YSU’s Frank Califano drafted by White Sox

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Youngstown State junior outfielder Frank Califano continued the Penguins’ recent tradition with the Major League Baseball Draft.

The Chicago White Sox selected Califano with their 19th-round selection, the seventh in that round, on Wednesday. He is the fifth Penguin to be drafted in the last six years, and he is the sixth player in program history to be taken in the first 20 rounds.

The only YSU position players to go higher than the 19th round are Chris Durkin, a third-round pick in 1991, and Drew Dosch, a seventh-round selection in 2013.

“We are really excited for Frank and his family and not the least bit surprised he was drafted by the White Sox,” YSU head coach Steve Gillispie said. “Frank showed he was an elite college player from the beginning of the season and maintained a very high level of play through the conference tournament.”

Califano came to YSU prior to the 2015 season after spending two years at Golden West College in Huntington Beach, Calif.

The 5-foot-11 center fielder and leadoff hitter was a first-team All-Horizon League selection in 2015 as he batted .362 with 19 stolen bases.

He ranked second in the conference in both batting average and steals, and he was six points shy of winning the regular-season batting title.

Califano hit safely in each of YSU’s final 24 Horizon League contests, helping him post a league-best .383 batting average in conference play. He finished the season on a 19-game hitting streak.

Califano finished the season with 75 hits, which tied for the ninth-most for a year in school history. Additionally, his 19 steals were the most by a Penguin since Kendall Schlabach and Kellen Dixon had 19 in 2001.

Califano batted .329 and stole 20 bases as a sophomore at Golden West College, an improvement upon the .292 mark he posted as a freshman. He was a four-year letter-winner and star pitcher at Steele Canyon High School, near San Diego.

Mooney’s Vazquez undrafted

Pitt senior outfielder Boo Vazquez, a Cardinal Mooney High graduate, went undrafted on Wednesday.

A 38th-round pick by the Colorado Rockies coming out of high school in 2011, Vazquez was a four-year starter at Pitt and batted .285 this season, tying for second on the team in home runs (five) and RBIs (27) despite missing a month with mono. As of Wednesday evening, he had not signed with a team as an undrafted free agent.