By Sean O’Malley │ Utica Blue Sox Communications Assistant

The 2021 Utica Blue Sox roster will showcase three of the top 10 most draftable players in the MEAC conference, according to a D1Baseball.com ranking. All of these players currently play at Coppin State.

Redshirt freshman Giovanni Canales ranked in the top five. Canales is from Cranston, Rhode Island, and he appeared in four games for the Eagles last season. The right-handed pitcher struck out 15 batters in 16.2 innings with a 1.79 whip. In high school, Canales was the No. 1 ranked pitcher in the state of Rhode Island and the 12th overall player in the state.

Coppin State Baseball Well Represented on @d1baseball @meacsports Preview https://t.co/fNQeB5EOWv

— Coppin Sports (@coppinsports) February 12, 2021

Short stop Eddie Javier Jr. was also named a top-five draftable player in the MEAC. Javier Jr. is from Bergenfield, New Jersey. In his freshman season, Javier Jr. started in all nine games as a freshman for the Eagles, batting .172 (5-for-29) with two RBI over the span of nine games. 

Javier Jr. was also a top-10 player in the state in high school, being the number seventh-ranked Shortstop for Bergenfield high school.

2019 Blue Sox pitcher Bradley Tuttle, who is set to return to the U for the 2021 season, also made the top 10 list as well. In his two years at Coppin State, Tuttle has totaled 20 strikeouts and 3 saves over 28.1 innings of work.

Canales, Javier Jr. and Tuttle are all 2021 Utica Blue Sox signees, and  they will have a chance to showcase their skills this upcoming summer at Murnane Field.

The 2021 Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League season is set to start on June 3. Stay tuned to uticabluesox.net for more information and season ticket updates.