HIGH POINT, N.C. – Junior Andre Scrubb of the High Point University baseball team was selected in the eighth round of the 2016 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, June 10. Scrubb went 8-6 with a 4.86 ERA as a junior in 2016.
“It means the world to be drafted,” Scrubb said. “After my freshmen year when I got hit pretty hard and wasn’t sure how I fit in Div. I baseball to battle back and improve enough that I heard my name called is a dream come true. My years at High Point have been amazing and really helped me get to this point. Coach Cozart turned me from a thrower to a pitcher and the guys really motivated me and pushed me. I also really need to thank Spencer Brown and JJ Woodard who are two amazing catchers and I would not have been as successful as I was this season without them behind the plate.”
Scrubb made 14 starts in the weekend rotation for HPU in 2016 and led the Panthers with 94 strikeouts in 74 innings of work. He held opposing hitters to a .237 batting average and had five starts with nine or more strikeouts. Scrubb finished his junior season ranked 16th in the nation with 11.43 strikeouts per nine innings.
“Today was an exciting day for Andre Scrubb and High Point University baseball,” head coach Craig Cozart said. “Andre being drafted in the eighth round by the Dodgers is a credit to his talent and work ethic. It is always great watching someone get rewarded in this way and we are looking forward to watching him begin his professional career.”
In three seasons with the Panthers, Scrubb has gone 16-12 with one save and a 4.29 ERA. The right-hander appeared in 47 games with 29 starts over his three seasons and he leaves HPU ranked third in the program’s Div. I record book in wins (16), and opponent batting average (.218), fourth in strikeouts (189) and seventh in strikeouts per nine innings (9.12).
Scrubb is the first HPU player drafted in the MLB draft since four players were selected in 2013 and the highest pick since Nate Roberts was drafted in the fifth round in 2010 by the Minnesota Twins.
Two former Panther players are currently playing in Major League Baseball organizations. 2011 draftee Cody Allen is the closer with the Cleveland Indians and 2013 draftee Jaime Schultz is a starting pitcher with the Durham Bulls, the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.