NEW YORK, N.Y. – Fairfield University Baseball standouts Trey McLoughlin and Justin Guerrera both had their dreams come true as they saw their names selected in the 16th and 20th rounds, respectively, by the New York Mets in the 2021 MLB Draft. The duo becomes the 19th and 20th Stags selected in the major league draft and the first-ever by the Mets.
 
McLoughlin was the first Stag to see his name on the draft board as the right-hander was picked in the 16th round by the Amazins, becoming the third Stag in the last four seasons drafted in the top 16 rounds. McLoughlin missed most of the 2021 season with an injury but returned to make four starts for the Stags during their historical season. The highlight of his return came in the MAAC Championships as he helped the Stags advance to the Championship series by firing a gem against Canisius where he allowed a lone run in 6.1 innings while tying a season-high with 11 strikeouts.
 
McLoughlin also went 6.1 frames in his first career NCAA Regional game as he kept the Stags in striking distance against No. 21 Arizona State. In his career, McLoughlin is the program leader as he averages 9.11 strikeouts per nine innings and ranks 14th in Stags history with 162 punchouts.
 
His best game came in the MAAC Championship in 2019 where he fired a complete game three hitter with a career-high 14 strikeouts.
 
"It's an incredible achievement to be drafted by the New York Mets," McLoughlin said. "It's been a difficult past year for me especially with the pandemic and our season getting canceled to finally get back to normal this year only to miss a few weeks with an injury. I've had to face quite a bit of adversity over my four years at Fairfield but I've managed to find a way past it all. I'm unbelievably excited to begin my pro career."
 
"Trey is one of the hardest workers on the team each year he has been with the us," Head Coach Bill Currier said. "His maturity and physical presences on the mound has jumped to another level over the past two years which has made him attractable to major league teams.  I'm very excited for him and his family who have supported his journey through amateur baseball and now have a professional baseball player in the family."
 
McLoughlin has spent his summer at the prestigious Cape Cod Summer League where he started his season with 11.0 scoreless innings.
 
McLoughlin's teammate over the last few years also saw his name taken by the Mets as Fairfield's shortstop Justin Guerrera was picked in the 20th round. Guerrera is coming off the best season of his collegiate career where he earned All-MAAC First Team honors in helping the Stags to their best season in program history.
 
Guerrera tied the program's single season record with 13 home runs this spring, capped off by a mammoth three-run go-ahead homer against Arizona State in the NCAA Regionals. Guerrera was chosen as a First Team All-MAAC player after leading the conference in homers (13), RBI (45), runs scored (45), and slugging percentage (.685).
 
Guerrera ended his season by batting .421 (8-for-19) in Fairfield's four games in the NCAA Regionals. For his career, Guerrera ranks seventh with 20 career homers.
 
"The initial thought (after being drafted) was everything paid off and everything happened for a reason," Guerrera said. "But then you immediately come back to reality and know there's a lot more work ahead and the ultimate goal is to make it all the way to the top and being a professional baseball player in the major leagues."
 
"Justin was truly one of the most valuable players on our team during the amazing run of our team this spring," Coach Currier said. "He was a tremendous leader as a junior for our team the entire year. We are all very proud of his accomplishments while here at Fairfield during his short time. Justin is one of the best all-round athletes I have coached.  Our coaching staff is very grateful for his contribution to our program over his three years. The  Mets thinking enough of him to take him in the 20^th round is a sure tribute to his work ethic and athletic skills."
 
Guerrera has also found success in the summer leagues as he leads the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) with nine home runs in just 20 games.
 
The duo joins a New York Mets farm system that ranks 19th in MLB in the 2021 preseason rankings. They also helped a Stags team to a program record 39 wins in 2021, including the MAAC's first-ever At-Large bid into the NCAA Regionals. The Stags were also ranked in the top-25 in Baseball America for the first time in program history.