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LCF Baseball Players Drafted by Cubs

Alex Cornwell and Jared Akins were two local baseball standouts whose names came up during the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft last week.
Cornwell, who recently graduated from Maranatha, was limited because of injuries this season but managed to post an ERA of 2.29 and a record of 5-2 in 39 2/3 innings this season, and the Chicago Cubs noticed potential in the Minuteman. The defending World Series champions drafted Cornwell in the 37th round with the 1,125th pick.
“When I heard, I was honestly elated,” Cornwell said. “As a child, you always work and play the game and hope one day to get the opportunity to just play professional baseball. I was just happy all those hours of work and effort paid off.”
Maranatha head coach Matt Shupper, who graduated from La Cañada High School in 1999, knew being drafted was a possibility for Cornwell after noticing the attention he received the past two seasons.
“Every team was watching Alex closely,” Shupper said. “I knew the Cubs had a lot of interest. Tom Myers, one of the highest-regarded pitching scouts there is, saw a lot of potential in him and showed loyalty to him with that pick.”
Cornwell was happy the Cubs reached out to him, but he committed to USC and will join the Trojans.
“For my family, we really value an education, especially from USC,” Cornwell said. “I’m thinking if I go there and I mature and keep working and get bigger and stronger, maybe I can go earlier [in a future draft]. The college experience is needed in development, and it’s another stepping stone before being thrown into the real word.”
Shupper supports Cornwell’s commitment to USC and said, “He’s making a great decision. You can never put a price on an education, and it will only make him better. Knowing him and how hard he works, we will see him in the majors in the future.”

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