Photo courtesy of RU Athletics – After hitting .385 in RU’s shortened 2020 season, infielder J.D. Mundy has signed a pro contract with the Baltimore Orioles.
Radford University senior infielder J.D. Mundy will begin his professional playing career fairly close to home after signing a contract with the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.
“I’m excited for this opportunity,” Mundy said. “I’ve wanted to play baseball at the pro level my whole life and have thought about this for some time. I’m really grateful to the Orioles organization for giving me this opportunity.”
Mundy was the 2020 Big South Preseason Player of the Year and a 2019 Big South First Team All-Conference selection. He hit .323 with 17 homers and 74 runs batted in across the 2019 and 2020 Radford seasons. Mundy also had 23 doubles and 48 walks, posting a combined .425 on-base percentage and a .606 slugging percentage as a Highlander.
“On behalf of the Radford baseball program, we’d like to congratulate J.D. on signing with the Baltimore Orioles,” head coach Karl Kuhn said. “In the short timespan that I’ve been around J.D., he has exemplified being a great teammate, selflessness and a tremendous work ethic, traits that will carry him far in baseball and in his life. I’m happy for him and his family and am looking forward to watching his success with the Orioles.”
In the shortened 2020 season, Mundy put up a .385 batting average with six doubles, four homers and 19 runs batted in. He led the Big South in homers, RBIs, total bases (43) and slugging percentage and was the toughest hitter to strike out in the entire conference with just four strikeouts in 65 at bats.
“I spent some time this morning talking with the Orioles, and what their hitting coaches and instructors presented to me was appealing,” Mundy said. “I liked the coaches and their approach, and I thought this organization was the best fit for me in trying to advance through the minor league system and achieving my goals.”
Mundy becomes the 32nd Highlander in program history to either be drafted by an MLB organization or sign as an undrafted free agent, and the fifth player to be drafted or signed by the Orioles. The Roanoke native is the tenth Highlander in program history to sign as an undrafted free agent, albeit under different circumstances with the 2020 MLB Draft being shortened to five rounds.
“I really enjoyed all the players and coaches here at Radford,” Mundy said. “I’m disappointed that we didn’t get to finish this season because I thought we had a really special group here that could win a championship, but I loved my time at Radford. I’m ready for this next chapter.”
The Baltimore Orioles organization currently has six U.S.-based minor league affiliates: the GCL Orioles (Gulf Coast League, Rookie), the Aberdeen Ironbirds (New York-Penn League, A-Short Season), the Delmarva Shorebirds (South Atlantic League, A), the Frederick Keys (Carolina League, A-Advanced), the Bowie Baysox (Eastern League, Double-A) and the Norfolk Tides (International League, Triple-A).
