Chicago Cubs select Michigan State pitcher Riley McCauley in 14th round of MLB Draft

Michigan State junior pitcher Riley McCauley was selected in the 14th round of the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft on Wednesday.
 
McCauley was selected in the 14th round (pick number 428 overall) by the Chicago Cubs.
 
This marks the third-straight year that a Spartan has been drafted by the Cubs, joining Dakota Mekkes (2016) & Brandon Hughes (2017).
 
With McCauley’s selection in the 2018 MLB Draft, MSU has had 31 draft selections under head coach Jake Boss Jr.
 
McCauley, a native of Stevenson, Michigan, made 18 appearances this season, including starting in his first seven outings, before shifting back to the bullpen for the final 11 appearances. He tied for seventh in the Big Ten this season with five saves, which all came in conference action, ranking him fifth in the Big Ten only stats.
 
Last season, McCauley posted nine saves, tying for the No. 3 mark on the MSU single-season saves list. McCauley’s 14 career saves is also tied for the No. 3 spot on the Spartans’ career saves list, matching Brad Lamont (1987-90), and the most by an MSU relief pitcher since Jeff Kinley’s 20 saves (2011-15).
 
In McCauley’s 11 appearances out of the bullpen, primarily as the Spartans’ closer, he did not allow a run in nine of those 11 appearances in 14.2 IP, with 23 strikeouts, while chalking up five saves and a 1-0 record over that span, yielding only 14 hits, and just three of them being for extra bases in that stretch.
 
In his first collegiate start, McCauley fired a career-high 12 strikeouts in the loss at Fresno State on Feb. 16. After making 25 relief appearances last season, McCauley moved to the starting rotation and made the first start of his career and went 6.0 complete, allowing just one run on two hits, walking two and firing a career-high 12 strikeouts. McCauley became the first MSU pitcher with 12+ Ks since Cam Vieaux chalked up 13 vs. UConn, March 15, 2015.
 
McCauley’s 12 strikeouts was tied for the most in a single-game this season in the Big Ten, joined by Jonathan Stiever of Indiana (vs. Pacific on March 9) and Tyler Blohm of Maryland (vs. Stetson on March 24).
 
McCauley fired 61 strikeouts this season, ranking just outside the top 15 in the Big Ten. He tallied 125 Ks for his career.
 
Last year, the Spartans had four players drafted: Alex Troop (Washington, ninth round, 283 overall), Brandon Hughes (Chicago Cubs, 16th round, 495 overall), Nathan Witt (Los Angeles Dodgers, 17th round, 520 overall) and Joe Mockbee (Chicago White Sox, 29th round, 867 overall).
 
MSU had four juniors selected in the 2016 draft: Cam Vieaux (sixth round, Pittsburgh), Jordan Zimmerman (seventh round, Los Angeles Angles), Dakota Mekkes (10th round, Chicago Cubs) and Matt Byars (24th round, Minnesota). The year prior, a school-record eight players were taken in 2015: Cam Gibson (fifth round, Detroit), Ryan Krill (ninth round, New York Yankees), Anthony Misiewicz (18th round, Seattle), Cam Vieaux (19th round, Detroit), Jeff Kinley (28th round, Miami), Mick VanVossen (28th round, Washington), Blaise Salter (31st round, Detroit) and Mark Weist (37th round, San Francisco).

— MSU Athletic Communications