Saint Leo Baseball’s Sims Selected in 2018 MLB Draft

SAINT LEO, Fla. – Saint Leo University Baseball saw two players get drafted by Major League Baseball organizations Wednesday night in the final day of the 2018 MLB Draft. Jake Sims and Zach Scott came off the board in the 31st and 32nd rounds, respectively of the MLB Draft. Waylon Richardson, who signed a letter of intent to come to Saint Leo, was selected in the 40th round by the Philadelphia Phillies.

“I’m excited for all three (Sims, Scott, Richardson) of these guys,” Head Coach Rick O’Dette stated. “They have worked extremely hard to get to this point. Jake (Sims) and Waylon (Richardson) have a decision to make, but either way we will support them 100%. Best of luck to Zach (Scott) on his future in the Mariners organization and we hope he continues to play ball like he was while wearing the Green and Gold.”
 
Sims and Scott join 49 other Lions to hear their name get called for the draft where Jake Sims is just one of two Saint Leo players to be drafted by the San Diego Padres, joining Darrin Reichie (1987) to be scooped up by the Padres, both pitchers for the Green and Gold. Zach Scott is now one of three players to get drafted by the Seattle Mariners, joining Daniel Torres (2013) and Taylor Perez (2015); all infielders.
 
Jake Sims, a first baseman and pitcher for the Green and Gold, wrapped up his first season with Saint Leo hitting .250 with 17 hits, nine runs scored, four doubles and four home runs. The Guelph, Ontario, Canada native, drove in 13 runs while finishing the 2018 season with a .485 slugging percentage and a .354 on-base percentage. On the mound, Sims held a 2.35 ERA in six appearances with 10 strikeouts and four hits allowed. The right-hander allowed just two runs in his 7 2/3 innings of work.
 
Zach Scott, a mainstay at second for his two seasons in the Green and Gold, concluded his senior season with a .312/.570/.386 slash line. The Scottsdale, Arizona native, recorded 58 hits on the year with 12 doubles, six triples and eight home runs while scoring 45 runs and driving in 42 RBI. Scott played all 49 games for the Lions and finished his senior season with a .947 fielding percentage with 85 putouts and 131 assists while turning 27 double plays.
 
Both Scott and Sims helped the Green and Gold to a 38-11 record and a 21-9 mark in the Sunshine State Conference. The Lions won 14 series on the year including a 2-1 win over Florida Southern, the No. 1 team in the South Region for the NCAA tournament. Saint Leo added nine series sweeps on the season including a best 5-0 record against SSC foe Eckerd. Four Lions were named All-Sunshine State Conference selections, Jordan Pendleton, Brett Coffel, Amir Wright, Peyton Isaacson, while Isaacson and Pendleton earned D2CCA, NCBWA and ABCA/Rawlings All-South Region honors for the 2018 season.
 
With the 1,187 pick in the 40th round, the Philadelphia Phillies selected Waylon Richardson (RHS). Richardson is a product of Kankakee Community College who signed a letter of intent to join the Lions team for the 2019 season as a junior. 
 
For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo baseball team be sure to visit SaintLeoLions.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.