Cullowhee, N.C.  – Western Carolina right-handed pitcher Jonathan Todd was drafted Tuesday afternoon on the final day of the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft, selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 15th round with the 457th overall pick.
 
Todd is the fourth Catamount baseball player drafted by Toronto all-time, and the first since 2014. He joins former infielder Aaron Attaway (20th round, 2014), pitcher Brian Hutchinson (40th round, 1998), and WCU Hall of Famer Paul Menhart, who was an eighth-round pick back in 1990 and later made his MLB debut with the franchise north of the border in 1995.
 
Todd is also the third Catamount pitcher to be selected in the 15th round of the draft all-time, joining another hard-throwing righty Jeremy Null who was taken by the Chicago Cubs in 2014, and a former major leaguer Mark DiFelice who was selected by the Colorado Rockies back in 1998.
 
In two seasons in the Purple & Gold, Todd posted a 4-7 overall record with eight saves and a 6.93 overall ERA. He averaged better than a strikeout per inning, fanning 87 in 76.2 innings of work. Originally penciled in as a starter in the 2023 season, Todd made his way to the backend of the bullpen where he flourished as a senior in 2024, landing on the NCBWA Midseason Stopper of the Year Watch List. He collected SoCon Pitcher of the Week plaudits on March 18 after earning a pair of saves in WCU's wins over Harvard, tallying four strikeouts on the weekend.
 
A first-team All-Southern Conference selection by the head coaches and a second-team honoree by the media, Todd made a team-high 24 appearances with 23 in relief last spring. He ranked third in the SoCon with a career-best seven saves, posting a 4.00 ERA over 36 innings. The Reidsville, N.C., product posted 49 total strikeouts as a senior with two or more punchouts in 17 of his appearances and posting at least one strikeout in 23 of his 24 outings with just 13 walks. He limited opponents to a team-best .213 batting average against, ranking among the league leaders.
 
Todd began his college career at Rockingham Community College where he set the school's single-season record with 105 strikeouts in the 2021 season, earning second-team All-Region and All-Defensive team accolades. Over his four years of college baseball, Todd posted 288 career strikeouts.
 
Eight Southern Conference players were drafted through the 20 rounds of this year's MLB Draft including two from Samford and two from VMI, with one apiece from ETSU, Mercer, WCU, and Wofford.
 
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Additional WCU Draft Notes:
* On Tuesday afternoon, Western Carolina had a player selected in the Major-League Baseball First-Year Player Draft for the 36th year dating back to 1977 … WCU has had 39 draft picks inside the top 20 rounds all time;
 
* WCU has had THREE players drafted in the 15th round all-time including Jonathan Todd (Toronto Blue Jays, 2024) … Jeremy Null (Chicago Cubs, 2014) … and Mark DiFelice (Colorado Rockies, 1998);
 
* Jonathan Todd became the fourth Catamount baseball player to be drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays, joining Aaron Attaway (20th round, 2014), Brian Hutchinson (40th round, 1998), and Paul Menhart (8th round, 1990) … Menhart went on to play for the big-league club in 1995, the only former Catamount to wear the Blue Jays uniform;
 
* WCU did not have a player drafted in 2018, halting a streak of 12 consecutive years of hearing a Catamount name called during the three-day event … Since 2000, WCU has had a player drafted in 20 of the 25 drafts, missing just 2001, 2004, 2005, 2018 and 2020 – though the event was reduced to just five rounds in 2020 … During that same span without a draft pick, WCU did see RHP Chase Walter sign as a free agent with the San Diego Padres in 2020, Jared Greenwood as a free agent with the New York Yankees in 2005, and Matt Price signed as a free agent with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2001;
 
* WCU has had three players taken inside the first 100 picks all-time, headlined by Rick Adair with the 53rd pick of the third round by the Seattle Mariners in the 1979 draft – WCU's highest selection all-time ... the other two are Brad Tweedie (3rd round, 92nd pick by Cincinnati Reds in 1993) and Jason Beverlin (4th round, 93rd pick by Oakland Athletics in 1994).