MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Former Longwood star pitcher Mark Montgomery won his first professional league championship as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders clinched the Triple-A National Championship Tuesday night at Autozone Park.
 
The 26-year old right-hander wrapped up his sixth professional season in the postseason for a third time in his career. Montgomery, a native of Williamsburg, Va., pitched against the Gwinnett Braves in the first game of the Governor's Cup Finals, the championship series of the International League. In his lone postseason appearance, Montgomery tossed one perfect inning against the top minor league team of the Atlanta Braves.
 
Montgomery, who has spent his entire career in the New York Yankees organization, finished the regular season 2-0 with a 2.56 ERA and 63 strikeouts across 45.2 innings in 33 appearances. He spent the majority of the 2016 season with the RailRiders, making 18 of his appearances with the Yankees' top affiliate.
 
Since the Yankees drafted Montgomery in the 11th round of the 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft, he has put together an impressive career in the minors. The three-year Lancer flamethrower owns a minor league career 2.33 ERA with a 17-10 record in 219 appearances. In 285.2 innings Montgomery has 376 strikeouts with just 125 walks issued, a strikeout to walk ratio of better than 3-to-1, and owns a career batting average against of .189. In seven postseason appearances, Montgomery has not allowed any runs in 7.2 innings with just five base runners allowed, 11 strikeouts, and one save.
 
Montgomery, a two-time organizational all-star for the Yankees, led all Yankees minor leaguers in saves in 2012 and again led the organization in saves in 2015. Montgomery is one of three Longwood alums currently in pro baseball, joined by Kyri Washington and Aaron Myers. Montgomery sits at the highest level in Triple-A and seeks to become to become the first Lancer in the major leagues since Michael Tucker, who last played in the majors with the Mets in 2006.

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