Mountaineers finding

out where to report
By Steve Behr

Now that Appalachian State has seen four players selected in the Major League First-Year draft last week, it’s time for those players to report to their respective teams.

Center fielder Rand Smith and relief pitcher Zach Quate both know for sure where they’ll play this summer.

Third baseman Isaac Harrow and starting pitcher Josh Dowdy will find out, mostly likely by Wednesday.

All of them will likely be playing in Rookie League baseball leagues. They went through some workouts to see where their parent organizations want them to begin their professional careers.

“I’m excited for those guys,” Mountaineers coach Chris Pollard said after the Baltimore Orioles made Dowdy their 38th-round pick. “I really believe those four will go and represent Appalachian State well.”

Quate, who was drafted in the 14th round by the Tampa Bay Rays, will play for Hudson Valley (N.Y.) in the New York-Penn League. Quate was the closer for Appalachian State and successfully picked up 11 saves on 11 attempts for the Mountaineers.

Smith, a 20th-round selection of the Florida Marlins, will play in Jamestown, N.Y., also in the New York-Penn League. Smith hit successfully in 52-of-54 games for the Mountaineers this past spring.

Harrow is still going through workouts with the New York Yankees’ staff, who made it their 24th selection.

Harrow, who set numerous hitting records at Appalachian State, will probably play at either Staten Island of the New York-Penn League or in Tampa in the Gulf Coast League.

Dowdy, a starter in the Mountaineers weekend rotation, will either play in Aberdeen, Md. of the New York-Penn league, or in Bluefield, Va. of the Appalachian League.

The four were the latest Mountaineers to be selected in the draft. Last year, Jason Rook (Orioles), David Rubinstein (Pirates) and Garrett Sherrill (Brewers) were also selected in the draft. Those three players left college as juniors to pursue professional baseball.

The four who were picked this year were all seniors, giving the class of 2009 seven players who have been drafted by the big leagues.

“It’s credit to those guys who have worked hard to develop themselves,” Pollard said. “Hopefully, it’s a good validation as to what we’re doing as a program. More than anything, I’m happy they’ll get the opportunity. They’ve put in the hard work and it’s a good reward for all the hours they’ve spend to get to this point.”
“It’s crazy isn’t it?” Dowdy added. “Seven guys in two years is in itself impressive.”