WASHINGTON - This past summer, the Georgetown University baseball team saw three alums sign pro contracts to give the Hoyas a program-record five playing in organized professional baseball. On June 11, Matt Smith (B'16) and David Ellingson were selected just six picks apart in the 34th round of the MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Mariners, respectively. A month later, Curtiss Pomeroy (C'16) signed a free agent deal with the New York Yankees.

The trio joined former Hoyas Tim Adleman (N'10) and Nick Collins who were already members of the Cincinnati Reds and Oakland Athletics organizations, respectively.

Matt Smith -- A Strong First Impression
Smith graduated from Georgetown following a strong senior season that earned him an All-BIG EAST Second Team selection. He finished 2016 with a 4.52 ERA while recording a team-high 64 strikeouts in 81.2 innings. He holds the program records for career starts (49), innings pitched (309.2) and strikeouts (229).

After being drafted, Smith reported to Milwaukee's rookie team in Arizona to take all of the standard physicals given to pitchers to ensure his arm was healthy. He then had a week to meet his new coaches and teammates, throw a couple of bullpen sessions and get back into the swing of things.

Smith made his debut on June 21, coming out of the bullpen for a scoreless inning against the rookie team for the Los Angeles Angels.

"To be honest, there wasn't really much of a difference in the emotions. It was just like `I'm going out to play baseball, I'm going out to do what I love.' It was sort of the same thing as when I was at Georgetown. I was just going out there to do my job, because it is now my job. But it's a fun job."

While in Arizona, Smith had the opportunity to meet up with a couple of former Hoyas as both Collins and Adleman were in Arizona at the time, rehabbing injuries. Georgetown Head Coach Pete Wilk arranged for the trio to get together for a dinner. For Smith and Collins, it was a chance for former classmates and battery mates to reconnect and for the two younger players to talk to a big league pitcher.

"It was good to see Nick. We were close going through Georgetown. I wish the circumstances were different and he wasn't down there rehabbing, but it was really good to see him. And Tim, being able to sit down with a big leaguer and pick his brain was really cool. It was one of those things that I was really glad I had the opportunity to do."

Smith came out of bullpen in all four of his appearances in Arizona. However, it was not a true reliever role as he was piggybacking with another pitcher every five days. This is a common strategy that organizations use to help pitchers acclimate to the professional grind as well as limit the usage of a young pitcher who is just coming off of a full college season. For the Brewers, first-year professional pitchers generally have a limit of 130 innings combined between college and pro before they are shut down for the offseason.

"The way they do it in the organization is tandem starts, so you essentially have a partner and you will start one week and the following week you will come of out the bullpen. The design of it is to get as many starters the opportunity to start games because there are a lot of people on staff, and at the same time keep your arm healthy and not overuse you in the earlier stages of your career."

After registering a 0.87 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 10.1 innings in Arizona, Smith was moved up to short-season Helena - a normal promotion for a first-year pro if they are succeeding at the rookie level. However, after just five appearances with Helena (3 starts, 4.50 ERA, 22 IP, 17 K), Smith was promoted again to Milwaukee's low-A affiliate -- the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

"I didn't expect to get moved up to low-A in my first season, but at the same time, it was something that I had been working towards. When I got drafted, I set a goal for myself to make it to low-A in my first season. I didn't care how unrealistic it was, that was just something I had set to work towards. I just took care of my business and tried to pitch well."

Smith joined a Wisconsin team that was in the midst of a late playoff push. There he experienced more of a true reliever role where he had to be ready to go any given day rather than knowing he was pitching every five or six days. He did make a couple of spot starts for Wisconsin, but came out of the bullpen in three of his five appearances.

"I started the last game of the season and that put me at my innings limit. I was told that I may be used in the playoffs or I may not, but then we lost in the first round. I was not going to throw in the first series because it started right after my last start, but there was a chance I would throw in the second series."

Overall, the season was a success for Smith. Not only did he meet his personal goal of moving up to low-A, but he also pitched well at all three stops. He combined for a 4.13 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 48 innings. He registered a career-high seven strikeouts in his final appearance in Helena and recorded a 3.95 ERA in his final four appearances in Wisconsin.

"Ultimately, I had a lot of fun. I'm an extremely competitive person and have always enjoyed being in a competitive atmosphere. Just being able to do that every day and play the sport that I love, wake up every day - literally, I think in August I had one off day the entire month -- it doesn't get old. Even though you are doing the same thing over and over and over again, there isn't anything I would rather be doing."

David Ellingson -- Same Role, Same Results
Ellingson departed Georgetown after a strong junior season as GU's closer. He tied the Georgetown record with 11 saves and finished with a 3.29 ERA in 2016, a year after recording nine saves and a record 0.75 ERA. In just two seasons in the Hoya bullpen, Ellingson ranks second in program history with 20 career saves.

He was selected 1,017th overall by Seattle in the 2016 Draft, just six picks after Smith was taken by Milwaukee. Like Smith, he also reported to the rookie team in Arizona and went through the standard physicals.

"It was interesting going in there. They prepare you really well and make sure everything is good with your arm before you sign your contract. All this stuff to make sure you're not injured. Then they have you throw a couple of bullpens and you start getting transitioned into what it's like to be a pro."

Ellingson made his professional debut on July 5. He came into the game in the ninth inning of a 2-1 game and recorded the save with a scoreless frame.

"It was kind of cool in my first appearance because they put me in a closing role. It was just like I was back at Georgetown having to close it out. Honestly, it's not a huge difference, you just have to go out there and do your best. It's just a little more pressure because you have different coaches and different expectations. You can throw a good bullpen, but it is different when you are facing live hitters."

He served as the team's closer for the rest of the summer, generally pitching every three to five days as he adjusted to the grind of the professional baseball schedule. In all, Ellingson appeared in 12 games recording three saves in four opportunities. He did not allow an earned run while striking out eight in 10.1 innings. Behind Ellingson's success, the Mariners' rookie team advanced to the championship series.

"There was only a three-game postseason. That was actually the most pressure I felt because it was the last game and we were up 3-1 in the ninth and playing in one of those big spring training stadiums. I went in there and was like `don't blow it for everyone else.' I just wanted to get through it and get the guys a ring."

He did just that, striking out two in a perfect inning to close out the game to win the championship. Ellingson then returned to the Hilltop for the fall semester to work towards finishing his degree while also hitting the weight room and developing his changeup.

"There is always more room for improvement."

Curtiss Pomeroy -- A Summer of Learning and Adjusting
Pomeroy converted to a pitcher midway through his junior season and was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 28th round of the MLB Draft, but returned to the Hilltop for his senior season. He battled injuries for much of his senior year and made just four appearances, finishing with a 6.00 ERA in three innings with five strikeouts. In less than two seasons as a pitcher for the Hoyas, Pomeroy made nine appearances and struck out 13 batters to just three walks in just eight career innings.

After graduating from Georgetown in May 2016 with a degree in history, Pomeroy returned home to Massachusetts to concentrate on getting healthy from a back injury that sidelined him for the final 44 games of the season.

"There was really no rush. I wanted to be in the best position when I made myself available to sign. I worked out hard pretty much every day. I would go out to my high school and throw into the batting cage by myself. I was making sure I was ready to go when I decided to go out in from of some guys and throw."

When he felt he was healthy enough, Pomeroy contacted Matt Hyde, a regional scout for the New York Yankees, and set up a time for a bullpen session. Pomeroy went into the workout with low expectations, not wanting to overdo it his first time out. He knew he could schedule more bullpens and this was just to set a benchmark.

"I was throwing 94-97 mph. That was a little surprising. I went into the workout thinking `if I'm 90-93, I'm happy. I'm good, I know where I sit.'"

While Pomeroy was still on the mound, Hyde called his bosses with the Yankees.

"He said `we are going to sign you today if that's okay and will fly you to Tampa tomorrow.' I went home, told my parents, and started packing my stuff. In less than 15 hours, I was on the plane. I didn't even think about it, I was just like `alright, let's do it.'"

Pomeroy got to Tampa and officially signed a free agent contract with the Yankees on July 13. He spent the next month and a half throwing bullpen sessions with his new coaches and pitching in simulated games.

"They were being careful since I was coming off of an injury, but I also struggled a little bit with making some adjustments. I was wild and trying to get a feel for pitching in a new environment. It was different for me and I just needed a bit of time to get acclimated, make some changes and have the changes stick."

On August 26, Pomeroy finally made his debut with the Yankees' rookie team in the Gulf Coast League against the Tigers. Unfortunately his debut was a forgettable one as he walked all three batters he faced.

"My arm felt good. I was definitely excited and missed a little bit here and there on the inside and outside. The numbers were not what I wanted them to be. But honestly, coming off of that outing with what I was working on and how I felt, I was pretty pleased and my pitching coach was pretty pleased. You can look at the numbers and say it looks like a bad outing, but I was pretty happy with it.

"It was awesome. You can't really find the words to explain it. You spend your whole life playing baseball and to get an opportunity to be a professional baseball player, to actually be out on the mound with a bunch of guys who are all working toward being big league baseball players, is something that is really cool and something that I definitely won't forget."

Pomeroy did not pitch in another game during the final week of the season and spent the month of September taking part in the instructional league where he was able to receive some more one-on-one coaching on both the mental and physical parts of being a professional pitcher.

"We had a lot of 1-on-1 work and had a lot of ex-big league guys who were down there. It was really beneficial for me to listen to these guys talk about the mental aspect of the game, how they approached it and also what it's like to be at a higher level, whether it was double-A, triple-A or the big leagues. From a baseball perspective, it could not have been a better place for me. Looking back at where I was in July and where I am now, I have grown exponentially."