Carpenter Elects To Play Professional Baseball
7/28/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
SPOKANE, Wash. - Gonzaga University pitcher Ryan Carpenter has chosen to forgo his senior season and sign a professional contract with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays drafted Carpenter in the seventh round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft this past June.
The Peoria, Ariz., native reported to the Hudson Valley Renegades of the Class A Short Season New York-Penn League and made his professional debut Wednesday night against the Auburn Doubledays. He threw five hitless innings with three strikeouts and a walk and received a no-decision in the Renegades 3-1 loss to the Doubledays.
Carpenter completed his junior season as one of the top pitchers in the West Coast Conference. He was named WCC Pitcher of the Year and was an All-WCC selection after posting an 8-2 record with a 2.62 earned-run average in 96 innings but his biggest achievement was leading the league in strikeouts with 107 overall. His strikeout list was also 21st-best in the country at the end of the regular-season.
In three seasons with the Bulldogs, Carpenter started 38 of 41 appearances, going 18-10 with a 4.21 earned-run average. He struck out 229 batters which placed him eighth in the all-time list.
