Nick Cimillo Drafted by Pirates, Jared Kollar Agrees to Deal With Padres

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (July 20, 2022) – Two more Rutgers baseball players saw their professional baseball dreams realized this week as part of the MLB Draft and free agency process.

Nick Cimillo was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 470^th overall pick in the 16^th round of the MLB Draft, while Jared Kollar agreed to terms on a free agent deal with the San Diego Padres.

Those two join Dale Stanavich (Marlins, 8^th) and Brian Fitzpatrick (Brewers, 10^th), who were drafted on Day 2 of the draft on Monday.

Nick Cimillo was the third overall Rutgers player selected in the 2022 MLB Draft when the Pittsburgh Pirates took him in the 16^th round with the 470^th overall pick.

"We are so excited for Nick." head coach Steve Owens said. "He had a monster year offensively while playing the toughest position on the field. He had a huge impact on our success and fit in great with our players and culture. Look for continued big things from him."

Cimillo was named All-America Third Team by both NCBWA (media) and ABCA/Rawlings (coaches). His All-America selection was one of many postseason accolades that include NCBWA District Player of the Year and All-Big Ten Second Team. Cimillo was the top hitter in the Big Ten in 2022, as he led the conference with a .385 batting average, .707 slugging percentage and 1.199 OPS. He also tied for the Rutgers team lead with 16 home runs.

Quickly after the 20-round draft concluded on Tuesday evening, Jared Kollar agreed to terms on a free agent deal with the San Diego Padres.

Kollar joined the Scarlet Knights as a graduate transfer in 2022 after four seasons at Seton Hill. Kollar was named All-Big Ten Second Team after leading RU with an 8-2 record on the mound. He finished the season with a 4.36 ERA and 1.24 WHIP, while striking out 84 batters in 76.1 innings.

"Jared was very consistent and pitched great for us this past season," Owens said. "He built on his previous success and experience and proved that his stuff played at our level against very good hitters. We're excited for him to have earned the chance to keep pitching professionally."

In addition to four Scarlet Knights who were drafted/signed, high school class of 2022 signee Hugh Pinkney was selected with the 510^th overall pick in the 17^th round on Tuesday.

Transfer signee Drew Conover (Seton Hall) was also selected in the 20^th round by the Detroit Tigers.

2022 Rutgers Baseball in the Pros

LHP Dale Stanavich – Round 8, Pick 232 (Miami Marlins)
LHP Brian Fitzpatrick – Round 10, Pick 312 (Milwaukee Brewers)
C Nick Cimillo – Round 16, Pick 470 (Pittsburgh Pirates)
C Hugh Pinkney (high school signee) – Round 17, Pick 510 (San Diego Padres)
RHP Drew Conover (transfer signee) – Round 20, Pick 597 (Detroit Tigers)
RHP Jared Kollar – Agreed to terms on FA Deal (San Diego Padres)

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