (@RutgersBaseball) May 25, 2023
For Rutgers, Conover was a Third-Team All-Big Ten selection. That was partly due to the fact that he held opponents to a .197 batting average while only allowing two home runs. He will be looking to carry that success to the next level.
Over the last few days, the A’s have given many in Piscataway a reason to celebrate. As Conover and Lasko prepare to begin their professional careers, they will be watched closely as Rutgers fans worldwide root for their success.
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