Sports

Fordham star goes from postseason hero to draftee in magical week

It’s hard to have a better 48 hours than Andrew Velazquez just experienced.

On Tuesday, the Fordham Prep shortstop was taken in the seventh round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft by the Diamondbacks – the first player in school history to be drafted and the highest CHSAA player in 10 years. A day later, the senior star was helping lead Fordham Prep to a 6-0 win over St. Joseph by the Sea, sending the Rams into the CHSAA Class AA intersectional finals against rival Iona Prep.

“I have no words for it,” Velazquez said. “It’s still kind of surreal.”

In his first at-bat since being drafted, Velazquez did what he usually does: wreak havoc on the basepaths. He led off the bottom of the first inning Wednesday with a single, went to a second on a sacrifice bunt and stole third. His speed forced a Sea error and Velazquez scored on the play.

It was the same kind of thing he did last Thursday in a huge win over Xaverian. Velazquez had three hits, four runs scored, three stolen bases and an RBI to keep Fordham Prep in the CHSAA Class AA baseball championship round winner’s bracket.

“Speed never slumps,” Fordham coach Pat Deane said. “You might have a bad day at the plate, a bad day defensively, but you’re always going to be able to run. His speed definitely separated him from a lot of people.”

Velazquez was the first player from New York City taken in the draft despite being just 5-foot-8. Arizona scout Todd Donovan didn’t care at all about size and neither did the organization. The Diamondbacks loved Velazquez’s speed, athleticism and fluid defense.

“Andrew plays the game with a professional pace,” Donovan said. “There’s not a lot of ups. There’s not a lot of downs. His internal clock is natural.”

Velazquez has already done just about everything he can as a high school ball player. There’s just one thing left: winning a city title. Fordham Prep meets rival Iona Prep 7 p.m. Friday night at St. John’s University and will have to beat the Gaels twice to take the trophy back to The Bronx. Game 2 would be 4 p.m. Sunday at SJU.

Fordham won the title back in 2009, but Velazquez was a freshman on the JV team. Two victories this weekend would send the best all-around player in New York City out a champion and it would come against the Rams’ biggest rival.

“That’s a pretty good story, right?” he said with a smile.

mraimondi@nypost.com