TALLAHASSEE, Fl. — Florida State junior pitcher CJ Van Eyk was selected with the 42nd overall pick in Thursday’s Major League Baseball Draft, going to the Toronto Blue Jays. Van Eyk is FSU’s highest drafted pitcher since Luke Weaver went in the first round in 2014.
Van Eyk, a right-hander from Lutz, Florida, was previously drafted out of Steinbrenner High in the 19th round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the New York Mets. Making an impact all three seasons in Tallahassee, Van Eyk compiled an 18-5 career record, 3.21 earned-run average and 225 strikeouts in 176.2 innings pitched.
As a freshman, Van Eyk was 7-0 while splitting time between the bullpen and starting rotation. He was a second-team freshman All-American from Baseball America, D1Baseball and the NCBWA and was on the 2018 ACC All-Freshman Team.
In 2019, Van Eyk helped lead the Seminoles back to the College World Series, finishing 10-4 with a 3.81 ERA. He struck out 129 batters in 99.1 innings pitched and won seven consecutive decisions leading to the CWS, including a one-hitter in the ACC Tournament against NC State with a season-high 11 strikeouts. In the regional against No. 4 Georgia, he pitched a career-high 8.0 innings in the Noles’ 12-3 win.
Van Eyk earned second team ABCA All-Region honors, third team All-ACC honors and was on the 2019 All-Athens Regional Team.
As the Seminole ace in 2020, Van Eyk was 1-1 with a 1.31 ERA with 25 strikeouts over 20.2 innings pitched before the season was canceled due to COVID-19 on March 11. He earned the win against FAU with a season-high eight strikeouts and allowed just 11 hits on the season. He was a semifinalist for the AAU Sullivan Award, given to the nation’s top amateur athlete.
Van Eyk is the first Seminole drafted by the Blue Jays since Cobi Johnson in 2018. Since the draft began in 1965, 273 Noles have been drafted, including at least one each year since 1975.
For more information on Florida State baseball, check Seminoles.com for the latest news and scheduling information, or keep up with the team on social media through Twitter (@FSUBaseball), Facebook (/FSUBaseball), and Instagram (@NoleBaseball).
