Two former Monroe College baseball players are headed to the pros.

The Oakland Athletics drafted former Monroe Mustangs shortstop-turned-pitcher Jose Macias in the 18th round and the Arizona Diamondbacks selected pitcher Victor Lara in the 34th round of the Major League Baseball draft last week. 

The two Mustang alums were the first Monroe players ever to be drafted by major league teams.

Macias, who was an All-City shortstop for DeWitt Clinton High School, played shortstop at Monroe (a junior college on Jerome Avenue) before being converted into a pitcher in his last season at Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire.

This season, Macias was the Northeast-10 Conference Pitcher of the Year. His 0.87 earned run average was the second lowest in the nation, and his 118 strikeouts were fourth best in the nation.

“Jose is an amazing young man with integrity and character,” said Mustang head coach Luis Melendez.  “He worked so hard when he was here at Monroe and it’s gratifying to see this part of his dream come true.”

The day after Macias was chosen, the Diamondbacks selected former Monroe reliever Lara. Lara, whose fastball has been clocked as high as 98 miles per hour, averaged over a strikeout per inning this season while pitching for Pennsylvania’s Keystone College.

“When you can throw as hard as Victor does, the sky is the limit on how well he can do,” said Melendez. 

The draft was a milestone for the Monroe baseball program, which was founded only half a decade ago, but has had considerable success. The Mustangs were regional champions in 2008 and 2009, and has sent a slew of players to NCAA colleges.