SEATTLE – Old Dominion baseball starting pitcher Sam Armstrong was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 13th round with the 386th pick of the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft on Tuesday.
ODU's Saturday starter throughout the season, Armstrong went 9-4 with a 3.51 ERA through 15 starts. He allowed 33 runs (30 earned) on 69 hits and 28 walks while recording 72 strikeouts in 77 innings pitched. That effort earned him a spot on the All-Sun Belt Second Team.
The Wangtage, New Jersey native finished fourth in the conference in wins and was also seventh in batting average against (.231). Armstrong strung together five straight wins at the beginning of the season and was 6-0 through his first eight starts. In a six-inning start against Fordham on Feb. 26, he struck out a season-high 12 batters while giving up one unearned run on four hits. On March 4 against St. Joseph's, he held the Hawks scoreless for seven innings. He finished the game with eight strikeouts, five hits and one walk. Armstrong also pitched 5.2 scoreless frames to earn the win at Arkansas State on May 6. He limited the Red Wolves to just two hits, issued one walk and struck out three.
In his two seasons as a Monarch, Armstrong went 12-6 with a 4.36 ERA.
He is the seventh Monarch to be drafted by the Cubs since 2000 and the sixth in the past nine years. Last year's Draft saw the Cubs select outfielder Andy Garriola in the 17th round with the 503rd pick.
Chicago Cubs Select Armstrong on Day Three of MLB Draft
