STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Entering his second season in Minor League Baseball, former Anderson University baseball standout Landon Beck begins his 2015 campaign on Friday with the New York-Penn League's State College Spikes.
After being selected by Major League Baseball's St. Louis Cardinals in the 25th round of the 2014 MLB Draft, Beck was sent to the Johnson City Cardinals where he was the club's opening-day starter. The right-hander shined with the JC Cardinals as he finished the season with a 1-1 record and a 3.19 ERA while posting 51 strikeouts in 42.1 innings. With the Hartwell, Ga. native's success on the mound, Beck was part of a team that claimed the 2014 Appalachian League championship.
The NYPL is the oldest continually operated Class A League in MiLB and includes teams from eight different states. Last season, the Spikes, who play their home games on the campus of Penn State University, captured the 2014 championship for the first time as Cardinal affiliates.
At Anderson, Beck posted 184 strikeouts and 11 saves before being drafted by the Cardinals following his junior season. Following the 2014 season, Beck was one of five Trojans honored on the South Atlantic Conference postseason teams, landing on the Honorable Mention list. After being the opening day starter of the Columbia Blowfish of the Coastal Plain League, the hurler became the first Trojan to be drafted since Blair Cason, who was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in 2009.
