Drue Hackenberg Selected In Second Round Of MLB Draft By Atlanta

By: David Cunningham | Managing Editor
Drue Hackenberg became an Atlanta Brave on Sunday night. (Jon Fleming)

On Sunday night, Virginia Tech pitcher Drue Hackenberg was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the second round of the 2023 MLB Draft with the 59th pick. Per the MLB, his slot bonus is set for $1.369 million.

The right-handed pitcher from Palmyra, Va. became the fourth Hokie since 2020 to be a top-75 pick, joining outfielder Gavin Cross (No. 9 overall, 2022), pitcher Ian Seymour (No. 57 overall, 2020) and shortstop Tanner Schobel (No. 68 overall, 2022). He’s also the 12th Tech pitcher drafted in the John Szefc era, which dates back to June 2017. 

He’s the fifth Tech player to be selected in the second round of the draft and the second in back-to-back years, following Schobel. Moreover, he’s the fifth Hokie to be drafted by the Braves, joining Harold Williams (1979), Bean Stringfellow (1985), World Series winner Brad Clontz (1992) and Matthew Price (2008).

Hackenberg spent two seasons with the Hokies, earning All-American and All-ACC honors. He had a 4.45 ERA in his Tech career and started 31 games. He immediately became a staple of Tech’s rotation after stepping on campus, finishing 2022 with a 3.30 ERA and being named a consensus Freshman All-American.

Hackenberg held opponents to a .259 batting average that season, allowing just 34 runs in 92 ⅔ innings while striking out 87. On top of that, he finished with a 10-2 record. His 10 wins ranked 10th among all D-I pitchers and second in the ACC, and they were the most by a Virginia Tech pitcher since Devin Burke’s 11 in 2013.

As a sophomore, Hackenberg had a 5.70 ERA in 85 ⅓ innings, fanning 99 batters and allowing 54 runs. He yielded just 26 walks and was the key man in Tech’s pitching rotation, especially after Griffin Green suffered a season-ending injury. His best performance of the year came at Florida State in April when he threw a complete game, striking out 12 batters and allowing just three runs in a 4-3 win. That was two weeks after an 11-strikeout performance in eight innings in a 5-2 victory at Duke.

The youngest of the four Hackenberg brothers, Drue completed the family’s professional draft cycle on Sunday. Christian, who played football at Penn State under James Franklin and Brent Pry, was picked by the New York Jets in the 2016 NFL Draft. Brandon, who captained the Nittany Lions men’s soccer team, was selected by Orlando City SC in the 2021 MLS Draft. And Adam, who captained the Clemson baseball team, went to the Chicago White Sox in the 2021 MLB Draft.

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  2. Congratulations to Drue!

    And to Coach Szefc for leading a quality program!!

    1. YIKES!! Hurley & Worley were also drafted, by the Diamondbacks (80th) & Cardinals (275th), respectively!

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