From College Athlete to Pro-Player

Lynn Alumnus Gets Drafted to the Orioles

Lynn Graduate, Shayne Fontana, was picked in the 23rd round of the 2019 MLB draft as an outfielder to play for the Orioles Organization.

Originally from Clinton Township, New Jersey, Fontana grew up on a baseball field. Fontana transferred to play baseball at Lynn his junior year and graduated from Lynn in May 2019. Fontana majored in Criminal Justice.

“The day I got drafted it was a crazy feeling and honestly a huge relief,” said Fontana. “It has been a dream of mine my entire life… I couldn’t stop shaking when I heard my name called.”

Just days after being drafted, on June 10, Fontana was sent to Sarasota, Florida to the Orioles Gulf Coast League. In a short amount of time Fontana was moved up to the Aberdeen Ironbirds on July 24.

Reaching greater heights, Fontana moved up once again on August 14 to the Delmarva Shorebirds, a Single A South Atlantic League team in Salisbury, Maryland. Fontana finished out the season with the Shorebirds, helping the team reach a 90 win record in the South Atlantic League.

“A challenge for me was constantly being on the move and adjusting to new coaches and teams while being far away from family and friends,” said Fontana. “I continue to learn more about the game and myself throughout this entire experience and feel grateful to have this opportunity.”

The outfielder ended his first season playing a total of 51 games. Fontana’s batting average was 275 and on base percentage was 370 with 49 hits, 15 stolen bases, 2 home runs and 19 RBI’s.

“I feel happy I made it through my first season as a minor league player and got to experience many ups and downs,” said Fontana. “I’m happy with how I finished the season and I have set higher goals for myself for next season.”

 

Kelly Marmo

Kelly Marmo is a sophomore majoring in communications and design. Marmo has a love for journalism, advertising and public relations, which all led her to become a member of iPulse. Outside of iPulse, Marmo’s interests include music, exercise and photography.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.