Former Carthage Pitcher Jacob DeLabio Signs with Houston Astros

7/14/2021 11:50:00 AM

KENOSHA, Wis. — Following the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft, former Carthage pitcher Jacob DeLabio signed as an undrafted free agent with the Houston Astros.

"The Astros called pretty much right after the draft last night, and at the end of the day I just wanted an opportunity," said DeLabio. "I think the Astros are a good fit for me and I'm just excited to play baseball every day."

The 6'5" right hander made 29 pitching appearances during his time in Kenosha, including nine starts, throwing 72.1 total innings and striking out 104 batters. This past season, DeLabio made 17 appearances with a 3.47 ERA, fanning 56 opponents across 36.1 frames. The Kenosha, Wis. native accumulated six saves in 2021, and picked up a win in his lone start of the season at North Park after throwing five innings.

"When I got to Carthage it was nice to have a coaching staff with Augie and his assistants; they never gave up on me," said DeLabio. "They stuck with me and they helped a lot, it gave me confidence."

DeLabio becomes the 13th former Carthage student-athlete to sign with a major league franchise in school history, according to baseball-reference.com, and will be the first to play for an MLB franchise since Jeff Livek pitched for the New York Yankees organization in 2007.

"I'm really happy for him," said Carthage head coach Augie Schmidt IV. "He worked his tail off, put in the work, and he really deserves it."

Before joining the Carthage program for the 2019 season, DeLabio spent two years at NCAA Division-I Northern Illinois, where he appeared in 20 games. After graduating from Carthage this past spring, he spent time with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers in the MLB Draft League, tossing 24.2 innings in 17 appearances with a 1.46 ERA. His 43 strikeouts this summer ranked fourth in the league.

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