July 14, 2015
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Former Commodore Zander Wiel became the fifth Vanderbilt player to sign a professional contract this summer, inking a deal with the Minnesota Twins over the weekend.
Wiel, a Murfreesboro native who graduated in May, was drafted by the Twins in the 12th round last month. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound first baseman made 71 starts this season as he helped the Commodores to the College World Seres finals for the second straight year. He batted .316 in his final season and tied a team-high with 15 home runs and leading the team with 68 RBIs. He also had 19 doubles, three triples and scored 59 runs. After redshirting his freshman season, he played in 173 games over the next three years and started 152.
He joins former teammates Carson Fulmer (Chicago White Sox), Philip Pfeifer (Los Angeles Dodgers), Rhett Wiseman (Washington Nationals) and Tyler Ferguson (Texas Rangers) in signing professional deals. The deadline for major league teams to sign draft picks is this Friday.
