July 15, 2009
Bronx, N.Y. - After being selected in the 38th round (#1152) of the 2009 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft, Fordham University pitcher Peter Kennelly (Pearl River, N.Y./Bergen Catholic) has signed with the Minnesota Twins and joins the Rookie-Advance affiliate Elizabethton Twins in the Appalachian League.
"I am extremely happy for Pete and wish him the best of luck," notes Fordham baseball head coach Nick Restaino. "He worked extremely hard and battled through great adversity for this opportunity."
Though he had one more year of eligibility left at Fordham, Kennelly opted to sign with the Twins after putting together a successful campaign with the Chatham A's this summer. With Chatham, Kennelly posted a 0.00 ERA in with 11 innings pitched in four appearances, including one start. In those 11 innings, Kennelly only surrendered three hits while striking out 11.
Kennelly's career at Fordham had been a rocky one, with injury cutting his 2008 season short while sidelining him for the entirety of 2009. The righty had his best year with the Rams as a sophomore when he posted five saves and a team-leading 1.26 ERA while throwing 28.2 innings in 16 appearances and striking out 30 batters. For his career, Kennelly posted a 4.32 ERA with a 5-5 record with five saves and 87 strikeouts in 91 2/3 innings pitched.
