Following an impressive spring 2024 season, William and Mary baseball’s seemingly endless successes carried right into July’s Major League Baseball Draft.
For the second consecutive year, multiple Green and Gold players received the call to begin their professional careers in the MLB. Pitchers Nate Knowles and Travis Garnett and outfielder Joe Delossantos became the 46th, 47th and 48th players in Tribe program history to be drafted.
Knowles, who was selected with the 124th overall pick in the fourth round by the Tampa Bay Rays, quickly emerged as a top pitching prospect following his dominant junior season. En route to winning Coastal Athletic Association Pitcher of the Year, Knowles ranked ninth nationally in ERA (2.48), 13th in hits per nine innings (5.63), 20th in strikeouts per nine innings (12.6) and 21st in strikeouts (112). Knowles also played a pivotal role in the Tribe’s highest-ranked win in program history against No. 6 Duke. The junior was also named to the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings All-America Third Team, becoming the first All-American pitcher in William and Mary history.
After three years with the Green and Gold, Knowles ranks in the top 25 in Tribe baseball history in seven different categories. Most notably, his .197 career opposing batting average ranks second all time, his 10.67 career strikeouts per nine innings ranks third, his career 3.35 ERA ranks ninth and his 204 career strikeouts ranks 13th.
Knowles has started his career with the FCL Rays, the Rookie Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, where he’s yet to make his professional debut.
Shortly after Knowles was taken off the board, fellow Tribe pitcher Travis Garnett was selected with the 254th overall pick in the eighth round by the Arizona Diamondbacks. After starting his collegiate career at Maryland and suffering an untimely season-ending injury as a freshman, Garnett found a home in Williamsburg that he says helped turn him into the player he is today.
“At William and Mary, Coach Sweeney and Coach McRae taught me a cutter, which I think has had a tremendously positive impact on the trajectory of my career,” Garnett said. “This coaching staff also gave me an opportunity when I was coming off of some extreme struggles previously in my college career. I will forever be grateful for that.”
Last season, Garnett appeared in 14 games out of the bullpen for the Tribe, posting a perfect 5-0 record for the season. In 27.1 innings of work, Garnett accumulated 45 strikeouts while allowing just 19 hits, holding opponents to an abysmal .194 average during that time. Off the field, Garnett also earned high honors on the Coastal Athletic Association Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll during both his semesters at William and Mary and was named a Provost Award winner.
Despite his successes on the mound, Garnett initially gave little thought to becoming a professional baseball player.
“I did not really have any strong expectations to be drafted at all,” Garnett said. “I was just at home, had the draft on but was doing other things, until I got a text from my agent saying to pay attention to the eighth round. My family and I started watching closely, and a few minutes later, my agent texted again and said I was going to the Diamondbacks.”
Garnett is currently with the Visalia Rawhide, the Single-A affiliate of the Diamondbacks. In one appearance, the Tribe alum tossed 0.2 innings of no-hit baseball, letting up no runs and striking out one.
When asked about his ambitions as a professional athlete, Garnett explained how his ultimate goal is to play on the biggest stage the game can offer.
“I think to accomplish my professional dream would be to get called up to the big leagues,” Garnett explained. “I’ve had a very up and down journey throughout my high school and college career, and I honestly never expected to make it back to this point. I feel extremely blessed to even have this opportunity, and everything at this point really feels like icing on the cake.”
Just two rounds later, outfielder Joe Delossantos became the third Tribe player to be drafted in 2024. Delossantos, a Queens native, was fittingly drafted by the New York Yankees with the 301st overall pick in the 10th round.
“To this day, being drafted still feels surreal,” Delossantos said. “It is always something you hope to achieve and you work to achieve, but considering it doesn’t happen for many baseball players around the country, you never know if it’ll be you.
Over his five-year collegiate career, Delossantos was undoubtedly one of the best players to ever wear the Green and Gold. The new Yankees signee ranks fifth all time in program history in stolen bases (54), eighth in home runs (32), ninth in RBIs (153), 15th in games played (198) and 18th in games started (180).
In 2024 alone, Delossantos started all 57 games and began his final season with a 37-game on-base streak. He also was named to the All-CAA Second Team and ranked as high as No. 80 on D1Baseball’s Top 100 Outfielders List in 2024.
When reflecting on his time in Williamsburg, Delossantos looks back on his collegiate career with gratitude.
“William and Mary shaped my career into what it is today because it gave me time to grow physically and mentally while still allowing me to play high level competition,” Delossantos said. “It also gave me experience with many types of personalities and individuals, which has set me up for success in the future.”
Delossantos is currently with the Tampa Tarpons, the Single-A affiliate of the Yankees, and has had a hot start to his professional career. In 11 games, the outfielder is hitting .273 with nine hits, three RBIs and six stolen bases. Delossantos has also already notched three multi-hit games in his early career.
When contrasting his time at William and Mary to his time as a professional athlete, Delossantos explained that the biggest differences between professional and college athletics are not only the talent level but the amenities, the technology, the responsibilities bestowed upon the athletes.
However, he also noticed how the relationships he’s formed within the team have differed.
“We don’t refer to our coaches as ‘coach’ — we are on a first-name basis,” Delossantos said. “It is very much a workplace setting where everyone is equal.”
Like Garnett, Delossantos hopes to one day reach the major leagues.
“Being drafted, being a part of an organization, being called a Yankee are all just the first steps of this professional career of mine,” Delossantos explained. “The dream will forever live on until I’ve played many years in the big leagues. When it’s all said and done, whatever the outcome be, I will most be appreciative of the time and effort that I and others put into myself and my career, because no one does it alone.”
No matter how Knowles’s, Garnett’s or Delossantos’s professional careers unfold, the trio of Tribe alumni will forever represent the Green and Gold on the biggest stage of professional baseball. Their years of hard work and the legacy of their time as members of the program will never be forgotten, and the team they helped build will continue to grow heading into this season.
Whether they’re playing in Tropicana Field in Tampa, Chase Field in Phoenix or Yankees Stadium in the Bronx, Knowles, Garnett and Delossantos will always hear a proud cheer from Williamsburg when they take the field.