Jay Jabs Selected by New York Mets on Third Day of MLB Draft
RINDGE, N.H. (June 11, 2016) – Senior third baseman Jay Jabs (Schwenksville, Pa.) of the East Region champion Franklin Pierce University baseball team was selected on Saturday afternoon by the New York Mets in the 17th round (520 overall) of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Jabs will likely report to either the Mets' Class A Short Season, New York-Penn League affiliate, the Brooklyn Cyclones, or the franchise's Rookie Level, Appalachian League affiliate, the Kingsport Mets.
Franklin Pierce has now had 27 draft selections in program history, beginning with Justin Blood in 2001. Since that first selection, only Boston College (49) and Connecticut (43) have had more draftees among New England schools, regardless of division. The Ravens have now had players selected in 14 of the last 16 MLB Drafts, with 2012 and 2015 being the lone empty years since Blood's selection in 2001.
In becoming the 27th draft pick in school history, Jabs became the third Franklin Pierce player drafted by the Mets. Both other Ravens draftees of the Flushing, N.Y.-based franchise came in 2013, when the Mets selected Kevin McGowan in the 13th round (386 overall) and Zach Mathieu in the 16th round (476 overall). McGowan was called up to the Double-A Binghamton Mets of the Eastern League earlier this week, after logging 33 innings with a 0.82 ERA to start the 2016 season with the St. Lucie Mets of the Class A Advanced Florida State League. Meanwhile, Mathieu spent three seasons in affiliated ball, but is currently plying his trade for the Florence Freedom of the independent Frontier League.
"Nobody deserves this opportunity more than this kid, he has made himself into a great player" said head coach Jayson King of Jabs. "I am so proud of the way he developed and went about his business, especially this season in his draft year. He is a prime example of the development within our program."
Somehow, Jabs -- a consensus All-American, consensus East Region Player of the Year and two-time Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year -- managed to improve on last year's already gaudy numbers in 2016, as he posted a .352/.466/.638 slash line over 57 games and 213 at-bats (75-for-213). Through the East Regional, he was tied for 16th in the country in runs batted in (69), ranks 26th in runs batted in per game (1.25), is tied for 27th in walks (41), is tied for 45th in home runs (14) and is tied for 48th in total bases (135). Within the Northeast-10, Jabs ranks first in home runs and runs batted in; second in slugging percentage and walks; third in on-base percentage; tied for fourth in runs scored (61); tied for fifth in hits; seventh in batting average; tied for 11th in doubles (13); tied for 13th in triples (3); and tied for 17th in stolen bases (16).
The Ravens (48-9) captured the seventh NCAA Regional title in program history on May 23, with a 6-3 win over Southern New Hampshire. The Ravens also claimed their fifth straight Northeast-10 Conference Northeast Division title during the 2016 campaign. Over 109 games since the start of the 2015 season, Franklin Pierce owns a 96-13 record (.881), which is the best winning percentage in the nation in that timeframe.
For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce baseball apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).