Pichardo drafted by Texas Rangers

Pichardo drafted by Texas Rangers

Freshman catcher, Reynaldo Pichardo, was selected on day 3 of the Major League Baseball Draft.  He was drafted in the 33rd round by the Texas Rangers.  Pichardo who hails from Miami, Florida, transferred in at semester break from Miami Dade CC to join Buccaneer Baseball for the spring season.  The freshman quickly earned the #1 catching spot, but also played 3B and 1B.

On the season, Reynaldo finished ranked nationally at the NJCAA DII level. He was 2nd in on base percentage at .604, 3rd in batting average at .506 and 10th in slugging percentage.  Those numbers got him selected as the Mon-Dak Conference Player of The Year, All Region XIII and the North Plains All-District Team.

Coach Lewis had this to say about today’s news, “We are all so happy for Rey, and couldn’t be prouder. He came in at winter break, very quiet, very humble and a desire to prove himself.  He has a great work ethic and a great desire to learn.  He had a great season by any standard and he is just a good baseball player all around.  He has a great approach at the plate and just never gave away at bats and on defense you could put him just about anywhere on the field and he was just fine.  He got a ton of interest from 4 year schools this season, but we knew his goal was to get drafted, so we are just thrilled he has achieved his goal.  He is just one of those guys that everybody loves, everybody roots for and his smile can affect everybody around him.  We wish him all the best and it will be a lot of fun to follow him in the next chapter of his life.”