ESU Postseason Honors (PDF)

Related: Bennie drafted by Oakland (24th round) Saturday

EAST STROUDSBURG - East Stroudsburg University right-handed pitcher Matt Festa has been selected in the seventh round (pick 207) of the 2016 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft by the Seattle Mariners on Friday, becoming the highest player selected in program history.

Festa (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph By The Sea) is the sixth ESU player selected in the MLB Draft, and the fifth in the last eight seasons under ninth-year head coach John Kochmansky.

He was named to All-America teams by the ABCA (second team) and NCBWA (third team), was one of 10 national finalists for the Brett Tomko Award (NCAA DII Pitcher of the Year), was a consensus All-Atlantic Region first team selection and was the PSAC East Co-Pitcher of the Year during a record-setting senior season.

He posted an 11-2 record with a 2.35 ERA, 105 strikeouts, 21 walks, 72 hits allowed and a .218 opponents batting average in 88.0 innings over 13 starts, including nine complete games and two shutouts. He won his first 10 starts of the season, the first PSAC pitcher to achieve that feat in at least a decade.

Festa set five ESU single-season records for wins (11), strikeouts (105), innings (88.0), starts (13) and complete games (9).

A three-year starter at ESU after transferring from Dominican (N.Y.), Festa set ESU career records for wins (23) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.1). He ranks second at ESU in career winning percentage (.767 - 23-7), tied for second in strikeouts (215), fifth in strikeouts per nine innings (9.1), sixth in innings (212.0), seventh in starts (33) and tied for 10th in complete games (13). He posted a career ERA of 3.52 and an opponents batting average of .254.

This spring, Festa helped ESU (38-18) set a school record for wins as the Warriors reached the NCAA Division II Tournament for the third time in six seasons.

ESU's previous highest MLB Draft pick was left-handed pitcher Jeremy Gigliotti, selected in the 19th round by the San Diego Padres in 2011.

Festa is the second ESU player selected by Seattle, joining third baseman/outfielder Mark Angelo, who was drafted by the Mariners in the 44th round in 2009.

Festa and Bennie are two of a PSAC-record nine MLB Draft picks in 2016 - listed below.

Festa was the third of 92 NCAA Division II players selected in this year's MLB Draft.

ESU's six MLB Draft picks in the last eight years are tied for second-most in the PSAC.


ESU MLB Draft History
1991 - Joel Bennett (21st round, Boston)
2009 - Mark Angelo (44th round, Seattle)
2011 - Jeremy Gigliotti (19th round, San Diego)
2013 - Joe Bennie (28th round, Oakland)
2014 - Chris Knott (34th round, Tampa Bay)
2016 - Matt Festa (7th round, Seattle)
2016 - Robert Bennie (24th round, Oakland)

MATT FESTA - game-by-game in 2016
Feb. 20 - W 13-7 at Chowan (5.0 IP, 0R, 3H, 7K, 3BB)
Feb. 28 - W 19-1 vs. Shepherd (7.0 IP, 0R, 5H, 8K, 1BB)
March 6 - W 10-4 at Pitt-Johnstown (6.0 IP, 3R, 7H, 7K, 1BB)
March 12 - W 27-5 vs. IUP (5.0 IP, 1R, 4H, 7K, 0BB)
March 18 - W 15-5 vs. Bloomsburg (7.0 IP, 5R/3ER, 9H, 6K, 3BB)
March 24 - W 13-0 at Kutztown (7.0 IP, 0R, 3H, 6K, 2BB)
March 31 - W 7-2 vs. Millersville (7.0 IP, 2R, 6H, 8K, 2BB)
April 8 - W 6-2 at Shippensburg (7.0 IP, 2R, 5H, 8K, 5BB)
April 15 - W 4-0 vs. Lock Haven (7.0 IP, 0R, 4H, 8K, 1BB)
April 22 - W 10-1 vs. Mansfield (7.0 IP, 1R, 3H, 11K, 0BB)
April 29 - L 5-4 vs. West Chester (6.0 IP, 5R, 6H, 10K, 3BB)
May 8 - W 5-2 vs. Seton Hill (9.0 IP, 2R, 5H, 9K, 0BB) - PSAC Tournament
May 19 - L 6-3 vs. Mercyhurst (8.0 IP, 6R/4ER, 12H, 10K, 0BB) - NCAA Tournament

PSAC top picks by draft spot since 2000
141 - Dan Altavilla (Mercyhurst) by Seattle in 2014
177 - Brandon Miller (Millersville) by Seattle in 2016
203 - Joe Wendle (West Chester) by Cleveland in 2012
207 - Matt Festa (ESU) by Seattle in 2016
207 - Randy Dicken (Shippensburg) by Toronto in 2004
212 - Mike McCardell (Kutztown) by Minnesota in 2007
215 - Ryan Uhl (IUP) by Seattle in 2015

2016 PSAC Draft picks (9 - most in PSAC history)
6th - Brandon Miller (Millersville, RHP) by Seattle
7th - Matt Festa (ESU, RHP) by Seattle
17th - Reid Anderson (Millersville, RHP) by Texas
18th - Colin McKee (Mercyhurst, RHP) by Houston
19th - Matt Swarmer (Kutztown, RHP) by Chicago Cubs
22nd - Hank Morrison (Mercyhurst, OF) by Minnesota
22nd - Mick Fennell (California, OF) by St. Louis
24th - Robert Bennie (ESU, OF) by Oakland
33rd - Tyler Orris (Millersville, SS) by Colorado

Most MLB Draft picks in PSAC since 2009 (16 schools)
7 - Mercyhurst
6 - ESU, Millersville
4 - Kutztown, Slippery Rock, West Chester