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Lock Haven pitcher drafted in the 10th round by Atlanta

Jacob Belinda

Former Lock Haven University pitcher Jacob Belinda was selected by the Atlanta Braves Tuesday in the 10th round with the 290th pick of the 2017 MLB Draft.

Belinda, who capped a solid four-year career for the Bald Eagles in the spring, is just the second player in school history to be selected in the MLB Draft, and he’s LHU’s first ever top-10 round draft pick.

This past spring Belinda, from Tyrone High School, went 6-2 and led LHU back to the PSAC postseason for the first time since 2009. The 6-foot right-hander struck out 78 batters, which marked the most strikeouts in school history for a single-season, and his six wins are the tied for the fifth-most in a single-season.

Belinda was named to the 2017 All-PSAC first team after the season. His 206 career strike­outs are the second most in school history.

Prior to the start of the season — Belinda’s senior campaign at LHU — he was named a 2017 Player to Watch by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.

He was named the collegiate wooden bat Prospect League’s No. 9 prospect last fall after he started its All-Star game and finished with a team-high 69 strikeouts. He made 10 appearances, nine starts, and had five wins with a 2.06 ERA.

After sensational 2016 summer season with the West Virginia Miners of the Prospect League, Belinda was named the league’s No. 9 prospect (September 2016). Belinda started the Prospect League All-Star game and finished the summer with a team-high 69 strikeouts. He made 10 appearances, nine starts, and finished with five wins and an impressive 2.06 ERA.

The only other LHU player drafted was Tom Sepela, by the Boston Red Sox in the 21st round in 1986.

Another player with area ties was taken in the fourth round, as Blooms­burg High School’s Colton Hock went to the Miami Marlins. Hock, a 6-foot-5 right-handed pitcher, led Stanford with a 2.08 ERA this spring and set a school record with 16 saves.

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