Festa Readies For 2023 MLB All-Star Futures Game - Seton Hall University Athletics
Seton Hall baseball alum David Festa is set to compete for the American League in the 2023 Major League Baseball All-Star Futures Game at T-Mobile Park in Se...
Verona, N.J. native joins Jason Grilli as the only two Pirates selected to the prestigious showcase
South Orange, N.J. — Seton Hall baseball alum David Festa is set to compete for the American League in the 2023 Major League Baseball All-Star Futures Game at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Saturday, July 8 at 7 p.m.
In its 24th season, the Futures Game showcases the MLB stars of tomorrow as the game's top prospects compete in conjunction with the MLB All-Star game. Festa is the second Pirate to be selected to the Futures Game, joining 15-year MLB veteran Jason Grilli who pitched in the first Futures Game in 1999. The seven-inning contest will be played in a National League vs. American League format and will air exclusively on Peacock and SiriusXM.
Festa currently pitches in the Texas League for the Wichita Wind Surge, the Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. The Verona, N.J. native was ranked as the 11th-best prospect in the Twins organization entering the 2023 season and was the Twins' Minor League Pitcher of the Month in April, going 1-1 with a 3.79 ERA in four starts and collecting 27 strikeouts in 19 innings. He's tied for the team lead with 14 starts, ranks second with 57 innings pitched and he leads the club with 71 strikeouts.
A 13th round pick of the Twins in 2021, Festa was a First Team All-BIG EAST selection as a junior, his final season at The Hall, where he went 6-4 with a 2.00 ERA in 72 innings. In conference play, he went 5-1 with a 1.54 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 41 innings pitched. Festa was a 2020 Preseason All-BIG EAST selection as a sophomore before the COVID-19 pandemic ended the season. He lived up to the hype in 2021 though where, at one point, he allowed only three earned runs and tossed three complete games over five consecutive winning decisions.
In 2019, Festa was named Seton Hall's Freshman Male Athlete of the Year after spending most of the season as the Pirates' Sunday starter. He pitched to a 3-4 record with a 4.42 ERA and 58 strikeouts with 25 walks in 53.0 innings pitched and ranked third on the team in strikeouts and innings pitched.
