Troy University Athletics
Zach Fruit Selected by Baltimore in Ninth Round of MLB Draft
7/10/2023 4:54:00 PM | Baseball
TROY, Ala. – Troy right-hander Zach Fruit was selected by the Baltimore Orioles with the 271st pick of the 2023 MLB First-Year Player Draft in Monday's ninth round.
Fruit, whose fastball tops out at 99 mph, started the year in Troy's rotation before moving to the bullpen, where he recorded five saves over 14 relief appearances. A Dundee, Mich., native, Fruit averaged 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings in his lone season with the Trojans, a drastic increase from his 8.6 rate in 2022 at Eastern Michigan.
"We are so excited for Zach to be picked in the ninth round by Orioles," Troy head coach Skylar Meade said. "He pushed himself the past year and increased his value to professional baseball. We think he could be a fast-track guy in their organization if he can harness his off-speed pitches to go along with his fastball that was up to 99 MPH this spring."
He struck out six batters in 5.1 innings during Troy's run through the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional after striking out 11 batters in just 5.2 innings in a pair of appearances in the Sun Belt Tournament. Fruit struck out five or more batters in 10 of his 22 outings and earned the save in Troy's victory over Boston College in the Regional opener, Troy's fourth straight win in an NCAA opening game.
A Troy player has been selected in 15 of the last 20 MLB First-Year Player Drafts with 26 overall selections since 2004.
Things we love to see!!
— Troy Baseball ⚔️ (@TroyTrojansBSB) July 10, 2023
Zach Fruit to the @Orioles in the 9th round of the @MLB Draft. #BoysOfTroy🛡️| #OneTROY⚔️⚾️ pic.twitter.com/AUUdu1ZMgs
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