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High School Teammates Face Off on the Mound in MLB Showdown

Friday, April 22, 2022, will be a day that goes down in the history books for Concordia Lutheran High School (Tomball, TX) as two of the school’s four alumni and active MLB players take the mound against each other tonight, when the Texas Rangers visit the Oakland Athletics. First pitch is at 8:40 CST and the game can be seen on Apple TV+.

Glenn Otto, RHP for the Rangers (2-9 and 5th place in AL West), will face his high school teammate Adam Oller, RHP for the Athletics (8-6 and 2nd place in AL West) with both pitchers still seeking their first MLB win. This is the first time in Concordia's history where two alumni will compete against each other in a professional sporting competition. (There have been many alumni that were teammates in high school from baseball, volleyball, and basketball that have faced each other in collegiate sports in recent years.)

Earlier this season, on January 29, 2022, when the future of the MLB 2022 season was still under contract discussions amid lockout rumors, both Otto and Oller came back to Concordia for the Crusader’s opening scrimmage. Both pitchers were honored at the game and Concordia’s Major Leaguers wall was unveiled. They were given their high school jerseys and tossed out ceremonial first pitches.

Glenn Otto ’14 made his MLB debut last Fall on August, 27, 2021 against the Houston Astros. Otto was originally drafted by the New York Yankees in the 2017 player draft in the 5th round following playing NCAA college baseball at Rice University (Houston, TX). For his career, he has started 6 games and is 0-3 overall with a 9.26 ERA. In 23 1/3 innings pitched, he has struck out 28 batters, walked 8, with opponents hitting .320.

Adam Oller ’13 made his MLB debut this Spring on April 12, 2022 against the Tampa Bay Rays. Oller was originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2016 player draft in the 20th round following playing NCAA college baseball at Northwestern State (Natchitoches, LA). For his career, he has started 2 games and is 0-1 overall with a 13.50 ERA. In 4 2/3 innings pitched, he has struck out 6 batters, walked 6, with opponents hitting .435.

While Oller and Otto have both had their own unique roads to making it to the majors, they are two of the strongest pitchers in the game with Otto standing 6’3” and 240 lbs and Oller at 6’4” and 225 lbs. Their young careers are sure to continue to cross with both teams competing in the AL West division.

The Rangers and Athletics rosters include several young prospects filling up the lineup cards. The Rangers have the fourth youngest roster with the average age of 27.8 (MLB.com) and the Athletics traded away several veteran players before the 2022 season began, which brought over Oller from the Mets. 

Concordia Lutheran High School’s baseball program has produced some of the MLB’s top young talent over the last decade, thanks in part to the leadership of late Head Coach, Rick Lynch. The Crusaders have developed a pipeline for talent and the players at Concordia are used to having scouts on campus, at practice, and at games. The pipeline is not drying up anytime soon as this year’s team features a member of Team USA Baseball’s U16 team as well as four NCAA Division 1 commits and a few other college bound players under current Head Coach, Royce Kennedy, who served as Lynch’s assistant for five seasons.

Oller in the News:

Otto in the News:

 

Other notable MLB players and alumni from Concordia Tomball include Pittsburgh Pirates starting 3B, Ke’Bryan Hayes (son of former big leaguer Charlie Hayes) and RHP Shane Baz for the Tampa Bay Rays. Hayes recently signed an 8-year contract extension earlier this season with the Pirates, while Baz started Game 2 of the ALDS in last year’s playoffs. Baz, Hayes, Oller, and Otto will look to continue their successes in the MLB for future years to come!

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Sources: www.mlb.com , Concordia Lutheran High School, and Concordia Lutheran High School's Advancement Office

 

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