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Sean Heppner goes in the 12th round to Cleveland while Vicarte Domingo is picked in the 19th round by San Diego
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Published Jul 17, 2024 • 4 minute read
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Right-handers Sean Heppner and Vicarte Domingo are the latest UBC Thunderbirds chosen in the MLB amateur draft, and there’s a case that they are two of the more important selections ever for the program.
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Heppner having his named called by the Cleveland Guardians in the 12th round and Domingo being tabbed by the San Diego Padres in the 19th on Tuesday means that there has been 27 picks all-time from the T-Birds.
Centre fielder Derran Watts was the first in 2001, selected in the 12th round by the New York Mets. Lefty Jeff Francis is easily the best known, thanks to the No. 9 overall choice in 2002 by the Colorado Rockies and going on to have an 11-year career in the bigs. Francis, who is from North Delta, sits seventh all-time in wins (72) in the majors for Canadians.
MLB previously had a 40-round draft, but it cut the process to five rounds in 2020 and 20 rounds in 2021 due to the COVID pandemic. During that time, MLB also remade the minors, abolishing the entire short-season, single-A level as part of dropping 43 farm teams across the system. The 20-round draft has remained.
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There were 615 selections in this year’s draft that wrapped up Tuesday when you factor in the extra choices for things like losing free agents. In 2019, there were 1,217 picks made in total.
It makes Heppner and Domingo being selected all the more meaningful for what coach Chris Pritchett is trying to accomplish with UBC.
“I think it’s going to be a real eye opener for Canadian recruits deciding where to go, seeing that we can be a real pathway to the draft,” said Pritchett, the former triple-A Vancouver Canadians first baseman who took over running the UBC dugout from Terry McKaig in 2015.
“This says something about those two kids as athletes and about the way they’ve been prepared for pro baseball.”
⚾️ BASE | DRAFTED 🚨
A big congratulations to third-year RHP Sean Heppner on his selection in the 12th round of the @MLBDraft by @CleGuardians! 👏
We appreciate your dedication & leadership with the T-Birds & we’re thrilled to see you rewarded for your hard work.#GoBirdsGo https://t.co/YxVLfIrb1b
— UBC Thunderbirds (@ubctbirds) July 16, 2024
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The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Heppner is from Point Roberts, but went to high school at Vancouver College and played in the B.C. Premier Baseball League with the Delta Blue Jays, the same program that featured Francis coming through the ranks, as well as Justin Morneau and James Paxton.
Heppner’s fastball has been topping out at 96 miles per hour. He mixes in a curveball and change-up, and is working on a slider. Pritchett pegs the 21-year-old Heppner as an “exceptional athlete” and a “workhorse.”
He struck out 16 in six and one-third innings in an 11-5 win over the visiting Idaho Yotes on March 8. He allowed just a single hit and walked one that game.
He wound up the season 6-2 in 14 starts, with 107 strikeouts in 71 and one-third innings.
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He has played in the summer collegiate all-star West Coast League with both the Victoria HarbourCats and Kamloops NorthPaws in the past.
Domingo, 21, is also a former member of the NorthPaws. He is from Vancouver, and grew up playing South Vancouver Little League with Pritchett’s son Otis, who is now a righty as well with the T-Birds.
“I remember him from blast ball and t-ball. I remember him from all the balls. I definitely feel pretty old right now,” Chris Pritchett said.
⚾️ BASE | DRAFTED 🚨
A big congratulations to third-year RHP Vicarte Domingo on his selection in the 19th round of the @MLBDraft by @Padres! 👏
We appreciate your commitment, leadership & impact with the T-Birds & look forward to seeing you progress.#GoBirdsGo https://t.co/WzuQnUUSsO
— UBC Thunderbirds (@ubctbirds) July 16, 2024
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Domingo played in the Premier League with the UBC Thunder, who aren’t an automatic feeder to the Thunderbirds but do share facilities and some coaches.
The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Domingo has a “major-league change-up,” according to Pritchett, and he pairs that with a fastball that has hit 97 miles per hour. He also has a cutter.
UBC used Domingo as both their closer and a starter this season, and he finished 2-4, with a 3.32 earned run average and five saves in 16 appearances, including two starts. He struck out 55 in 40 and two-third innings.
He struck out 11 in four and two-thirds scoreless innings in relief against the visiting Lewis-Clark State Warriors in an 8-6 loss on April 20. He gave up two hits and walked no one. He scattered seven hits, gave up two earned runs, and struck out five while walking two in an 8-1 loss at Lewis-Clark in the playoffs on May 13.
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UBC finished 34-21, losing out in May in their opening round qualifying tournament for the NAIA World Series.
Heppner and Domingo are the first UBC players drafted since righty Garrett Hawkins was picked in the ninth round by the San Diego Padres in 2021. Hawkins, 24, is sitting out this season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last August, but the 6-foot-5, 230-pounder is the Padres’ No. 24 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. He had advanced to the high-A level and has struck out 162 in 123 and one-third innings over his three seasons in pro ball.
UBC infielder Ty Penner signed a free-agent deal with the Philadelphia Phillies after the 2022 draft. Penner, 24, is playing this season with the Glacier Range Riders, a team in Kalispell, Montana that is in the independent Pioneer League.
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Also with B.C. players drafted this week, catcher Connor Caskenette of Duncan, who finished his season with the Purdue Boilermakers in May, went nine picks after Heppner in the 12th round, with the Miami Marlins calling his name. The 6-foot, 215-pound Caskenette hit .308, with 14 homers and 71 runs batted in for Purdue in 56 games this past season. He’s also WCL alum, having played with the Nanaimo NightOwls.
sewen@postmedia.com
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Courtesy : https://theprovince.com/sports/baseball/fireballing-ubc-pitching-duo-have-names-called-in-sleeker-smaller-mlb-draft