Chris Mederos Signs With Oakland As
6/29/2009 9:36:00 PM | Baseball
STATESBORO, Ga. ? Georgia Southern pitcher Chris Mederos (Valdosta/Lowndes County/Gordon College) signed a professional baseball contract with the Oakland As and reported to the Arizona League affiliate. He leaves the Eagles after an All-Southern Conference performance his junior year.
Not only was Mederos a First Team All-SoCon selection, he was also named to the SoCon All-Tournament team. In addition, the As 25th-round draft pick was named Third Team All-Ping!Baseball and Second Team All-Atlantic Region.
“I reported to the Arizona League to get into game shape, and they could be moving me to either Vancouver or Kane County whenever I'm ready. I have been throwing bullpen, will throw to hitters at the end of this week and could be pitching in games next week,” said Mederos. “It was a tough decision to make. I talked to my parents and see what they thought, and I thought about it all day after I got the news. I feel like I made a good decision. When I came here (to Arizona) it was what I thought it would be like, getting to play baseball all day and pursue my dreams (of playing professional baseball) further which is what I wanted to do since I was a little kid.”
Mederos becomes the sixth Eagle in the last two years to sign a professional contract and 10th in the last four years.
Mederos finished the year 11-1 with a 3.83 ERA in 94 innings. He struck out 113 batters to just 29 walks allowed, starting in all 16 appearances. He pitched at least five innings in all but one start. The right-hander struck out at least six batters in 13 of his 16 starts, including consecutive outings of double-digits (11 Ks versus Wofford, 12 against Davidson in the opening round of the SoCon Tournament).
Among the Georgia Southern season leaders, Mederos tied for 10th in wins, tied for sixth winning eight consecutive decisions, and fell just five strikeouts shy of joining that season list. He helped the Eagles to a 42-17 record, win their fourth SoCon Tournament championship and make the program's 12th appearance in the NCAA Regionals.
