Wright, Titus taken on final day of MLB Draft

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Bryant University baseball junior Chris Wright (Cumberland, R.I.) was selected in the 12th round, 356th overall, by the San Francisco Giants, while redshirt sophomore Jimmy Titus (Stafford, Conn.) was selected in the 22nd round, 671st overall, by the Los Angeles Dodgers on day three of the Major League Baseball Draft.

Wright and Titus give the Bulldogs three picks in this year's draft (Ryan Ward – 8th round) and are the 17th and 18th Bulldogs drafted over the last seven seasons. This is the first time in program history the Bulldogs have had three non-seniors taken in the same draft. The three draft choices are the second-most in a single year (4 - 2014). 

"Chris was a tremendous two-way player for us for three years," head coach Steve Owens said. "When he focuses solely on pitching, he is going to be outstanding and, in my opinion, has the ability to move through levels of professional baseball quickly. He has a swing and miss fastball and very good breaking ball that result in a lot of strikeouts. His stuff is electric and more importantly, his attitude and competitiveness on the mound are off the charts! Combine that with his work ethic and the formula is in play for a long career."

"Jim had a super offensive season for us!," Owens continued. "He hit for both average and power and most importantly drove in runners. With his skill set, I see him moving to corner infield at the next level and continuing to be a big RH bat as he develops comfort in a new position. Guys who can hit keep progressing and we are confident that he will step up to his new challenge and continue to be successful."

Bryant's everyday first baseman for the last three seasons, Wright burst onto the pitching scene last summer in the Cape Cod League. After a dominating summer for Brewster, Wright put together one of the best seasons for a reliever in program history. He made 21 appearances, finishing 1-1 with a program record-tying 13 saves. Wright proved to be nearly unhittable, allowing just 16 hits in 34 1/3 innings, while striking out an astonishing 64 batters (16.78 per 9). He struck out multiple batters in all but three of his outings, including a career-high eight strikeouts in three innings of relief at Sacred Heart. Wright was named a semifinalist for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year award and became the first player in program history to earn All-American honors as a utility player when he was selected to the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper third team. 

In his career, Wright appeared in 35 games and made eight starts. He went 2-5 with 13 saves and a 5.49 ERA in 62 1/3 innings. Wright allowed just 45 hits in that span and struck out 97 batters (14.01 per 9). As a hitter, Wright posted 182 hits, 26 doubles, 15 home runs, 118 RBI, 110 runs scored and 86 walks in 167 career games.   

Titus returned from an injury in 2018 and slid right into the heart of Bryant's lineup, starting all but one game at short. He hit for average and power, finishing the season with a .343 average, 13 doubles, 12 home runs and 133 total bases. Titus drove in a team-high 63 runs, the second-most in DI program history, and also scored 50 times. He delivered the greatest single-game offensive performance in program history at Hartford when he went 5-for-5 with two home runs, seven RBI and five runs scored. Defensively, he finished with 160 assists and helped turned 37 double plays on the year.

In his career, Titus hit .319 with 145 hits, 29 doubles, 20 home runs, 105 RBI and 92 runs scored in 114 career games. He was the 2017 Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year and a 2017 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Freshman All-American.