CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - University of Maine standouts and 2013 America East First-Team All-Conference selections Michael Fransoso and Mike Connolly both were picked in the 27th round of the 2013 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft on Saturday.
Fransoso, the 2013 America East Player of the Year, was taken 809th overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates. A shortstop, Fransoso batted .352 on the year with 49 RBI and 45 runs scored to go along with four home runs, 20 stolen bases and a .941 fielding percentage. Fransoso, a third team All-American, is Maine's all-time leader in stolen bases and ranks second in career runs scored.
Connolly was taken just a short time later, going 822nd to the San Francisco Giants. Connolly, a junior, was named to the America East first team as a catcher and the America East second team as a pitcher. Connolly was 6-4 on the mound for the Black Bears with a 2.11 earned run average to go along with 46 strikeouts in 76.2 innings. He hit .310 on the year with 54 hits, including six doubles and a home run, while driving in 14 and scoring 21 runs.
The America East had a record 12 players drafted in the 2012 draft including Stony Brook's Travis Jankowski in the first round. Carlos Pena is the highest pick in conference history, going 10th in 1998.