Pat Gallagher, a sturdy starting pitcher during his three seasons at UConn, was chosen by the Blue Jays in the 11th round of the MLB draft on Tuesday.
“At a loss for words,” Gallagher tweeted. “A dream of mine since I was just a little boy. Thank you to all of my family, friends, teammates and coaches for getting me to this point in my career. I will continue to make you all proud.”
[ Former UConn pitcher/slugger Reggie Crawford drafted by Giants in first round ]
The draft wrapped up with rounds 11 through 20, with five players with state ties chosen.
Gallagher, a right-hander from Leominster, Mass., was 16-5 with a 3.77 ERA in 25 games, 27 starts, as a Husky. He was 11-3 this season, with wins in the Big East Tournament, the NCAA regional and the Super Regional.
The Jays already have a strong UConn influence, in All-Star outfielder George Springer, pitcher Anthony Kay and pitching coach Pete Walker. They chose Gallagher with the 338th overall pick.
Two other UConn pitchers were also drafted, Reggie Crawford in the first round on Sunday by the Giants and Austin Peterson in the ninth round by the Guardians on Monday.
Earlier in the 11th round, with the 320th pick, the Pirates chose left-hander Dominic Perachi, who pitched for Shepaug Valley High in Washington, and at Division III Salve Regina in Rhode Island. Perachi, 6 feet 4, pitched to a 1.00 ERA in 71 2/3 innings with 120 strikeouts and 20 walks in 2022.
UConn outfielder Casey Dana went to the Angels in the 16th round. Dana, a grad transfer from Seton Hall, hit .313 for the Huskies this past season, with 12 homers and 61 RBIs in 65 games.
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The Astros chose Boston College righthander Joe Mancini, who played at Fairfield Prep, in the 15th round, No. 463 overall. Mancini was 9-13 with a 5.91 ERA in 55 college games between 2019-22, but was most effective as a senior, going 4-4 with a 4.70 ERA in 13 starts, throwing 76 2/3 innings.
[ Dom Amore: ‘Relentless and unforgiving,’ UConn rolling through historic baseball season ]
Matt Scott was the lone state high school player chosen, by the Rangers in the 20th and final round. Scott, a right-handed pitcher who led Joel Barlow of Redding to the CIAC Class M championship, is committed to attend Stanford. The Gatorade player of the year in Connecticut, Scott was 11-0 with a 0.30 ERA, and 146 strikeouts in 69 1/2 innings for Barlow, and he also hit .564.
With the draft shortened to 20 rounds, several more state college players could be signed as free agents over the next few days.
Dom Amore can be reached at damore@courant.com.