Birchard selected by Milwaukee Brewers

Niagara County Community College sophomore All-American pitcher Ryan Birchard was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers with pick No. 155 in the 5th round of the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft on Monday afternoon.

Birchard is the first NCCC player drafted since Matt Cross in 2018 (No. 563, 19th Round, Oakland Athletics). He is the highest draft pick - and fifth overall - since current NCCC head coach Matt Clingersmith took over the program in 2006.

Birchard, the Region III and Western New York Athletic Conference Player of the Year, was 8-0 with a save in 50 innings pitched this past spring. The 6-foot, 207-pound right-hander allowed just 29 hits and six earned runs. He notched 95 strikeouts and a 1.08 earned-run average for the regional-champion Thunderwolves (44-7), who finished fourth in the country.

Following a late-season commitment to the University of Oregon, the Auburn, NY native pitched for the Trenton Thunder of the MLB Draft League this summer. He was clocked at 98 mph and struck out 16 batters in nine innings of work.