Rockies draft Pierpont
The Colorado Rockies drafted Matt Pierpont. The Canonsburg native was selected June 8 in the 26th round of the 2013 Major League Draft. The 6-2, 215-pound right-handed pitcher was the 769th overall pick.
He had his finest year this past season as he compiled a 3.38 earned run average and finished with a 4-5 record as Winthrop University’s’s No. 1 weekend starter. He made 13 appearances, all as a starter,and had two complete games as he led the staff in innings pitched (90.2) and strikeouts (80).
Over his four-year career, Pierpont had a 12-19 record and recorded 206 strikouts in 258.1 innings.
A Canon-McMillan High School product, he helped lead the Big Macs to the 2008 Quad A Pennsylvania State Championship.
Named the Observer Reporter Player of the Year in 2009, he also gained All-WPIAL honors that season. A two-time all-section performer, he was named to the All-State team in 2008.
His two-year career statistics include a .445 batting average, 15 doubles, seven home runs and 43 RBI. Pierpont also owns a 6-1 record on the mound with a 3.25 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 51 innings.
The 22-year-old son of Gary and Rena Pierpont received a degree in exercise science in May.
Ian Happ of Mt. Lebanon) has been named a 2013 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Freshman All-American.
The University of Cincinnati freshman started all 56 games for the Bearcats and led the team with 41 runs scored, 13 doubles, six homeruns and 47 walks. He recorded a team-high .322 batting average, .483 slugging percentage and a .451 on-base percentage. His 47 walks led the BIG EAST Conference while he placed fifth with 25 stolen bases.
Happ becomes the eighth Cincinnati player to earn Freshman All-America honors and the third since 2010.
A four-year letterwinner in high school, Happ guided Mt. Lebanon to a top eight finish in the PIAA. He accumulated a .449 career average with 33 doubles, five triples, 12 home runs and 65 RBIs in four seasons.
The two-year team captain earned Almanac Diamond Dozen honors from Rookie of the Year to MVP and gained all-section laurels as well as all-WPIAL his senior season. He was nominated for the New York Yankees East Coast Pro Showcase/Area Code game in 2011 and received a 2012 Rawlings All-Atlantic Region honorable mention from Perfect Game.
The 18-year-old son of Keith and Mary Beth Happ is an economincs major. His brother, Chris, played baseball at Duquesne from 2006 through 2010.