TRENTON — Connor Maryniak smiled and nodded his head in agreement when it was suggested he’s had a unique career path.
The Thunder infielder has gone from barely receiving any college interest, to Division III National Player of the Year, to Division I starter, to now one of the top hitters in the professional half of the MLB Draft League.
Pretty crazy, right?
“Oh,” he said, “100 percent.”
Maryniak joined the Thunder after he went undrafted following three seasons at Division III Misericordia University and one in the American Athletic Conference at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
He’s done in the capital city what he’s done at each of his prior stops. Entering play on Thursday night, Maryniak was riding an 11-game hitting streak, including a 4-for-4 performance in Tuesday night’s victory over Williamsport.
Maryniak ranks second in the Draft League in batting average (.374), second in hits (34) and third in OBP (.443) and OPS (.959).
“I kind of like playing every day to get into a flow and a rhythm,” said Maryniak, comparing the everyday nature of the Draft League to a college season where you play a weekend series and a mid-week game. “I’m in that rhythm right now where I have that same routine every day: lift, get the early work, go out to the field and hit BP and then the game.”
Maryniak’s story starts as a lightly-recruited player coming out of Governor Mifflin High in the Reading, Pa., area. The first coach to show significant interest was Pete Egbert at Misericordia, located about two hours north of his hometown, but a Division III program with a strong baseball tradition.
At Misericordia, Maryniak was a two-way player. He went 11-3 with a 2.44 ERA as a junior and was the winning pitcher in the national championship game, while posting a .345/.419/.631 slash with 13 homers, 70 RBI and 17 stolen bases.
It earned him the ABCA/Rawlings Division III National Player of the Year award.
“There are good baseball players all over the country,” Maryniak said. “Our team was filled with absolute studs who could have played at the higher level as well. That’s true for the teams that we saw in the World Series, as well. A lot guys transfer out and go up to the power five, D1 level. It’s cool to see that other D3 guys are able to play at that level.”
Thunder shortstop Connor Maryniak walks to the plate during an MLB Draft League game. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo)
All told in three seasons at Misericordia, Maryniak was part of a team that went 112-43, reached the Division III World Series twice and conquered the mountain in 2024.
With one season of eligibility remaining and having accomplished everything he could at the Division III level, he put his name in the transfer portal and landed at Charlotte.
The AAC school had seen him in the Valley League with the Culpeper Cavaliers where he played well against Division I competition. He was also going to play shortstop for Charlotte and largely leave the pitching behind.
He leveled up at the plate, posting a .259/.364/.458 slash with 11 homers and 37 RBI for a team that went 26-22 overall and 18-9 in the AAC.
“We were against D1 guys every night,” Maryniak said, referencing his time in the Valley League. “That helped prepare me for the D1 level. I went there two years and after the first year I went back to Misericordia and I felt like the game slowed down for me against that level of competition. Transferring to the D1, I carried that with me knowing I had the confidence playing against those kind of guys.”
Maryniak landed in the Draft League after Charlotte’s hitting coach Phillip Cebuhar reached out that he would be a good candidate should he go undrafted. The Draft League offered him a contract and placed him with the Thunder — a former rival of his hometown Reading Fightin’ Phils from when the two franchises were competing in the Eastern League — where he’s shown to be one of the league’s most productive hitters.
“D3 guys can play with anybody in the country,” Maryniak said. “There’s talent all over. It doesn’t matter what level you are at. There are D2 guys, D3 guys and D1 guys all around this league. Everyone is on the same playing field now and it’s cool that you get to play against those kind of guys.”
The second half of the Draft League season offers a first-last chance for those like Maryniak who want to keep the dream alive by attracting the eye of a big league organization.
“You never know what could happen or who is watching,” Maryniak said. “You got to go out every night and play every game like someone is there trying to sign you.”
Originally Published: August 14, 2025 at 2:07 PM EDT