TAMPA (JUNE 10, 2016) – University of South Florida pitcher Tommy Eveld (Tampa) was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the ninth round of the 2016 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft on Friday.
Eveld made 29 appearances and one start for the Bulls in 2016. The redshirt junior assumed the role of closer this year and his team-high nine saves were the fourth-most in the American Athletic Conference. His 2.21 earned run average was also the lowest on the USF pitching staff.
A former Bulls football player, Eveld transitioned to pitching in 2015, when he tried out for the USF baseball team. After not pitching during high school, the right-hander successfully earned a roster spot and began his budding baseball career.
Eveld made 13 appearances in 2015, and earned his first collegiate win against Seton Hall on March 8.
Some of his notable performances came during the 2016 season. Eveld threw a career-long 7.0 scoreless innings in relief against Holy Cross on March 11, when he struck out a career-high nine batters. His resilient outing earned the Bulls a 3-2 victory in 15 innings. Eveld also delivered another 5.0 scoreless innings in relief at Cincinnati on April 3, yielding just two hits in the no decision.
This spring, Eveld was also named the Most Improved Athlete at the USF Stampede of Champions event.
Stay tuned to GoUSFBulls.com each Friday as we will update you on Eveld's progress in our “Bulls in the Pros” weekly feature.
The University of South Florida baseball team is one of the fastest rising programs in the country. Under the guidance of first year head coach Mark Kingston, the Bulls reached the NCAA Regionals last season for the first time in 13 years and USF followed that success with a consensus Top 10 recruiting class. Five players from that recruiting class are everyday starters in 2016 including outfielder Chris Chatfield (Riverview, Fla.), who leads the team in home runs, and outfielder Garrett Zech (Naples, Fla.), who has the fourth most sacrifice bunts in the country. The USF Baseball program has won five conference titles and the Bulls have made 11 NCAA appearances. Follow the baseball team on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram), visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information, and purchase tickets for upcoming games at USFBullsTix.com .
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