When pitcher Kevin Vaupel was selected in the 16th round of the MLB Draft on Tuesday, he joined a list of Seton Hill alumni who have found their way into pro baseball.

Vaupel, a South Park alum who was taken by the Miami Marlins with the 473rd pick, is the sixth Seton Hill player to be drafted.

The left-hander is the second Griffins player picked in three years, joining another southpaw in Patrick Monteverde, an eighth-round pick of the Marlins in 2021 who played in Saturday’s MLB Futures Game.

Vaupel is the highest-drafted Seton Hill graduate. Monteverde was drafted out of Texas Tech.

“I can’t describe how happy I am for Kevin and his family,” Seton Hill coach Marc Marizzaldi said. “It’s a cliche, but nobody deserves it more. Like most professional athletes, he is driven. He’s a great competitor and has a great work ethic. But he’s been through so much the last four years.”

Vaupel was the roommate of late Griffins pitcher Maclean Maund, a Penn-Trafford graduate who was killed in a car accident in 2020.

“It was a devastating thing for an 18-year-old to process and move on from,” Marizzaldi said of Vaupel. “Then, covid hit a month later in his freshman year. Coming back as a sophomore, Kevin asked to wear Maclean’s jersey, No. 40. And he was determined to honor Maclean the rest of his career wearing that uniform.

“He had great starts to his sophomore and junior seasons but didn’t finish either season very strong. He transformed his body and delivery the summer before his senior year, and it paid off. His velocity climbed, his stuff developed, and he jumped on the radars of a lot of MLB scouts.”

An elbow injury around midseason mark slowed Vaupel’s progress, but it did not wipe him from the radar.

“He was devastated,” Marizzaldi said. “But he remained a leader of our team and a tremendous teammate. I think we all assumed, when he had to shut down from throwing for six weeks, that his chances of moving on to pro ball after this season were all but gone. He applied to grad school here at Seton Hill and began planning to play his fifth year. The last month, he’s kept working and pushing himself back close to full health so that he could pitch in a competitive summer league. And then (Tuesday), he hears his name called.”

Other Seton Hill players to have their names called on draft day are Craig Lewis (2019, 33rd round, Baltimore Orioles), Perry DellaValle (2018, 27th round, St. Louis Cardinals), Alex Haines (2013, 33rd round, Colorado Rockies), and Rick Austin (2007, 33rd round, Philadelphia Phillies).

Vaupel struck out 175 and walked 38 in 158 innings in his time at Seton Hill. This year, he went 6-1 with a 2.04 ERA over nine starts.

Vaupel would be the 16th player to play post-college under Marizzaldi.

“I think having these guys move on from Seton Hill to professional baseball says a few things,” Marizzaldi said. “First, I think it is a reflection on some great assistant coaches that have poured themselves into developing our student-athletes. Kevin is one of many guys that transformed themselves during his time here. Second, the common thread between these kids moving on to pro ball is they are fierce competitors that care a lot about winning. I think professional organizations are valuing that more and more.

“But in the end, these young men are talented and self-motivated. We just create an environment that encourages them to grow into the best versions of themselves.”

Latrobe alum Jared Kollar, another pitcher, signed last year with the San Diego Padres and is playing in Double-A.

He and Monteverde are the only former Griffins currently pitching in the minors.

Others from Seton Hill who signed as free agents are Ben Vicini (2021, Washington Wild Things), Canice Ejoh (2021, Salina Stockade) , Kenny Wells (2019, Atlanta Braves), Cody Herald (2016, Washington Wild Things), Nick Sell (2015, Los Angeles Dodgers), Brendan Costantino (2015, Lake Erie Crushers), Rick Raraigh (2011, Traverse City Beach Bums), Pat Trettel (2010, Lincoln Saltdogs) and John Bachman (2007, Slippery Rock Sliders).

Congrats to longtime Dawg @kevinvaupel23 , 16th round pick of the @Marlins . Out of high school Vaup had D1 offers but decided to go to one of the top D2 programs in the country proving that you can be a draft pic out of @PSACsports Dawg➡️Griffen➡️Marlin ????#dawgsfamily https://t.co/ACHGekbKvy

— PITTSBURGH DIAMOND DAWGS BASEBALL (@PghDawgs) July 11, 2023

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