ATLANTA – Saint Joseph's lefthander Colton Book was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the ninth round of the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft on Monday.  Book was chosen with the 271st overall selection.
 
"We are very excited for Colton on being selected by the Cubs," head coach Fritz Hamburg said.  "I know he has been looking forward to this day for some time, but it happened because of his commitment, focus, and hard work toward furthering his game each and every day.  He lived true to being consistent and he dedicated himself to being the very best; what he accomplished this season was truly outstanding."
 
Book was named the Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year and earned a spot on the ABCA All-East Region First Team after turning in one of the most outstanding seasons by a hurler in SJU history.  The native of Manheim, Pennsylvania, was a four-time Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Week on the way to First Team All-Conference accolades; he was also named the College Baseball Foundation's National Pitcher of the Week on February 25.
 
The southpaw is the first pitcher in Saint Joseph's history to strike out 100 batters in a season, setting a new program record with 122 punchouts for the year, and fanned 13 or more on four different occasions.  He spent the season ranked among the top three in Division I in strikeouts before finishing the regular season fifth in the nation.  Also ranking in the top 12 in the country in both WHIP and strikeouts-per-nine-innings at the end of the regular season, Book showed his durability by throwing at least six innings in 10 of his starts, with five starts of seven frames or more. 
 
"On behalf of our program here on Hawk Hill, we thank him for all that he did to help our program, but most importantly, we congratulate him on a job well done," Hamburg said.  "We look forward to following his journey in professional baseball!"
 
Book is the 14th Hawk to hear his name called in the draft during Hamburg's tenure and the 34th overall in program history.