Alec Sole figured he would be drafted this weekend. He received ample interest from clubs and scouts throughout his junior season at St. Louis University. And sure enough on Saturday afternoon Sole’s name flashed across the MLB Draft Tracker and his dream became a reality. The Tampa Rays selected him in the 18th round of the Major Leaugue Baseball First Year Player Draft.
“I didn’t know when it was going to happen,” said Sole, who graduated from Sachem North in 2011 and was with family at his sister’s home on the South Shore when he learned the news. “When they called my name, I was like, wow. It was really cool. I didn’t know what to do at first. It’s my dream and I’m still in shock.”
Sole helped Sachem North capture a Suffolk County Class AA Championship on the baseball diamond during his senior season in 2011. He was the winner of the Carl Yastrzemski Award presented to the top baseball player in Suffolk County and has secured his legacy as one of the top pitchers and shortstops to ever play for the Flaming Arrows.
While remarkably talented in high school, even Sole admits he has grown immensely in his three years of college baseball development at St. Louis. He focused more on his skills at shortstop and did not pitch much, though there is always that option if necessary in the pros. He also blossomed as a hitter, who specializes in contact, hitting for average and is consistently on base.
“In high school the coaches at Sachem were on the side of making me a mature person in terms of being tough,” he said, “but in college it was a whole new game. I took a new approach to hitting and fielding. The last three years have been so important in my career.”
As a junior, he led St. Louis with a .352 batting average, stole 10 bases and hit his first career home run. He had 20 multi-hit games and got on base in the last 26 games of the season while sporting a team-high on-base percentage of .419. A two-time All-Conference selection, Sole helped the Billikens to an Atlantic 10 Conference regular season title in 2014.
Just as he grew from high school to the college level, he’ll be making similar adjustments now as a professional. Sole says he’s thrilled to be a member of the Rays organization because they develop young, homegrown talent and build from within their system.
A lifelong Yankees fan, Sole went with his family to the Smithaven Mall Saturday afternoon to pick up Rays hats and gear. Sachem is Rays country now, thanks to Sole.
Not long after he was drafted, Sole hopped on a call with Brett Foley, an Area Supervisor Scout for the Rays based in the Midwest. Foley and a number of scouts were high on James Norwood, a right-handed pitcher for the Billikens, who was eventually drafted in the seventh round by the Cubs. Sole reaped the benefits of the added scouts and performed well every time they were around.
He had one year of college eligibility left, but felt it was best to leverage the success of his junior season with the timing of the draft.
“It’s always been my dream to play pro ball, so now I get to do it,” he said. “I get to play ball and have fun for a living. It doesn’t get any better.”
He does not know the specifics of his deal yet, but he should be headed to either Rookie Ball or Short Season Single-A. Generally college players find themselves in short season ball because of their advanced development.
If this is the case for Sole, we’re all in luck. Tampa’s short season affiliate is the Hudson Valley Renegades of the New York Penn League, just a two-hour drive from the Sachem community. The Renegades play consistently in Brooklyn against the Cyclones and in Staten Island against the Yankees.
The Rays also selected fellow Long Island natives Chris Pike, who played at Southampton and Oklahoma City College (9th round), and Steve Ascher, who played at Mattituck and Oneonta (17th round).
Sole is the fifth Sachem alum to be drafted by a Major League team since 1979: Neal Heaton (Indians, 2nd round, 1981), Larry Huggins (Reds, 2nd round, 1983), Eric Reichenbach (Blue Jays, 39th round, 1988 and Mets, 6th round, 1991), and Mike Parisi (Cardinals, 9th round, 2004).
He also joins a growing list of professional athletes from Sachem on the professional ranks. Sachem East alum Keith Kinkaid plays in the New Jersey Devils’ organization, while Sachem alum Doug Shanahan is on the Florida Launch and Sachem East alum Vito DeMola is on the New York Lizards of Major League Lacrosse.
Interestingly, there has been at least one player from each of Sachem’s baseball county championship teams to be drafted, including Heaton and Huggins from 1979, Reichenbach from 1987 and Sole from 2011.
“We’re all extremely proud of Alec,” said Sachem baseball coach Tom Gambino. “It’s nice to see a player who loves the game and works very hard to be rewarded like this. He’ll continue to represent Sachem proudly in all he does.”
Long Island natives drafted in 2014
- Brian Hunter: Reds out of Hartford, 9th Round (Port Jefferson Station, St. John the Baptist)
- Chris Pike: Rays out of Oklahoma City, 9th Round (Southampton)
- Steve Ascher: Rays out of SUNY Oneonta, 17th Round (Mattituck)
- James Lomangino: Rockies out of St. John’s, 18th Round (Connetquot)
- Alec Sole: Rays out of St. Louis, 18th Round (Sachem)
- James Duff: Mets out of Stonehill, 20th Round (Garden City)
- Tyler Badamo: Mets out of Dowling, 24th Round (Mount Sinai)
- Jesse Berardi: Philles out of Commack High, 40th Round
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro