LOS ANGELES – Campbell’s Thomas Harrington was selected 36th overall in the first round (competitive balance round A) round by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the MLB Draft in Los Angeles. He is the second Camel taken this year, joining Zach Neto at 13th by the Angels.
With his selection, Campbell became the first program to have two players taken in the 2022 draft.
Harrington was named the 2022 Big South Pitcher of the Year and a unanimous all-American by all major publications, including a D1Baseball first-team all-American.
The righty led the nation as the only pitcher with 12 wins this season, going 12-2 with a 2.53 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. He struck out a program-record 111 batters while walking just 18.
Harrington tossed at least 6.0 innings in every start, and did not allow more than two earned runs in a start until May 19. He earned the win at the Knoxville Regional going 7.0 innings against Georgia Tech, one of the nation’s top-rated offenses.
The Sanford, N.C. native departs Buies Creek with an 18-5 record in 31 starts on the mound. He struck out 186 and walked only 46 in 168.1 innings across his two seasons. His career 2.94 ERA is good for fourth-best in program history among pitchers with 100.0 innings pitched, and is tied for seventh in all-time wins, doing so in far less starts than every pitcher above him.
Harrington is the first Campbell pitcher to be drafted since 2019, when Seth Johnson, Tyson Messer and Michael Horrell were all selected. He is the highest drafted pitcher ever from Campbell, coming in four picks ahead of Seth Johnson (R1, P40) in 2019.
He is the 11th player to be drafted since Justin Haire took over the program in 2015, and the 43rd player to ever be taken out of Campbell.
He and Neto are the first time Campbell has ever had two players taken in the first round, and are the two highest picks in program and Big South Conference history.
