BOONE, N.C. — Left-handed pitcher
Colin Schmid, a 13th-round MLB draft pick following his junior season at Appalachian State, signed with the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday night.
Schmid said he will begin his professional baseball career with the Johnson City Cardinals, who play their home games 54 miles from Boone as a member of the Appalachian League.
"I'd like to express my gratitude to App Nation for giving me a place to call home these past three years," Schmid said. "Being able to wear that 'A' and be in a community like App State has been an honor. I am excited to begin what's next for me in the future with the St. Louis Cardinals, but I'll never forget the memories that have been made here. Roll Neers!"
Johnson City begins its short-season schedule Tuesday and has its home opener three days later, with a first pitch of 7 p.m. for that Friday night matchup against Kingsport. That begins a three-game home series, and the Cardinals return to Johnson City on July 2.
In just three college seasons, Schmid pitched well enough to rank third in App State baseball history with 224 career strikeouts, tied for fifth with 248.1 career innings and alone in sixth with 41 career starts.
Schmid had a 3.95 ERA with 12 victories over the final 36 appearances (35 starts) of his Appalachian career, as he posted a 3.61 ERA as a sophomore and allowed two earned runs or less in eight of his 14 starts as a junior.
Schmid tied for third place in App State's single-season records with 83 strikeouts in 85.0 innings this year after recording a team-best 79 strikeouts (tied for eighth place) in 2017.
