NORFOLK, Va. – For the first time since 2008, Old Dominion University had three right-handed pitchers selected in the MLB Draft, as Aaron Holiday and Ryne Moore were taken on day three of the draft today. Holiday was taken in the 13th round, 398th overall by the Oakland A’s, while Moore was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 18th round, 537th overall. Hunter Gregory was taken in the eighth round yesterday by the Toronto Blue Jays.
Gregory was the 242nd overall pick in the draft.
Gregory pitched in 16 games with 15 starts this season and went 8-2 on the year and was third in Conference USA with a 2.95 ERA. He ranked sixth in C-USA with 88 strikeouts and walked just 19, while opponents hit just .223 off of him. In 79.1 innings, Gregory allowed 65 hits and 26 earned runs.
A native of Chesapeake, Gregory tossed three complete-games this season, one of them was a two-hit shutout in an 8-0 ODU victory. He struck out a career-high tying 11 in a six-inning performance against Rhode Island and gave up just one hit in his final performance of the season against Virginia, striking out two and retiring 16-straight before giving up his lone hit on the day.
For his ODU career, Gregory has appeared in 69 games and made 28 starts. He is 20-10 with a 4.13 ERA in 220 innings, with 254 strikeouts and 82 walks.
Holiday pitched in 20 games this season with all but one appearance coming out of the bullpen. He went 4-2 with a 3.21 ERA and one save. On the season he pitched 28 innings, striking out 43 with 32 walks, while allowing opponents just a .150 batting average.
A native of Bear, Delaware, Holiday earned the win pitching 1.1 shutout innings in ODU’s 7-5, 10-inning win over Louisiana Tech in the Conference USA Championship game. He also earned the save, pitching two hitless innings with two strikeouts in ODU’s 2-1 win over South Carolina in the NCAA Regionals.
Holiday continued pitching well over the summer, as he tossed five shutout innings with nine strikeouts and two saves in the Cape Cod League for the Harwich Mariners.
Moore led ODU and was tied for 22nd in the nation with nine wins and was 9-1 on the season with a 3.16 ERA. He pitched in 17 games with 14 starts and pitched a team-high 85.1 innings. He notched 80 strikeouts with 22 walks, allowed 30 earned runs and opponents hit .236 off of Moore.
His potential final outing as a Monarch was a memorable one, as he pitched seven innings, allowing three hits and one run and eight strikeouts in ODU’s 2-1 NCAA Regional win over South Carolina. He earned a spot on the Columbia All-Regional Team, and also earned second-team All-Conference USA accolades.
For his career, Moore is 17-8 with a 3.82 ERA in 56 appearances and 35 starts. In 223.2 innings, he recorded 169 strikeouts.
In 2008, ODU had four right-handed pitchers taken in the draft, Daniel Hudson – 5th Chicago White Sox, Anthony Shawler – 9th Detroit Tigers, Dexter Carter – 13th Chicago White Sox and Ryan Bergh – 26th Philadelphia Phillies.
ODU went 44-16 this season and won the Conference USA Championship for the first time in school history. ODU defeated Jacksonville and South Carolina in the NCAA Regional before falling to Virginia in the regional final. ODU finished the season ranked No. 16 in the final polls, the highest end of the season ranking in school history.
