Coastal Carolina University’s Mike Costanzo (Springfield, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) was selected in the second round by the Philadelphia Phillies in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft June 7. Costanzo was selected as the 65th pick, and this is the highest a Chanticleer has been picked in the baseball draft since Kirt Manwaring was the third pick of the second round in 1986.

Costanzo was the first Coastal player in school history to be selected a First Team All-American (by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper). He led Coastal in batting average (.379), hits (91), runs (74), home runs (16), slugging percentage (.658), on-base percentage (.525) and walks (68). He also led the Big South in batting average, runs scored, on-base percentage and walks. Costanzo was named the Big South Player of the Year for the second straight season and became the first player in Big South history to earn the honor in back-to-back seasons. He also earned first team all-conference honors as both a pitcher and a first baseman, the first player to earn that honor in the Big South. The junior was named to the Big South All-Tournament team for his performance May 25-28. Costanzo had a 20-game hitting streak from April 8-May 13 and was named the Pro Line Cap National Player of the Week April 19 after going 6-for-8 with three home runs and seven RBI in a three-game series against Birmingham-Southern. On the mound, Costanzo was 8-1 with a 2.13 earned run average and led the Big South and set the school single-season record with 14 saves. He gave up only 13 earned runs all season and did not give up his first earned run until April 10. Last week, Costanzo was named by USA Today Sports Weekly as a second team all-American. He has been on the watch list for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year, the Golden Spikes Award, the Brooks Wallace Award and is one of 16 semifinalists for the Dick Howser Trophy.

Costanzo is one of three players from the Big South selected in the second round, joining Winthrop’s Daniel Carte, who was selected 52nd by the Colorado Rockies and the Eagles’ Kevin Slowey, who was picked 73rd by the Minnesota Twins.

Coastal ended its season with a 50-16 record, the first 50-win season in Big South history. The Chanticleers were the top seed in the NCAA Tempe Regional and fell to Arizona State University in the first championship game 9-5.