Chris Holba

Height:
6-3
Weight:
193
Class:
Sophomore
Hometown:
O'Fallon, Ill.
High School:
O'Fallon Township
Major:
Economics

2018: Selected in the 11th round (pick 333) of the 2018 MLB First-Year Player Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals … Unanimous First-Team All-America Athletic Conference selection … Named to Golden Spikes Midseason Watch List … Perfect Game Midseason All-America selection … Two-Time AAC Honor Roll member … Named 2018 Jungle Pitching MVP … Named ECU Male Student-Athlete of the Month (March 2018) … Posted a 9-1 record in 15 games (all starts) … His .900 win percentage is tied for sixth on ECU’s single-season charts … Combined on a pair of shutouts (UNC and Saint Joseph’s) … Struck out 60 batters (third on the team) while walking 20 … Allowed 30 runs (27 earned) on 86 hits in 81.1 innings … Tallied eight quality starts … Notched wins in his first five starts (Western Carolina, UNC, Saint Joseph’s, Charlotte and Maryland) … Followed that with victories against Wichita State, Washington, USF and Memphis … Fanned multiple batters in a game 13 times with a season-best eight on three occasions … Opened the season without allowing a run in 25.1 innings (streak snapped at Charlotte) … Stood 30th nationally in wins (nine), while ranking 158th in ERA (2.99) … Overall, tied for AAC lead in wins … Ranked among league leaders (overall) in starts (t3rd) and innings pitched (eighth) … In league games only, ranked eighth in ERA (3.03) … Posted a 3-1 record in seven starts with 18 strikeouts and 10 walks in 35.2 frames … Listed as the N. 25 prospect in The American in the country by D1Baseball heading into his junior season.

2017: Appeared in 14 games making six starts … Posted a 4-2 record with one save … Combined on a pair of shutouts (Campbell and Charlotte) … Allowed 22 runs (16 earned) on 46 hits with a 3.38 ERA … Struck out 47 batters while walking eight in 42.2 innings … Notched wins against Campbell (twice), Duke and Elon … Suffered both losses to Connecticut (March 31 and May 19) … Moved into weekend rotation on March 31 vs. the Huskies where he allowed two runs (both earned) on eight hits with six strikeouts over 7.1 innings … Struck out a career-best nine batters on two occasions (Elon and Mercer) … Tallied three quality starts (Campbell, Elon, Connecticut) … First appearance of the season came out of the bullpen where he logged 1.1 innings surrendering a run on two hits at No. 8 Ole Miss (Feb. 19) … In first start of the season, tossed six shutout innings with four punch outs at Campbell (Feb. 22) … Followed that with a seven inning effort versus Elon (March 1) giving up two runs (both earned) on seven hits where he fanned nine hitters … Credited with only save of the year against Charlotte (March 11) tossing two scoreless frames with a pair of strikeouts … Missed over a month of action after being hit by a line drive at Houston (April 7) … Logged an inning of relief in first outing back from injury against Campbell (May 16) surrendering two runs on two hits with three strikeouts … Allowed two or less runs in an outing eight times (two or fewer earned runs in 13 contests) … Tallied multiple strikeouts in a game nine times … Worked at least one inning of relief seven times (multiple on four occasions) … Made three appearances in league play going 0-2 in three starts … Surrendered five runs (four earned) on 12 hits for a 3.48 ERA … Fanned seven and walked just one in 10.1 innings … 2017 Summer: Played for the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod League … Teammates of Spencer Brickhouse and Turner Brown … Made four appearances (all starts) posting an 0-2 record with a 4.90 ERA … Allowed 10 runs (all earned) on 17 hits … Struck out 14 and walked 13 in 18.1 innings of work.

2016: Appeared in 25 games making one start during freshman campaign … Posted a 3-1 record with a 6.23 ERA … Allowed 21 runs (all earned) on 36 hits with 19 strikeouts and 10 walks in 30.1 innings … Recorded one save (NC State/April 19) … Earned wins against SE Louisiana (Mar. 4), George Mason (Mar. 8) and at Connecticut (May 7) … Combined on a shutout vs. Jacksonville (Mar. 26) allowing one hit in an innings worth of work … Suffered loss against USF (May 15) … First collegiate start came against George Mason (Mar. 8) where he worked three full frames allowing one run (earned) on two hits with a pair of strikeouts and one walk … Worked at least one inning of relief in 16 games with a career-high four against NC State (April 25) in ECU’s 15-3 win at Clark-LeClair Stadium … Did not allow a run in 11 of 24 relief appearances … Only three of 13 inherited runs scored (23.1 percent) … Fanned at least one batter in 13 games (multiple six times) … Opposing hitters batted .298 against him … Appeared in four postseason games (two regional, two super regional) giving up four runs and striking out four … Tossed two frames in the Charlottesville Regional (one run allowed) and 2.1 against No. 5 National Seed Texas Tech in the Lubbock Super Regional (three runs surrendered) … Did not issue a walk in 17 of 24 relief appearances … Pitched in nine games out of the bullpen in league play posting a 1-1 record with a 5.00 ERA … 2016 Summer: Played for the Bourne Braves in the Cape Cod Baseball League … Posted a 1-0 record with a 2.45 ERA in eight games (four starts) … Allowed seven runs (all earned) on 27 hits … Opposing batters hit at a .222 clip against him … Picked up lone win in the CCBL Playoffs against Falmouth (Aug. 8) surrendering one run (earned) on four hits with a pair of strikeouts … Tallied a summer-best five strikeouts against Cotuit (July 16) … Registered multiple strikeouts four times (at least one in seven of 8 outings).

O’Fallon Township High School: Earned three varsity letters under coach Jason Portz, one of the top baseball programs in the state of Illinois … Over last two years with the Panthers, posted a 14-2 combined record on the mound … As a junior garnered Second-Team All-IHSA Conference honors after going 6-0 with a 1.28 ERA and 57 strikeouts … Closed out prep career with an 8-2 record and a 0.67 ERA, to include pitching team to 3-1 upset victory over nationally-ranked (No. 6) Edwardsville during the 2015 Illinois Sectional Semifinal. … As a team captain, fanned 110 batters, hit over .340 and played second base on his way to First-Team IL Coaches Assoc. All-State and First-Team All-IHSA Conference accolades … Named “Panther Paw” Student-of-the-Week … Played travel ball for the St. Louis Pirates under coach Rick Strickland … Rated as the third-best RHP prospect in Illinois and 105th-best national prospect by Perfect Game … Garnered First-Team All-Central Regional honors in 2015 … Tabbed as the seventh-best prospect in Illinois and 194th-best national prospect by MaxPreps.com … Participated in several showcase events including 2014 PG WWBA World Championship (Jupiter, Fla.), 2014 PG WWBA Kernels Foundation Championship (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), 2014 PG WWBA 17U National Championship (Emerson, Ga.) and 2015 Louisville Slugger Select Classic (Emerson, Ga.).

Personal: Full name is Christopher James Holba, but prefers to go by Chris … Son of Jane and Colonel (USAF) Bob Holba … Born in Sindelfingen, Germany … Father played football and baseball at the US Air Force Academy … Has three siblings (Nicholas, Katherine and Alexander) … Hit a grand slam against Canada while playing in 2009 Little League World Series for team Europe (KMC, Ramstein Air Base, Germany) … Majoring in economics … Two-time ECU Director of Athletics Honor Roll member (Fall 2015, Fall 2017) … Two-time American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team selection (2016-17).