Baltimore area stars will get a chance to pursue their professional baseball dreams
In addition early round draft picks Tyler Locklear (Archbishop Curley/VCU, 2nd Round to the Seattle Mariners) and Lamar King (Calvert Hall, 4th round to the San Diego Padres) three additional former area players will get the opportunity to pursue their Major League Baseball dreams.
Former Loyola Blakefield star Matt Wyatt, who had a break out in 2021 during the University of Virginia’s run to the College World Series, was selected in the 20th round of this week’s MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays. In addition, Everett Cooper, who played both baseball and basketball at McDonogh School before transferring to Pro5 Baseball Academy in North Carolina, was selected in the 16th round by the Washington Nationals, and Max Costes, a former star at Gilman who went on to become one of the top all-time power hitters at the University of Maryland, was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Baltimore Orioles.
In a 2021 NCAA Regional elimination game, Wyatt pitched five innings of scoreless relief against top-ranked South Carolina. He followed that performance with eight strikeouts in 5.2 innings of work against Dallas Baptist in the deciding game of the Super Regionals, before pitching three innings of scoreless relief against Tennessee, to earn a save, in the World Series. As a junior he was limited to just 15 games, all out of the bullpen and did not allow a run over his first five appearances.
Cooper, a shortstop, was a preseason All-State selecting by the Maryland State Association of Baseball Coaches in 2020. He is a switch hitter with great athleticism. Costes, a native of Baltimore, hit 40 home runs during his career at the University of Maryland and was a first-team All-Big 10 selection as a senior.
Pictured above: Matt Wyatt
