UNCG Spartans among the MLB
 
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) baseball team had three Spartans hear their names called during the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft (MLB).
 
Right-handed pitcher Alex Hoppe was selected by the Boston Red Sox (Rd 6, Pick 189) and second baseman Hogan Windish was picked by the Seattle Mariners (Rd 7, Pick 216) on day two of the draft. During day three, outfielder Pres Cavenaugh was drafted by the Cleveland Guardians (Rd 14, Pick 421). Outfielder Tucker Flint, who was an incoming junior, was selected to the Los Angeles Angels (Rd 13, Pick 388).
 
Hoppe, Windish, and Cavenaugh bring the program total to 48 selected during MLB Drafts. 
 
"I'm extremely excited for these young men to begin chasing their dreams," stated head coach Billy Godwin. "All of them came into our program and developed into professional prospects. Their hard work, coachability, and perseverance are direct credits to their competitive makeup." 
 
Alex Hoppe
Round 6, 189th overall pick
Boston Red Sox
Among the conference, the Clinton, Iowa native concluded the season first in home runs allowed (1), second in opposing batting average (.194), hits allowed (47), runs allowed (26), earned runs allowed (21), and doubles allowed (7), tied for second in wins (8), third in ERA (2.91), tied for third in games in relief (25), tied for fourth in batters struck out looking (22), tied for fifth in batters struck out (82) and appearances (25), tied for sixth in saves (3), and tied for seventh in games finished (10).
 
Senior Alex Hoppe earned American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings Atlantic All-Region first team honors. Hoppe was most recently named to the Collegiate Baseball All-America third team as a pitcher. He was presented the SoCon Pinnacle Award following the SoCon Tournament, which is given to a student-athlete on the championship team with the highest GPA. Hoppe was also named the unanimous Pitcher of the Year, while earning a spot on the All-SoCon first team.
 
From Hoppe: "Pure excitement. Being able to fulfill a childhood dream was amazing, and now I can continue to play the sport I love for a little while longer. It was also great to not only see my name on the draft boards, but also getting to see the names of some of my teammates and friends up there as well and them getting to fulfill their dreams as well.
 
"Ending the season like we did, I couldn't have asked for anything more. Getting to win the conference tournament and then being able to play in a regional for the first time in my career was something special and will never forget. Even though my career at UNCG may be over, the memories, accomplishments, and friendships are something that I will always have with me."
 
Hogan Windish
Seattle Mariners
Round 7, 216th overall pick
The Jefferson, North Carolina native ended the season leading the conference in batting average (.380) and on base percentage (.496).  He was second in slugging percentage (.702) and walks (40), tied for third in RBI (60), fourth in total bases (146), tied for fifth in doubles (19) and home runs (16), tied for sixth in hits (76) and assists (129), tied for ninth in runs scored (54), and ninth in fielding double plays (27).
 
Windish was selected to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) All-America second team and is the fifth Spartan to earn All-America status. He was one of two players from the SoCon to be named to an All-America team, with Jackson Kelley of Mercer also earning second team recognition.
 
With this honor, Windish collected his third All-America honor this season, as he was named to the Collegiate Baseball All-American second team and most recently the ABCA/Rawlings All-America second team. ABCA/Rawlings also released the regional awards, where Windish earned Atlantic All-Region first team honors. He was named the SoCon coaches Player of the Year, while earning a spot on the All-SoCon first team. He earned SoCon Player of the Week on February 21. During preseason, he was named to the SoCon Preseason second team. For the second-consecutive year, Windish was named to the 2022 Bobby Bragan Collegiate Slugger Award Watch List. He was the only representative from the SoCon.
 
From Windish: "I'm just very blessed that UNCG gave me the opportunity to play and grow not only as a baseball player but as a person. The memories and relationships I made will last a lifetime. Deciding to go to UNCG was the greatest decision of my life."
 
Pres Cavenaugh
Cleveland Guardians
Round 14, 421st overall pick
Cavenaugh wrapped up his junior year with the Spartans batting .340, finishing third among the team. Among the SoCon, Cavenaugh was first in total plate appearances (291) and at bats (260), second in hits (89), third in batting average and triples (4), fifth in runs scored (60), sixth in stolen bases (15) and steal attempts (18), seventh in total bases (134), eighth in runs batted in (56).
 
This season, Cavenaugh was named SoCon Player of the Month for May after leading the Spartans to a 15-4 record during the month. He played and started in all 19 games during the month and went 36-for-84 at the plate with a .429 batting average. He slugged .679 and had a .489 on-base percentage. He drew eight walks, tallied 26 RBI, and scored 26 runs.
 
He previously earned SoCon Player of the Week honors on May 16 after batting .647 and scored nine runs on 11 hits. He was also named to the SoCon All-Tournament team after helping the Spartans to their second Tournament title since 2017.
 
From Cavenaugh: "UNCG will always hold a special place in my heart, getting the offer late my senior year, I really didn't know what to expect. My coaches have presented me with opportunities that I never could have imagined. My teammates have given me memories that will last a lifetime. I want to thank all of them for getting me to this position, I couldn't have done it without them. These have been some of the best years of my life, I can't believe it's about to be over. Thank you for developing my game and developing me into the man I am today."
 
The Spartans concluded their season with a 34-30 overall mark and a 12-9 SoCon record, making it third-year head coach Billy Godwin's first year with 30 or more wins in the Blue & Gold. This was the first year since 2017 that the Spartans made the NCAA Tournament after taking the SoCon Tournament title behind seven games in four days.

NOTE: Tucker Flint signed with UNCG this summer as an incoming transfer from Chipola College. 

Tucker Flint
Los Angeles Angels
Round 13, 388th overall pick
An incoming transfer from Chipola College, Tucker Flint played in all 56 games this season and led the Indians in batting average (.370), walks (32), hits (71), runs (71), at bats (192), doubles (21), triples (1), stolen bases (12), on-base percentage (.496), and slugging percentage (.708).  He was second in home runs (14) and third in RBI (41). In the field, he had 227 total catches, 199 putouts with 21 assists with a .969 fielding percentage. He also led the team with 15 double plays.
 
A native of East Greenwich, Rhode Island, and a graduate of Bishop Hendricken High School, Flint played with the University of Maryland in 2020 and 2021. During those two years, he played in 48 games for the Terrapins. Prior to his time with Maryland, he was drafted in the 36th round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the New York Mets.
 
From Flint: "Getting drafted was an amazing feeling to finally get a chance to go out and live a dream since I was a kid is special. And now especially with less rounds in the draft then when I was in high school, its harder to get signed and that just makes it more special. I know a lot of people helped me get here and I'm just excited to go prove myself and make everyone proud."