View source for Wade Townsend

{{Short description|American baseball player}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Wade Townsend
|image=
|position=[[Pitcher]]
|bats=Right
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1983|2|22}}
|birth_place=[[Austin, Texas]], U.S.
}}
{{distinguish|Wade Townsend (cricketer)}}
'''Wade Daniel Townsend''' (born February 22, 1983) is an American former professional baseball [[pitcher]], twice selected as a first-round [[Major League Baseball Draft|Major League Draft]] pick out of [[Rice University]]. Townsend attended Dripping Springs High School in Dripping Springs, Texas where he graduated in 2001. He played for coach Tom Hancock while at Dripping Springs. After his junior season of high school he was offered a scholarship to play baseball at Rice University. After college, Townsend was drafted by the [[Baltimore Orioles]] with the eighth pick of the 2004 Draft, but was ruled ineligible to continue negotiation with the Orioles while remaining at Rice to finish his degree. He was drafted by the [[Tampa Bay Rays|Tampa Bay Devil Rays]]' with the eighth pick of 2005 Draft, signing for a $1.5 million bonus.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/109549072/former-mlb-prospect-wade-townsend-finds-calling-in-poker|title=Former MLB Prospect Wade Townsend Finds Calling In Poker |first=Doug|last=Miller|work=[[Sports On Earth]]|date=February 19, 2015|access-date=February 19, 2015}}</ref>

==College career==
Townsend spent his first season as a reliever for Rice, which went to the [[College World Series]] and finished second in the nation in ERA. Townsend was 2–1 with a 2.28 ERA and six saves as a freshman, recording 51 strikeouts, 22 walks, and 10 wild pitches in 51.1 innings. As a sophomore in 2003, he struggled with his control in his first appearance but came into his own as a weekday starter, pitching Rice's non-conference games against rival [[University of Houston|Houston]] and [[Big 12 Conference|Big 12]] opponents. He finished the season 11–2 with a 2.20 ERA, beating defending national champion [[University of Texas at Austin|Texas]] twice, including once in the CWS, Houston three times, and single wins over [[University of Nebraska|Nebraska]], [[Baylor University|Baylor]], and [[Texas A&M University|Texas A&M]]. The consensus all-American also recorded five saves as a reliever, mostly in [[Western Athletic Conference]] games, and led the WAC with a school-record 164 strikeouts (broken by [[Eddie Degerman]] in 2006). 

In 2003, he played [[collegiate summer baseball]] with the [[Wareham Gatemen]] of the [[Cape Cod Baseball League]], and received the league's Outstanding Pro Prospect award.<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.thebaseballcube.com/college/summer/stats.asp?Y=2003&T=Wareham_Gatemen |title=2003 Wareham Gatemen |publisher=thebaseballcube.com |date= |accessdate=July 20, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=T.J. Lasita |url=http://www.capecodbaseball.org/news/index.html?article_id=552 |title=Gatemen set to return to Cape League pinnacle |publisher=capecodbaseball.org |date=June 2, 2004 |access-date=September 25, 2019}}</ref> Rice's most consistent starter in 2004, Townsend finished 12–0 with a 1.80 ERA and two saves. Against [[San Jose State University|San Jose State]] April 17, he came four outs away from a no-hitter.

Townsend, [[Philip Humber]], and [[Jeff Niemann]] were all selected in the first eight picks of the 2004 draft – the first time three teammates had ever gone so early in the same draft.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/2004/06/08/os-draft-townsend-with-no-8-selection/|title=O's draft Townsend with No. 8 selection|first=Roch|last=Kubatko|work=[[The Baltimore Sun]]|date=June 8, 2004|access-date=October 13, 2014}}</ref> Townsend and the Orioles, however, did not agree to contract terms. He hired an agent, thereby renouncing his collegiate eligibility, and enrolled at Rice to complete his degree in his seventh semester. [[Major League Baseball]], however, ruled that Townsend's return to school terminated the Orioles' right to negotiate a contract. He re-entered the draft in 2005 and was again taken eighth overall, this time by the Devil Rays.<ref>[http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/river_oaks/opinion/former-rice-pitcher-taken-no-in-first-year-draft/article_f09e8a89-96c1-53cc-b034-448c170301af.html?mode=jqm Former Rice pitcher taken No. 8 in First-Year draft]</ref>

==Professional career==
Townsend's professional debut came at Class A Short-Season [[Hudson Valley Renegades|Hudson Valley]]. He finished the season 0–4 with a 5.49 ERA in 12 appearances, including 10 starts. He pitched in the [[Arizona Fall League]] in the 2005 off season.
In fall of 2005 Townsend underwent Tommy John surgery on his elbow.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/18/sports/baseball/18rice.html?_r=0|title=Celebration to Surgery For Three College Pitching Stars|first=Pat|last=Borzi|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=June 18, 2006|access-date=October 13, 2014}}</ref>

In fall 2008, Townsend was again sent to the Arizona Fall League, where he lasted only {{frac|10|2|3}} innings and gave up 12 runs before he was sidelined with shoulder problems.  Townsend underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum and ended up in rehab for most of the 2010 season. After an atrocious half-season in the independent leagues, Townsend retired in late 2010.

==Poker career==
Townsend began playing poker professionally while at Rice University in the fall of 2004, after turning down a $2.2 million signing bonus from the Baltimore Orioles in order to finish his degree. In the offseason he has competed in World Series of Poker tournaments since 2011 while residing internationally to play in the offseason.
<ref>[http://www.pokernews.com/tags/wade-townsend/?page=2] PokerNews.com</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{baseballstats |brm=townse001wad}}
*[http://archive.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20080403/SPORTS01/804030343/BISCUITS-BASEBALL-Townsend-hopes-throw-full-deck BISCUITS BASEBALL: Townsend hopes to throw with a full deck]

{{2003 Rice Owls baseball}}
{{2004 College Baseball Consensus All-Americans}}
{{2004 MLB Draft}}
{{2005 MLB Draft}}
{{Baltimore Orioles first-round draft picks}}
{{Tampa Bay Rays first-round draft picks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Townsend, Wade}}
[[Category:1983 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Austin, Texas]]
[[Category:Rice Owls baseball players]]
[[Category:Wareham Gatemen players]]
[[Category:Gulf Coast Rays players]]
[[Category:Hudson Valley Renegades players]]
[[Category:Columbus Catfish players]]
[[Category:Montgomery Biscuits players]]
[[Category:Vero Beach Devil Rays players]]
[[Category:Laredo Broncos players]]
[[Category:All-American college baseball players]]