DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Wildcats closer Joan Gonzalez has signed an undrafted free agent deal with the San Diego Padres following the conclusion of the MLB Draft Tuesday.

"We're so proud of Joan for earning this opportunity," Hernandez said. "He's made tremendous strides in his time at B-CU and we know he has all the talent to succeed at the next level. It will be exciting to see him continue to grow in professional ball. We wish nothing but the best for him in the future." 

Gonzalez was named SWAC Relief Pitcher of the Year on top of an All-SWAC First Team nod following the conclusion of the 2023 regular season. 

Gonzalez emerged as one of the SWAC's top relief arms in 2023, leading the conference in saves with eight. In 42.1 innings pitched, Gonzalez worked a 3.61 ERA with 57 strikeouts.

The Wildcats closer pitched his way to a scoreless outing nine times last season. Notable outings included a 3.1 inning appearance against Lehigh in the second game of the season in which he struck out nine batters.

On April 16, he struck out a season-high ten in 5.1 innings of scoreless ball with only one hit allowed.

Gonzalez worked the most innings of any B-CU reliever and totaled the second-most strikeouts among B-CU arms. His 1.23 WHIP ranked second on the B-CU pitching staff. Opponents hit only .244 against him last season. 


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