Courtesy of Worcester State Sports Information

New York, NY --- Senior lefthander Ben Libuda (Auburn, MA) has been selected as the 15th pick in the 26th round of the annual Major League Baseball Amateur Draft by the Atlanta Braves.

"I hope it works out," Libuda said in an interview this past Saturday to Jen Toland of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. "I've been working really hard, and it's something I've wanted since I was a little kid."

As the 780th overall pick, Libuda joins Tim Stronach and Nate Nelson as the other Worcester State baseball players who have been taken in the annual MLB Amateur Draft. Stronach was the 18th pick of the Mets in the 22nd round of the 2006 draft while Nelson was the 17th choice of the Blue Jays, going in the 40th round in 2008.

En-route to helping propel the Blue and Gold to claim a share of their eighth MASCAC Regular Season title, Libuda went 5-2 with 40 strikeouts in 47.0 innings while permitting 12 earned runs for a staff-high 2.30 ERA. Libuda had the tenth lowest ERA in the conference and he went the distance six times in seven starts to rank among the league leaders in the category.

Of the 46 hits he allowed on the campaign to 173 batters, Libuda only surrendered six extra base-knocks, five for doubles and one home run.

Over the course of his career, Libuda posted a 14-7 overall record with a 2.73 ERA. He fanned 104 over 151.2 innings and he notched 13 complete games in 20 starts. He has the fourth-lowest career ERA in Worcester State history and he is tied for sixth on the all-time wins list.

In 2014, Libuda helped the Lancers capture MASCAC Regular Season title and the MASCAC Tournament Championship which culminated in the programs fifth NCAA Division III Tournament appearance. Libuda was named to the All-MASCAC First-team and he was selected as the Worcester Area Pitcher of the Year, by the area sports information directors.

Libuda also told Toland in the pre-draft article that he wanted to relish the moment with his mother.

“She’s known I’ve wanted this,” Libuda said. “She knows I’m real big into pursuing my dream of becoming a professional baseball player.”