Reunion? A's draft HS teammate of '21 pick
Most high school reunions are held in an old gymnasium or some kind of hand-picked venue. The Oakland Athletics organization, however, has put together a new twist on the concept.
Oakland selected RHP Vince Reilly in the 18th round of the 2022 MLB Draft on Tuesday, which could pave the way for a pair of former Thousand Oaks High School teammates to reunite on the diamond.
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If Thousand Oaks High School sounds a little too familiar, it’s because the A's recently drafted a shortstop from that very same school just a year ago.
That’s right. Max Muncy.
Muncy -- Oakland’s No. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline -- was the A's first-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, going 25th overall. Muncy is currently playing for Single-A Stockton, where he’s hitting .230/.352/.799 with 16 home runs and 51 RBIs.
As for Reilly, he and his twin brother, Blake, played alongside Muncy in 2019 while they were seniors and Muncy was a sophomore. Together, they helped lead the Thousand Oaks baseball team to its first league championship in over a decade. Vince finished that season with a 2-0 record and 0.98 ERA over 10 appearances.
Vince started his college career at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa before transferring and joining his brother at Grand Canyon University.
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As a junior at GCU this season, Vince compiled a 7-1 record out of the bullpen (34.2 IP, 4.93 ERA) with 14 saves on his way to being named to the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings NCAA Division I West All-Region Second Team.
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Vince was one of 11 pitchers selected by Oakland in this year’s Draft. He’ll have until Aug. 1 to sign with the organization and reunite with an old teammate.