FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – As 29 members of the Nova Southeastern baseball team embark this month toward their summer league destinations, a pair of Sharks have earned an unprecedented opportunity as roster selections to play in the inaugural MLB Draft League. Both junior outfielder Adan Fernandez and senior pitcher JP Williams will have the chance to increase their visibility while showcasing their skills with the Trenton Thunder.
Operating very much like the schedule Major League players work in, the MLB Draft League schedule will consist of six games per week after the opening stretch of 14 consecutive dates through June 7. In its entirety, there will be 68 games, 34 home and away, for each club. The championship game is scheduled to be played August 15.
Per the official site of the MLB Draft League: Draft League participants will receive unprecedented visibility to MLB Club scouts through both in-person observation and state-of-the-art scouting technology, and educational programming designed to prepare them for careers as professional athletes.
The NSU pair are members of a group of only 32 players nationwide from NCAA Division II selected for the inaugural season’s rosters in the league. The 2021 MLB draft is Sunday, July 11 and roughly a month behind its normal schedule.
Fernandez was a steady leader in left field for the Sharks over the past two seasons and earned NCBWA All-Region First Team and All-SSC First Team honors for his 2021 efforts. He tied for the team lead with a .360 average across NSU’s 25 games this year, collecting 31 hits, including five doubles and 11 home runs for a phenomenal .802 slugging percentage. He also topped NSU with 16 walks, logging a .486 on-base percentage. The Miramar junior led NSU with 25 RBI and scored 21 times himself. In the field, he was perfect in 36 chances with a 1.000 fielding percentage. In his two years with the Sharks, he’s batting a solid .363 with 62 hits, 12 doubles, 14 home runs, 44 RBI, 35 runs and 10 stolen bases in 46 games.
Williams was the key weekend starter for the Sharks in 2021, earning NCBWA All-Region honorable mention and All-SSC First Team honors after going 3-0 with a 3.38 ERA through seven starts. A right-hander from Melbourne, Williams struck out 44 opponents with only 15 walks in 42.2 innings for the Sharks this season, limiting the opposition to .236 batting. After starting out as a powerful closer for NSU, Williams settled into the starting role across the past two shortened seasons, closing his NSU career with an 8-3 record, 3.15 ERA, two saves and 110 strikeouts versus 29 walks in 103 innings for Nova Southeastern. He takes over the top spot in NSU’s record books for hits per nine innings (8.1) and second in strikeouts per nine innings (9.6).
With both Sharks at the Trenton Thunder, the club will play its games at Rider University’s Sonny Pittaro Field. The Thunder’s first game at Rider will be May 26 against the Williamsport Crosscutters.
To view the full league schedule, visit MLB Draft League.
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