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Maryland Baseball: Mike Shawaryn making noise in South Atlantic League

By Chris Bengel

Apr 3, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; A general view of Fenway Park during the fifth inning of the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 3, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; A general view of Fenway Park during the fifth inning of the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports /
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During his time at Maryland, it was clear that Mike Shawaryn had an abundance of potential.

So far in 2017, the former Terrapins starting pitcher is having a very successful season with the Class A Greenville Drive in the Boston Red Sox farm system.

Shawaryn spent three seasons at Maryland in which he was one of the most successful pitchers in program history. The Carneys Point (NJ) native owns school records for career strikeouts (307), career innings pitched (307.1), single season strikeouts (138, 2015), and single season wins (13, 2015).

Following his junior year in 2016, Shawaryn was selected by the Red Sox in the fifth round (No. 148 overall). He is currently ranked as the No. 12 prospect in Boston’s system.

Shawaryn currently owns a 3-2 record with a 3.61 ERA in nine starts for Greensville. The most impressive statistic for Shawaryn is the fact that he leads the South Atlantic League in strikeouts (69).

The former Terp is one of just two South Atlantic League pitchers that have eclipsed the 60-strikeout plateau this season. The other is Jordan Humphreys of the Columbia Fireflies (New York Mets affiliate), who has 65 punch-outs and leads the league in wins (seven).

In May, Shawaryn has a record of 1-1 and a 1.75 ERA while striking out 37 batters. He reduced his ERA from 4.63 to 3.61 in four starts this month.

The former Big Ten standout recorded a pair of double-digit strikeout games in May as well. Shawaryn punched out 12 hitters against the Augusta GreenJackets (San Francisco Giants) on May 6 and 11 against the Kannapolis Intimidators (Chicago White Sox) on Wednesday.

Shawaryn started six games for the Lowell Spinners (Class A, Low) in the New York Penn League last season after getting drafted. The former Maryland star had a 0-1 record with a 2.87 ERA while striking out 22 batters in just 15.2 innings.

In his six starts, he never pitched more than 3.0 innings or threw more than 59 pitches for the Spinners. Shawaryn also recorded at least three strikeouts in each of those six appearances.

Shawaryn is currently rated as the fourth-best pitching prospect in the Red Sox system. Only Jay Groome (No. 2), Roniel Raudes (No. 5), and Travis Lakins (No. 7) are rated ahead of Shawaryn.

There’s talk that Shawaryn may eventually transition to a reliever given Boston’s starting pitching staff. However, regardless of where he ends up, Shawaryn has the mentality to be a big-game pitcher.

Next: Maryland faces another high-powered offense in Denver

Shawaryn certainly has been tearing up the South Atlantic League over the last month. If he can continue that positive momentum throughout the season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Shawaryn move up in the system.

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