ROANOKE, Va. – The 2024 MLB Draft has come to a close but not before more familiar names were taken off the board.
Virginia Tech infielder Christian Martin was tabbed by the St. Louis Cardinals in Round 18 at pick No. 531. The Amherst County native and former Lancer had career highs in hits (63), home runs (6) and RBI’s (36) in 2024. In fact, Martin ranked second on the team in runs (59) behind only Carson DeMartini. In his three years in Blacksburg, Martin carried a .313 career batting average.
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Just sixteen picks later, VMI pitcher Holden Wilkerson was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays. The Roanoke native and Cave Spring High School grad made four starts in 2024 before suffering a season-ending injury. He tallied 18.1 innings with 29 strikeouts. His season best was a showing of 6.2 innings with 10 K’s against Binghampton.
As a sophomore, Wilkerson appeared in 11 games, including eight starts. During his high school time with the Knights, Wilkerson proved to be a three-year letterman garnering all-district and all-region honors.
Liberty Christian Academy and VCU’s Christian Gordon was drafted in the 16th round by the Chicago Cubs. His career started at Liberty University before he transferred to the Rams program. In the past two season in Richmond, he’s made 24 appearances and toted a 10-4 record with an ERA of 4.16. His strikeout total more than tripled from 2023 to 2024, jumping from 31 to 102.
Other guys from the Commonwealth drafted on the third day included:
-Catcher Jason Schiavone of JMU to the Houston Astros (Rd. 11, No. 343)
-Pitcher Cayman Goode of Douglas S. Freeman High School to the Atlanta Braves (Rd. 12, No. 371)
-Outfielder Anthony Stephan of UVA to the Cincinnati Reds (Rd. 13, No. 389)
-Third baseman Brandon Eike of VCU to the Seattle Mariners (Rd. 13, No. 393)
-Catcher James Nunnallee of Lightridge High School to the Milwaukee Brewers (Rd. 14, No. 425)
-Pitcher Jordan Little of Virginia Tech to the Cincinnati Reds (Rd. 15, No. 449)
-Pitcher Brian Curley of VCU to the Pittsburgh Pirates (Rd. 16, No. 474)
-Pitcher Christian Gordon of VCU to the Chicago Cubs (Rd. 16, No. 482)
-Pitcher Kevin Warunek of Longwood University to the Philadelphia Phillies (Rd. 18, No. 552)
-Pitcher Joe Vogatski of JMU to the Pittsburgh Pirates (Rd. 19, No. 564)