Creighton Alum Pat Venditte Called Up By Oakland Athletics
6/5/2015 10:33:00 AM | Baseball
OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Oakland Athletics have called up Creighton Baseball alum Pat Venditte, the franchise announced today. Venditte, best-known for being an ambidextrous pitcher who can throw both left- and right-handed, is an Omaha native who pitched at Creighton from 2006-09 after graduating from Central High School.
Four pitchers in the 19th Century were known to have thrown with both hands, Tony Mullane, Elton Chamberlain, Larry Corcoran and George Wheeler. Since then, the only Major League pitcher who could make a claim at ambidexterity is Greg A. Harris, who made 701 appearances as strictly a right-hander before throwing with both arms for one inning in his second-to-last career appearance on Sept. 28, 1995.
Venditte has toiled in the minors for the last eight seasons, making 259 appearances (9 starts) and going 18-22 with a 2.37 ERA in 417.2 innings. In that time, he's struck out 464 and walked just 116. He signed after his senior season at Creighton as a 20th-round pick of the New York Yankees, where he would spend seven seasons before joining the Athletics organization last November. Venditte had owned a 1.36 ERA in 33 innings this season in Triple-A for the Nashville Sounds prior to be called up.
Venditte was a two-time first-team all-MVC reliever who earned a slew of national awards and attention while at Creighton. During his junior (2007) season, Venditte was named a second-team All-American by Baseball America and Rivals.com, and third-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball. He was named Most Outstanding Player of the State Farm MVC Tournament, owned a 43.2 scoreless inning streak, and tied a Valley record with 38 appearances. As a senior in 2008 Venditte was a preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball, Ping! Baseball and the National College Baseball Writers Association while also being named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award.
He finished his career ranked in the top-10 in school history in appearances (110, second), ERA (2.86, fourth), winning percentage (.724, fifth), wins (21, tie-fifth), strikeouts (255, sixth), saves (13, tied-eighth) and innings pitched (248.1, 10th). He struck out batters with both arms in the same game an incredible 39 different times in his college career.
Venditte is the first Creighton product to join a Major League roster since 1B/OF Darin Ruf debuted for the Philadelphia Phillies on Sept. 14, 2012. Creighton's last pitcher in the Majors was Kevin Frederick, who pitched in 22 games for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2004.
Other notable Creighton baseball alumni include Hall of Famer Bob Gibson, Scott Servais, Dennis Rasmussen, Alan Benes and Dave McKay.
Four pitchers in the 19th Century were known to have thrown with both hands, Tony Mullane, Elton Chamberlain, Larry Corcoran and George Wheeler. Since then, the only Major League pitcher who could make a claim at ambidexterity is Greg A. Harris, who made 701 appearances as strictly a right-hander before throwing with both arms for one inning in his second-to-last career appearance on Sept. 28, 1995.
Venditte has toiled in the minors for the last eight seasons, making 259 appearances (9 starts) and going 18-22 with a 2.37 ERA in 417.2 innings. In that time, he's struck out 464 and walked just 116. He signed after his senior season at Creighton as a 20th-round pick of the New York Yankees, where he would spend seven seasons before joining the Athletics organization last November. Venditte had owned a 1.36 ERA in 33 innings this season in Triple-A for the Nashville Sounds prior to be called up.
Venditte was a two-time first-team all-MVC reliever who earned a slew of national awards and attention while at Creighton. During his junior (2007) season, Venditte was named a second-team All-American by Baseball America and Rivals.com, and third-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball. He was named Most Outstanding Player of the State Farm MVC Tournament, owned a 43.2 scoreless inning streak, and tied a Valley record with 38 appearances. As a senior in 2008 Venditte was a preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball, Ping! Baseball and the National College Baseball Writers Association while also being named a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award.
He finished his career ranked in the top-10 in school history in appearances (110, second), ERA (2.86, fourth), winning percentage (.724, fifth), wins (21, tie-fifth), strikeouts (255, sixth), saves (13, tied-eighth) and innings pitched (248.1, 10th). He struck out batters with both arms in the same game an incredible 39 different times in his college career.
Venditte is the first Creighton product to join a Major League roster since 1B/OF Darin Ruf debuted for the Philadelphia Phillies on Sept. 14, 2012. Creighton's last pitcher in the Majors was Kevin Frederick, who pitched in 22 games for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2004.
Other notable Creighton baseball alumni include Hall of Famer Bob Gibson, Scott Servais, Dennis Rasmussen, Alan Benes and Dave McKay.
2013 Creighton Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee Dan Smith
Friday, October 30
Jim Hendry & Alan Benes (4/11/11)
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CREIGHTON BASEBALL
Thursday, October 15
Ambidextrous Pitcher
Thursday, October 15
