Bulldogs headed for the Bigs

Two Allan Hancock College Bulldogs are on their way to playing Major League Baseball, the college’s athletic department recently announced.

Pitchers Jordan Sechler and Chuck Buchanan were both drafted to the Atlanta Braves organization in the 18th and 19th rounds of the MLB draft held earlier this month.

Sechler and Buchanan will join former Bulldog greats River Stevens, Brandon Creath, and Mickey Jannis, to name a few.

“We’re proud to have seven former Bulldogs in professional baseball,” Hancock head coach Chris Stevens said in a prepared statement. “All of them are exemplary players and we’re extremely proud of their accomplishments.”

Bulldog baseball has been part of the path to professional baseball for 39 years. In addition, 230 Hancock athletes have moved on to four-year universities.

“We talk about our players using Hancock as a stepping stone to a four-year university,” Stevens said. “We don’t want our players to finish their careers at Hancock, especially academically. I want every player that comes through our program to transfer and earn a bachelor’s degree.”

This article appears in Jun 27 – Jul 4, 2013.