By BRENDAN MCGAIR

Sports writer

The third and final day of MLB’s First Year Player Draft yielded another draft pick with ties to the Blackstone Valley. Lincoln’s Chris Costantino was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 49th round (out of a possible 50) with 1,488 pick in the draft. Costantino’s selection comes 24 hours after fellow Lincolnite Dan Rhault was taken by Tampa Bay in the 26th round (No. 799 overall).
A senior at Bishop Hendricken, the 6-foot-3, 235-pound Costantino has caught the eye scouts due to blend of power hitting and pitching. “Probably 10-15 different teams,” said Costantino last month when asked how many MLB clubs had taken a flyer on him.
Costantino was originally ticketed to play baseball at Marshall (W.V.) University, but instead planned to take his talents to Walter State (Tenn.) Community College, widely regarded as one of the top JUCO programs in the country.
It will be interesting to see if he forgoes college and turns pro. Should Costantino opt to sign, he would likely report to the Red Sox’ Gulf Coast club in Florida.
Costantino, a likely choice to land First Team All-State honors for the second straight year, becomes the latest Hendricken product with ties to the area to get drafted, following in the footsteps of Woonsocket native/Cumberland resident Rocco Baldelli (2000) and Pawtucket’s Jay Rainville (2004).