Waechter Signs With Mets

WOU pitcher assigned to Brooklyn Cyclones of the New York-Penn League.

Salem-News.com Sports

MONMOUTH - Former Western Oregon standout pitcher Nick Waechter has signed with the New York Mets and has been assigned to the Brooklyn Cyclones of the Class A short-season New York-Penn League.

Waechter and the Cyclones will open the season on June 20 with a home contest against the Staten Island Yankees. The junior was a 23rd round pick of the Mets in last week`s major league draft.

The right-hander, who led the Wolves to a 40-16 record and sixth straight conference championship, was also selected this year as the west region pitcher of the year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and by the American Baseball Coaches Association. He was a first-team All-America pick, WOU`s first since moving to the NCAA Division II level.

Waechter was a perfect 12-0 in 2006 with a 2.36 earned-run average in 95 1/3 innings. He struck out 85 batters and walked just 21, while opponents batted a region-low .223 against him.

Waechter joins former teammate Greg McCarthy (2005) as WOU players currently playing professional baseball. McCarthy, who began the season with the Augusta Greenjackets of the San Francisco Giants organization, is currently in Arizona rehabilitating a minor injury.

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