Bill Bereszniewicz makes a catch in the outfield against Stony Brook in the America East tournament at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, Mass., last month. AMERICA EAST PHOTO / Greg M. Cooper
Bearcats senior center fielder Bill Bereszniewicz became the first Binghamton position player drafted in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft since 2010 on Saturday when the Los Angeles Dodgers selected him in the 28th round.
Bereszniewicz, a four-year starter for the Bearcats, led the America East Conference in batting average (.367) and set school single-season records for hits (77) and stolen bases (23, Division I era) on his way to earning first-team all-conference honors as a center fielder this season.
The left-handed speedster from Sudbury, Mass., had 24 multi-hit games as a senior, and led the Bearcats in slugging percentage (.471) and on-base percentage (.428). He finished his career with the second-highest stolen base total (42) in the program’s Division I history, and sixth all-time in hits (208) in the program’s history.
Bereszniewicz, picked 849th overall, is the earliest a Binghamton position player has been drafted since catcher Dan Gray was selected in the seventh round of the 1990 draft also by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
