UConn’s Ben Casparius gets chance to begin pro career as fifth round draft pick by LA Dodgers
STORRS, Conn. (BVM) — Ben Casparius is a UConn right-handed pitcher who was drafted as the No. 162 overall pick in the MLB Draft on Monday. Casparius was chosen by the reigning World Series champions — the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was selected as the last pick in the fifth round and his signing bonus is valued at just over $318,000.
“A lifelong dream of mine came true this week,” Casparius wrote in an Instagram post on Thursday. “Thank you to the Dodgers organization for giving me the chance to begin my professional baseball journey!”
The 22-year-old has never been drafted before, as some other draft picks have been as high schoolers, and now he has the opportunity to begin his professional career should he decide not to return to UConn. But, his personal Instagram bio has already been changed to state, “UConn Baseball Alum”, hinting at his potential move.
“To the University of Connecticut and the entire UConn baseball family: I can’t imagine the past two years of my life anywhere else,” Casparius continued in his Instagram post. “You pave the way towards success and create an unbelievable environment to grow athletically, academically, and personally. To call UConn home the past two years was a privilege and an honor to represent the state of CT. Forever proud to be a Husky.”
Casparius wasn’t with the UConn team for long and has only played for one season. He spent his first two years (2018 and 2019 seasons) playing for the North Carolina Tar Heels. As a freshman, he pitched on the big stage in the College World Series and finished out his season where he hit .316 and pitched a 1.69 ERA in 10 appearances. As a sophomore, he hit .179 and pitched a 4.41 ERA.
After a rough season, the junior joined the UConn Huskies for the 2020 season, but ended up sitting out for the year due to transfer rules. But, he made the most out of his return in 2021. He made a team-leading 15 starts and pitched a 4.03 ERA. His fastball has been recorded as high as 95 mph.
He also helped the Huskies go down in history after the team won the BIG EAST regular season and tournament titles in the same year for the first time in program history.
“[Casparius] finished second in UConn single-season history with 127 strikeouts and ranked No. 12 in the country in strikeouts,” according to a UConn press release. “He led the Huskies and BIG EAST Conference in starts (15), wins (8), innings pitched (91.2) and strikeouts (127).”
