Pittsburgh Pirates select Wright State’s Andrew Patrick and Jake Shirk in 2024 MLB Draft

Two Wright State University baseball players were selected in the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft this week.

Junior outfielder Andrew Patrick became the first Raider picked in this year’s draft when he was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 504th pick in the 17th round. Senior right-handed pitcher Jake Shirk was then chosen by the Pirates with the 534th pick in the 18th round.

Wright State has now had 20 total draftees in the last 10 drafts dating back to 2015 and 44 in program history. In that span, Tyler Black, Peyton Burdick, Sean Murphy and Jesse Scholtens have made it to the Major Leagues.

Andrew Patrick appeared in 150 games, starting in 147, in three seasons at Wright State, recording a .288 career batting average with 36 doubles, 37 homers and 120 RBI.

The outfielder collected multiple Horizon League All-League honors, including being named to the All-Freshman Team in 2022 and earning a spot on the All-Horizon League First Team as a sophomore. In 2023, he was named to the East-ABCA/Rawlings All-Region First Team.

After returning from an early season injury, Patrick made 33 starts in the 2024 season, batting .244, tallying 24 RBI, and leading the team with 17 stolen bases. The Hilliard, Ohio, native stood out in the Raiders’ 2023 campaign, batting .326 with 21 doubles, four triples, and 59 RBIs. Patrick cemented his name in the record book with 20 homers his sophomore season, surpassing the previous 16 season home runs.

Jake Shirk appeared in 58 games in his four years at Wright State, sitting fifth in program history with 45 games started. After making all 12 appearances from the bullpen his first year, the right-handed pitcher primarily served as a starter for Wright State the following three seasons.

His 22 career wins tie him for eighth in program history. In his 270 career innings pitched, Shirk struck out 214 batters, a rate of 7.13 per nine innings.

He was awarded All-Horizon League honors twice, earning a spot on the Second Team (2022) and then being named to the First Team (2023).

Shirk spent the most recent season serving as the Raiders’ Friday starter, leading the team with 78.2 innings pitched in 14 starts, and was the only Wright State pitcher to start in every appearance. The Fort Wayne, Indiana, native struck out 64 batters while walking only 17.

As a junior, Shirk earned Pitcher of the Week honors from D1Baseball.com, Perfect Game USA and the Horizon League after firing a one-hit shutout at Oakland, striking out a career-high 14 batters while allowing just an infield single in the first inning and walking none.