FOUR SETTERS TAKEN IN 2006 MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL DRAFT
PLEASANTVILLE, NY- Junior lefthanded pitcher David Qualben (Brooklyn, NY/Xavier) and righthanded pitcher Bryan Hallberg (River Edge, NJ/Riverdell) were selected on the first day, Tuesday, June 6, 2006, in the Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft by the Houston Astros, who used their 7th round pick, the 219th overall, to take Qualben and their 12th round pick, the 369th overall, to take Hallberg. Qualben was the fifth pitcher taken by the Astros on the first day of the two-day draft, and the first lefthanded pitcher taken by Houston's professional baseball team. Hallberg was the seventh pitcher taken by the Astros, who picked 11 total pitches through the first day's 18 rounds.
Senior Matt Reilly (Denville, NJ/Morris Knolls) and junior Earl Oakes (Bristol, CT/Bristol Eastern) were selected on the 2nd day of the two-day Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft. Reilly was chosen in the 27th round, with the 822nd overall pick, by the Anaheim Angels while Oakes was drafted in the 24th round, with the 728th overall pick, by the Oakland Athletics. The four players drafted match the all-time high set by the 1986 and 1989 Pace University teams.
Qualben was selected by Houston after he landed on the 2006 Northeast-10 Conference 2nd Team after posting a 7-3 record with a 2.37 earned-run-average. He finished the year with 80 strikeouts in 68.1 innings pitched while holding opponents to just 51 hits. Qualben held opponents to two earned runs over his final 24 1/3 innings pitched on the year, including the final 21, while also posting 14 strikeouts in wins over UMass Lowell and American International.
He also passed teammate Matt Reilly in career strikeouts, taking over the top spot with 196 in three seasons. Qualben ranked 55th nationally in ERA and 15th in strikeouts per nine innings pitched with 10.80. His seven victories ranked 3rd all-time at Pace while his 80 strikeouts rank 2nd all-time at Pace.
For his career, he has posted a 15-9 record with a 3.69 ERA in 181 1/3 innings pitched while striking out 196 and holding opposing teams to 133 hits and 74 runs, just 58 of which were earned. Qualben was also named to the 2005 Northeast-10 Conference 1st Team and the 2005 National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association 2nd Team.
Hallberg was a 2006 Northeast-10 Conference All Academic 1st Team selection after posting a 6-3 record with a 2.53 ERA while striking out 78 batters over 78.1 innings pitched and holding teams to 29 runs on 52 hits. Among the NE-10 leaders, Hallberg ranked 4th in opponent's batting average (.183), 7th in batters struck out looking (20), tied for 3rd in games started (11), 6th in innings pitched, and 4th in strikeouts.
Hallberg showed considerable improvement from the previous season as his earned-run-average went from 4.82 in 2005 to 2.53 in 2006. He also posted a 6-3 record in 2006, up from 2-5 in 2005. He also saw a 150% increase in strikeouts as he retired 78 in 2006 compared to 30 in 2005, which was also made possible by his increase in innings pitched, jumping from 37.1 in 2005 to 78.1 in 2006.
Of his most memorable games of 2006, Hallberg held Bloomfield to one hit over six innings while striking out seven in his first win of the year. He also won his first Northeast-10 Conference game of the year, holding Assumption to two runs on seven hits over seven innings while striking out 10 in a 7-3 Pace victory. He closed out his Setter career with a 10-strikeout performance against American International on May 6, as he also held the Yellow Jackets to one run on two hits over 8 1/3 innings in a 6-3 win.
Oakes was tabbed after being named to the 2006 Northeast-10 Conference 2nd Team after he finished the year at 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA and 13 saves. Oakes also had 49 strikeouts in 36 2/3 innings pitched while giving up six runs on 14 hits. Oakes led the conference in saves and ranked 4th nationally. For his career, Oakes is 25-for-26 in save opportunities. He holds the Pace record for saves in a season (13) and career (24). Oakes was as dominant as a closer could be as opposing teams hit .118 (14-119), while right handed batters hit just .089 (8-90) against Oakes. Oakes was also named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Northeast Region 2nd Team. Oakes had similar success in 2005 when he posted nine saves without allowing a run in 18.2 innings pitched, while striking out 24.
Reilly has enjoyed an outstanding four year career at Pace. This past year, he was 6-4 with a 2.43 earned-run-average. In 77.2 innings pitched, Reilly allowed 51 runs (35 earned) on 68 hits while striking out 60. In the process, Reilly broke the Pace career innings pitched record, finishing with 238.2, passing Keith Makowski's (1999-02) previous mark of 237. Reilly also finished with 194 strikeouts, good for 2nd place all-time, just behind teammate Qualben.
Among his more memorable games this season include a 10-strikeout performance against Bloomsburg on March 24, 2006 in a 9-4 Pace victory. Reilly allowed two runs on six hits over eight innings pitched. On April 15, 2005, Reilly took a hard luck loss, 4-3, against Stonehill, while striking out 12 and allowing four runs on seven hits in a complete game.
Last season, Reilly was named to the 2005 NE-10 3rd team after posting a 6-2 record with a 1.57 earned-run-average. Reilly allowed 10 earned runs on 53 hits over 57.1 innings pitched while holding opposing batters to a .220 average without allowing a homerun. Reilly was undefeated, winning six straight appearances, from March 2nd to April 28th. In that span, Reilly posted four shutouts, while holding teams to just four extra base hits. He was also named Pace Athletics Co-Male Athlete of the Year, along with Qualben. For his career, he will finish with 14 wins (tied for 7th, Pace) and a 4.83 ERA. His 77.2 innings pitched this season are good for 4th all-time at Pace.
Head coach Henry Manning has had five players drafted by Major
League Baseball organizations in the last three years, including
Patrick Stanley who was taken in the 2005 MLB Draft in the
16th round by the Colorado Rockies. All five
players were pitchers. Manning, a Bergen County native,
played professionally for the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox
minor league affiliates before enjoying several years of managerial
experience on the minor league level. This past year, Manning
became the first coach in Pace history to post back-to-back 25 win
seasons while posting a 34-17 record, the most wins by a Pace team
in 57 seasons.
