MARIETTA, Ohio — After just 15 days with the Gary (Indiana) Southshore RailCats of the American Association, Marietta College All-American pitcher
Christian Herstine (Beaver, Pa./Beaver Area) signed a contract with the New York Yankees Thursday (July 7). Herstine will report to the Yankees spring training site in Tampa, Fla. and then be assigned to either their Rookie or Advanced A teams; both are based in Tampa.
"I've been presented with a great opportunity and learning experience that I'm absolutely enjoying," Herstine said. "The Yankees have been and are one of my favorite teams and I've always dreamed of playing in their organization."
Herstine became the 50th former Pioneer to sign a professional baseball contract when he inked a deal with the RailCats on June 21st. He made five relief appearances for Gary and was 1-0 with a miniscule 1.03 earned run average. The hard-throwing right-hander worked 8.2 innings striking out 10 and faced just three batters over the minimum.
In his professional debut on June 22nd, Herstine threw 2.0 innings and struck out a pair of batters. He picked up his first professional victory on June 26th with 1.0 inning of perfect relief striking out two more.
"Now that I've made the first step of getting to this point, I have to work even harder and continue to play my best and hopefully make it to the show one day," Herstine said. "Until then, I still go out, have fun and enjoy the game I love."
Herstine is the first Pioneer to sign professionally since Marietta had a trio of players sign following the 2012 season. Austin Blaski, Kyle Lindquist and Tim Saunders all received contracts after the Etta Express won the 2012 National Championship.
"We are really excited for Christian to get a chance to play at the next level," Marietta pitching coach
Cody Castle said. "All of his hard work has given him the opportunity to continue to pitch after a great career at Marietta."
With the addition of Herstine, Marietta has three active players in pro ball. Mike Demark and Ryan Dennick, both members of the Pioneers' 2006 National Championship team, are playing with the York Revolution and the Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic League, respectively.
Herstine finished his collegiate career in the pinstripes with a 26-10 record. He posted a 2.06 earned run average and amassed 278 career strikeouts, good for fifth pace on Marietta's all-time list.
After establishing himself as the staff ace during his sophomore season, Herstine would go on to collect four All-American honors, six All-Mideast Region nods and was a three-time first team All-Ohio Athletic Conference pick earning the OAC's Kent Tekulve Pitcher of the Year Award twice.
This spring Herstine was 9-4 with a 2.32 ERA. His 114 strikeouts were the second most in Division III.
The Etta Express finished the 2016 season with a 28-17 overall record and claimed the OAC Tournament championship for the second straight year. Marietta made its NCAA-record 41st appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Fans can follow the Etta Express year around at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter and Instagram.
