The list of pitchers who have completed a perfect game in Major League history is pretty short. At Loyola Marymount, it's not so much a list as it is a name.
Two and a half months after throwing the first perfect game in school history, that name -- belonging to right-hander Cory Abbott -- added another in a long list of accolades, as he was selected 67th overall by the Cubs, making him the final selection of the second round of the 2017 MLB Draft on Monday night.
The Draft will continue on Tuesday with Rounds 3-10. The MLB.com preview show begins at 12:30 p.m. ET, with exclusive coverage beginning at 1 p.m. ET.
• Cubs' 27th overall pick: Brendon Little
• Cubs' 30th overall pick: Alex Lange
The Cubs spent their first day taking three pitchers less than a week after senior vice president of player development and scouting Jason McLeod said the team would be focusing on pitching in the Draft, although he did note drafting impact players was the most important thing.
"We actually had a couple position players we were considering, too," McLeod said of the team's first two selections.
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But the way it broke, the Cubs were able to get the best of both worlds -- impact players and pitching. Certainly Abbott, the 187th-ranked Draft prospect according to MLB.com, left a mark all over the record books at Loyola Marymount.
In addition to his perfect game, Abbott set school records for lowest opposing batting average (.173) and most strikeouts-per-nine-innings (11.90) as a junior. He tied another Marymount record with 16 strikeouts in a game against Portland and went 8-0 with a WCC record 0.27 ERA over nine starts and 67 innings against WCC teams.
Abbott, who led the university to its first WCC title since 2000, was also named a First-Team All-American by multiple outlets as a junior. He was initially undrafted out of high school but raised his stock by adding a slider to his repertoire and moving his fastball into the 90-93 range.
In addition to Abbott, the Cubs also selected left-hander Brendon Little and right-hander Alex Lange with their first-round selections. Of those picks, Lange is the only one still going with his season, as he's preparing to pitch for LSU in the College World Series.
As for Little -- and presumably Abbott, who is in the same situation -- McLeod laid out his plans for when he'll get situated within the organization and begin throwing.
"We'll let it sink in with him and let him enjoy these next few days," McLeod said of Little. "Assuming everything goes well with the negotiation and the physical and all that, we'll put him on track and get him on a throwing program."