Former Blue Devil Nick Garland Signs With Pittsburgh Pirates

Former Central Connecticut baseball standout Nick Garland has joined the Pittsburgh Pirates organization with a minor league deal it was announced. Garland graduated from CCSU in 2018 and played four seasons for the Blue Devils

As a senior in 2018, Garland started all 46 games and drove in a team-high 29 RBIs with 22 runs scored, while clubbing four home runs. Defensively, he turned in a .987 fielding percentage and picked off a team-high seven runners, which was also the most in the Northeast Conference. Garland also threw out 44 percent of attempted base stealers (20-of-45). A nominee on the Johnny Bench Award Watch List, he reached base in a team-best 17 straight games.

Garland is the eighth Blue Devil over the past four seasons to sign with professional organizations and he is the second member of the Blue Devils' 2018 squad to join the professional ranks. Garland will join fellow Blue Devil Dean Lockery in the Pittsburgh organization who was drafted by the Pirates in the 32nd round of the MLB First-Year Players Draft in 2018. 

Garland joins the ranks of the Pirates' organization after initially signing with with a pair of independent teams, the Normal Cornbelters and Washington Wild Things following his college career.

The current Blue Devils are back in action on Saturday when they play UMass in Annapolis, MD.