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Former Sacred Heart shortstop John Murphy has been named to the Boston College baseball staff as a volunteer assistant, per a release from the Eagles athletic department.
Murphy, a 2013 graduate of the Pioneers, is the highest draft choice in program history, having been selected in the sixth round by the New York Yankees in the '13 First Year Player Draft. It was the stamp on an extremely successful career in which he was named ABCA All-America Third Team and ABCA All-Northeast Region First Team in his senior year. In 2011 and 2013, his sophomore and junior seasons, SHU won the Northeast Conference and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. As a senior, Murphy hit .367 with 76 hits, 13 doubles, and 47 RBIs.
Murphy joins the Eagles coaching staff to work with infielders and hitters while providing video analysis. In the release from BC, head coach Mike Gambino said, "The first two priorities in hiring anyone to be around our players are character and work ethic. Both of those are off the charts for Murph. He turned himself from a fairly lightly-recruited, somewhat overlooked player in high school into a Cape Cod League All-Star and sixth round pick basically on his work ethic and will to succeed.
"He's got a great baseball knowledge and will be a huge asset in helping our boys develop both on the field and into men," Gambino continued. "I couldn't be more excited to have him start his college coaching career with us."
Murphy played for the Bourne Braves during summer of 2012 prior to his senior season. He batted .308 that season and was named to the Western Division All Star Team.
After his draft selection, he played 37 games with the low-A Staten Island Yankees of the New York-Penn League, hitting .173 in 37 games. But he turned it around in 2014 when he hit .271 with 16 RBI and 17 stolen bases in 70 games for the Single-A Charleston RiverDogs. He called it quits following the 2014 season to pursue coaching endeavors.
Welcome, Coach Murph, to The Heights!