7 Years After Going Defunct, Top University’s Baseball Program Produces its First MLB Product Thanks to the New York Mets

On Monday, the New York Mets finally faced the Atlanta Braves in a much-anticipated game. The doubleheader took place after multiple delays due to rain. Max Scherzer was unable to come back from his suspension but it still ended up being an eventful game.

Ronald Acuña Jr. blasted a homer into the third deck and then exited with a shoulder injury. The Mets moved up a player from AAA Syracuse, making history with the university he graduated from. The New York team also announced that right-handed pitcher Stephen Ridings will be transferred to the 60-day injured list. He was already serving time on the IL due to a lat strain and now will only be able to come back near the end of May. This news was announced right in tandem with the promotion of Zach Muckenhirn from the minor leagues.

The New York Mets help make history at the University of North Dakota

Seven years ago, UND decided to make cuts to its baseball program and discontinued it. In the middle of the 2015-2016 season, the last year for Muckenhirn at the school, it was announced that the baseball program would be no more. The left-handed pitcher was left adrift and tried to look at other programs. But ultimately, he decided to go pro. And on May 1st, 2023, he finally played his first major league game.

It was not an easy journey, especially seeing how Muckenhirn’s last season of college baseball went. But he got selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 11th round in 2016, the highest draft pick UND had seen since 1968. After a short stint with the Chicago White Sox at AA, the pitcher signed on to the Mets in 2022. And the rest, as they say, is history.

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The 28-year-old received much praise from his old teammates and coach too.

Former UND coach and teammates congratulate Muckenhirn for his success

A person’s worth can be better judged by what people around them think of them, and Muckenhirn was a popular personality. UND’s former baseball coach couldn’t praise him enough for his skills. “I saw him at a showcase, and I liked him. He was an extremely good athlete. You’d never think he was that athletic but he could dunk any which way and run and just had a determined work ethic,” he told Tom Miller.

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“He embodies what UND baseball was at that time. It was finding guys who maybe weren’t ‘that guy’ yet but allowing them to play and find themselves,” said Muckenhirn’s former UND teammate, Alex Twenge.

Now let’s hope the pitcher’s good luck continues with the Mets!