Southridge grad Conner O’Neil drafted by Mets

Once a three-time All-Conference selection for Southridge High School, relief pitcher Conner O’Neil — who recently graduated from Cal State Northridge — was selected by the New York Mets on Tuesday in the seventh round (217th pick) of the Major League Baseball Draft.

O’Neil is a 6-foot-2, 190-pound right-hander with a fastball that sits in the low 90s and a plus curve ball. He’s earned two All-Big West Conference nods — 2015 and 2017 — and posted a team-best 2.70 ERA with a 5-4 record and 63 strikeouts over 50 innings in his final collegiate season.

O’Neil left CSUN with the school record for saves in a single season (12 in 2015) and holds the lowest career ERA (2.53) since the program moved up to Division I. He also graduated with honors with a degree in liberal studies and a minor in humanities.

The Mets’ rookie league affiliate is the Kingsport (Tenn.) Mets of the Appalachian League, with the Short Season Minor-A Brooklyn Cyclones playing in the New York-Pennsylvania League.

This story was originally published June 13, 2017 at 4:22 PM with the headline "Southridge grad Conner O’Neil drafted by Mets."