UNO reliever Paplham signs with Padres

NEW ORLEANS – Cole Paplham became the latest Privateer to join the professional ranks after signing with the San Diego Padres following the conclusion of the 2022 MLB Draft. Paplham will become the fifth Privateer in the minor leagues.

While Paplham only had 9.2 innings on the season, his fastball-slider combination worked for 11 strikeouts and a .216 opponent batting average in his lone season on the Lakefront. Paplham also recorded two saves on the 2022 season.

Paplham’s saves came against McNeese and Southern. Against the Cowboys, who were Southland regular season champions, Paplham entered with an 11-9 lead in the ninth inning. He retired the side in order to preserve the win and cap off a sweep against McNeese. In the game against Southern, Paplham struck out the last two batters to put the finishing touches on a win in the regular season finale.

The Denmark, Wisc. native transferred to the Privateers from Lake Land College where he recorded 45 strikeouts over 13 appearances. His career-best in an outing was 11 strikeouts over six innings in 2019. In high school, Paplham was a two-time all-conference member at Denmark HS.

Paplham joins Eric Orze, Shawn Semple, Bryan Warzek and Gaige Howard as current Privateers in the pros.

FROM COACH DEAN
“We’re very excited for Cole. He’s a guy who has a high ceiling and a ton of potential to develop and hopefully be an asset to a big league team shortly down the road. It’s a testament to our coaching staff who have brought in talented players that are developing and helping our program move in the right direction.”

CURRENT PRIVATEERS IN THE PROS
Name, Team — Affiliate
Eric Orze, New York Mets — AAA Syracuse
Bryan Warzek, Seattle Mariners — ACL Mariners
Shawn Semple, New York Yankees — AAA Scranton-Wilkes Barre
Gaige Howard, Los Angeles Dodgers — A Rancho Cucamonga