Two former pitchers for the Chesapeake College men’s baseball team recently joined Major League Baseball (MLB) organizations.
Mike YaSenka, a two-year Chesapeake College Skipjack, was a St. Louis Cardinals pick in the 17th round of the Major League Baseball 2019 draft.
“As a Skipjack, Mike showed the kind of commitment and focus necessary to go to the professional level. We look forward to watching his success as a professional,” said Director of Athletics and Head Baseball Coach Frank Szymanski.
The Franklin, Pa. native pitched two seasons for the Skipjacks before transferring to Eastern Illinois University.
“I loved my time at Chesapeake. I improved my skills and matured under Coach Szymanski,” YaSenka said. “Being part of the Skipjacks helped me advance in my baseball career and led to some amazing opportunities.”
The MLB Pipeline named YaSenka as one of the Top 20 2019 Draft picks off to a good start.
As YaSenka joined the Cardinals organization, another Skipjack was getting his MLB break.
Also this summer, the Chicago Cubs signed former Skipjack Joe Nahas as a free agent. While at Chesapeake, the Pennsylvania native was an All-American, and he later pitched for the Georgia Southern University Eagles.
“Joe was a hard working student athlete who was fully committed to Chesapeake College during his time here,” Szymanski said. “He was also a great teammate who supported all the players on our team.”
As a junior in the 2019 season, Nahas struck out 42 batters in 43 innings. This summer he was pitching in the Cape Cod League. As a pitcher with the Cotuit Kettleers, he threw 27 strikeouts this summer.
As a two-year regional community college, Chesapeake fields teams in six inter-collegiate sports. Skipjack student athletes can successfully transfer to programs at four-year institutions.
For more information about Chesapeake athletics, please contact Athletic Director Frank Szymanski at fszymanski@chesapeake.edu