Two members of the George Washington University baseball team were selected in the Major League Baseball draft this week, with shortstop Nate Fassnacht chosen by the Philadelphia Phillies and first baseman Dom D'Alessandro going to the Boston Red Sox.
Mr. Fassnacht was drafted in the eighth round, the 240th overall selection. He grew up about 70 miles away from Philadelphia in Ephrata, Pa., and has been a lifelong fan of the organization with his family still holding season tickets. He is the first Colonial selected in the top 10 rounds of the MLB draft since 2010. His selection is the fifth highest in Colonials baseball history.
Should he sign with the Phillies, Mr. Fassnacht would become just the second Colonial to play with the team. He was the third-highest selection in the A-10 this season.
Mr. Fassnacht, a rising senior, was named the A-10 10 Player of the Year and a third team All-American by Collegiate Baseball. The GW team MVP hit .372 and tied the school record with 23 doubles. He finished the year ranked among the nation's top 100 performers in 13 categories.
On the second day of the draft, Mr. D'Alessandro, B.A. ’19, was selected by the Red Sox with the final pick in the 22nd round.
The Colonials have had multiple selections in three straight drafts for the first time in program history with at least one pick in five straight drafts, the longest stretch in school history. The Colonials have seen a rapid increase in players selected in the MLB draft with nine draftees in the last five years, accounting for nearly 40 percent of the 23 all-time selections in program history.
One of the best hitters in the nation, Mr. D'Alessandro finished second in the NCAA with a .423 batting average, the highest in the A-10 since 2013 and 32 points higher than the second-highest mark in the conference this year. The Glassboro, N.J., native led the A-10 in hits, home runs, slugging percentage, on-base percentage and hits per game. He narrowly missed the league's triple crown, falling four RBI shy of the league leader, his teammate Mr. Fassnacht.
Dom Mr. D'Alessandro finished second in the NCAA with a .423 batting average. (GW Sports)
