BOONE, N.C. — Luke Watts made his professional pitching debut Friday night, recording two strikeouts in a scoreless eighth inning as the Lake Erie Crushers won 7-0 at the Windy City ThunderBolts.
Watts finished his App State career last month and
signed Friday with the Ohio-based Crushers, who play in the independent Frontier League. He gave up one hit in addition to striking out the two batters as Lake Erie improved to 22-15. Its schedule within the 12-team league runs through early September.
With nine saves as an App State senior in 2018, Watts had the fifth-best season in program history. He appeared in 30 games and had a 2.29 ERA, helping him post a 2.37 ERA over 47 games in his final two seasons as a relief pitcher.
Fellow App State alum and recent 13th-round draft pick
Colin Schmid is now a member of the Johnson City Cardinals' bullpen. It's possible that he could make his pro debut tonight when the Cardinals play at home against Kingsport starting at 7 p.m.
