NEW YORK -- After 20 rounds and three days, 10 players from BIG EAST member schools were selected in the 2021 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. BIG EAST tournament champion and regular season champion Connecticut led the league with five players selected in the draft. Villanova junior right-hander Gordon Graceffo was the first BIG EAST pick.
Graceffo was selected in the fifth round, 151st overall, by the St. Louis Cardinals organization. It was the third time in the last 10 years a Wildcat was selected by the Cardinals. Graceffo is the highest draft pick for Villanova since 2011.