More Southland Conference Baseball Players Selected In The MLB Draft
FRISCO, Texas - Over the weekend, 15 more Southland Conference baseball players were selected in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft, bringing the league's total to 17 players taken, while another player signed a free agent contract.
Below is a report on the players selected.
Northwestern State -- Brandon Richey
NATCHITOCHES, La. -- Northwestern State shortstop Brandon Richey was selected by the New York Mets in the 10th round as the 333rd overall pick of the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft on Friday.
Richey, a junior out of Sour Lake, Texas, was the 13th overall pick by the Mets. He will forego his senior season at NSU.
"This is a dream come true," said Richey. "This is what you work for your entire life. Now I just want to get a contract settled so I can get to the minor leagues and start my pro career."
Richey becomes just the third Demon player in the last 25 years to be drafted in the first 10 rounds and the first since 2002 when pitcher O.J. King went to the Cincinnati Reds in the eighth round. Pitcher Brandon Emanuel was selected in the second round by the Angels in 1998.
"Obviously this is great news for him," said NSU head coach Mitch Gaspard. "He proved to be one of the top players in the league this year, and perhaps, the best infielder. This is a great opportunity for him to move on and do something he's dreamed about."
Richey earned first team All-Southland Conference honors this season after leading the Demons in virtually every offensive category. He hit .365 with seven home runs and 32 runs batted. He set a school record with a 22-game hitting streak and tied a record with five hits in a game.
Prior to joining the Demons, Richey earned All-America honors after helping LSU-Eunice to the JUCO World Series championship.
"I can't express enough how much Coach Gaspard and Northwestern State helped me improved all areas of my game this season," said Richey. "My biggest concern when coming here (NSU) was my defensive inconsistency. Coach Gaspard and the rest of the staff did a tremendous job improving my skills in that area and also offensively."
Richey's wait for his call to the pros wasn't without tension.
"I talked to them (Mets organization) earlier in the day (Friday) and they told me they were looking at me in the first 10 rounds. We (my family) were listening to the selections on the internet and started to get a little anxious when the 10th round was coming to an end. Then we heard my name finally called and we burst out into a celebration."
Richey will likely start his professional career with the Kingsport Mets of the rookie league.
Sam Houston State -- Luke Prihoda
HUNTSVILLE, Texas -- Luke Prihoda says the "real world" will have to wait. Thanks to a phone call Friday from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Sam Houston State's senior sensation has some more baseball to play.
"I'm just going to have fun and enjoy the game I love," said Prihoda, who was chosen by the Diamondbacks in the 24th round of Major League Baseball's 2007 First-Year Player Draft on Friday. "I'm going to relish every chance I get, and hopefully I can make some real money before I'm finished with baseball."
A hard-throwing right-handed reliever who was named national Stopper of the Year earlier this week, Prihoda was taken with the 733rd pick of the First-Year Player Draft. A 6-5, 230-pounder from Weimar, Prihoda led the nation in saves (18) and was voted the Bearkats' most valuable player in '07.
With a 7-3 record and a 1.62 earned run average in 2007, Prihoda was one of the big reasons the Bearkats advanced to the postseason for the first time in seven years. Sam Houston State went 4-0 and won the Southland Conference Tournament two weeks ago; last weekend, Prihoda pitched in two games at the NCAA Oxford (Miss.) Regional.
Stephen F. Austin -- Steven Hill, Jared Pitts David Miller and Jake Leonhardt
NACOGDOCHES, Texas -- First-team All-America selection, and 2007 Southland Conference Player of the Year, Steven Hill was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 13th round of the 2007 MLB Amateur Draft Friday afternoon. He was the 412th overall selection. In addition, Jared Pitts was drafted in the 28th round (861st overall) by the Houston Astros. Pitchers David Miller and Jake Leonhardt were also picked up by the Astros in the 32nd and 37th rounds, respectively.
Hill finished off a stellar senior season by earning first-team All-America honors and being named 2007 SLC Player and Hitter of the Year. Hill was among the nation's leaders in home runs, finishing the season with 24. He finished year leading the conference in home runs, slugging percentage, runs scored and total bases, and finished third in the league with 73 RBIs.
Hill leaves SFA as the school's all-time leader in hits, doubles, triples, home runs and RBIs. He is also among the school's all-time leaders in on-base percentage, slugging percentage and stolen bases.
Hill became the second SFA player to be drafted in as many seasons. Pitcher Brian Steinocher was taken in the 21st round (No. 643 overall) by the Boston Red Sox last season.
Junior right fielder Jared Pitts has become the second Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack taken in the 2007 MLB Amateur Draft. Pitts became the 861st player taken when the Houston Astros selected him in round 28.
Pitts was a transfer from Angelina College who helped bolster the 'Jacks' offensive exploits this past season. A strong-armed right fielder, Pitts was among the league leaders in home runs. He finished the year batting .311, with 11 home runs and 48 RBIs. A mainstay in the 'Jacks' lineup, Pitts started all but one game in 2007.
A pair of pitcher, David Miller and Jake Leonhardt were taken in the 32nd and 37th rounds, respectively, by the Houston Astros.
Miller finished the 2007 season with a 1-2 record and a 7.88 earned run average while Leonhardt was 2-1 with a 7.76 ERA. Miller struck out 28 batters and walked 22 in 24 innings for the Lumberjacks. Leonhardt struck out 19 and walked 15 in 31.1 innings.
The Lumberjacks have now had five players taken in the MLB Amateur Draft over the course of the past two seasons.
Texas State -- Josh Walter
SAN MARCOS, Texas -- Texas State right handed pitcher Josh Walter was selected in the 47th round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Chicago Cubs with the draft's 1371 overall pick.
Walter made 13 appearances on the year and ended his junior year with a 0-1 record. He threw 10.2 innings, allowing 14 runs to score off of 14 hits and striking out 12. Walter transferred from Richland College for his junior season.
The Bobcats fell 3-1 in the 2007 Southland Conference Tournament championship game to Sam Houston State.
Texas State had two players drafted at the conclusion of the 2006 season, outfielder Luke Cannon and pitcher Scott Moore.
Lamar -- Michael Ambort, Erik Kanaby, Allen Harrington and Scott Meyer
BEAUMONT, Texas -- Lamar University had four more players taken on the second day of the 2007 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Friday. The Cardinals had a total of five players drafted and three in the top 10 rounds.
The Cardinals who were drafted include catcher Michael Ambort, outfielder Erik Kanaby and pitchers Allen Harrington and Scott Meyer.
Ambort, who was a first-team All-Southland Conference selection, finished his career as the school's all-time home run leader with 38 and his 173 career RBIs ranks second only to Kim Christensen's 190. He posted a .329 average with 140 runs scored and 51 doubles, which ranks fifth all-time. He was named SLC hitter of the year in 2005, when he also earned American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) second-team and Baseball America third-team All-America honors.
A native of Rockville Centre, N.Y., Ambort was selected in the sixth round, 194th overall, by the San Francisco Giants. He batted 368 this season with 46 runs scored, 81 hits, 22 doubles, which ranks as the fifth-best single-season total in school history, 11 home runs and 63 runs batted in. He led the team with a .618 slugging percentage.
Kanaby, a first-team All-SLC selection, led the team with a .406 batting average, which ranks as the second-best single-season average in school history behind Jordan Foster's .417 in 2003. His 91 hits also rank second in school history behind Foster's 96 in 2003. He led the team with 62 run scored, which is tied for the second-most in a single-season behind Blake Justice's 66 in 2002. His career batting average of .381 ranks as the best in school history.
A native of Houston, Kanaby was selected in the 10th round, 326th overall, by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He also set a new school record with a 25-game hitting streak. He led the team with 45 walks and a .507 on-base percentage, which led the SLC, and his 11 stolen bases were tops on the team.
Harrington posted a 9-4 record with a 3.72 earned run average in 16 starts this season. He struck out 103, which tied for fifth-most in school history, in a team-best 109.0 innings pitched, which ranks as the sixth-most in school history. He limited opponents to a .254 batting average.
A native of Groves, Harrington was taken in the 13th round (417th overall) by the San Diego Padres. He finished his career with a 16-11 record with a 3.81 ERA in 227.0 IP. His 217 career strikeouts ranks sixth all-time in school history.
Meyer posted a 1-2 record with a 6.75 ERA and two saves in 21 appearances, including two starts. He struck out 30 in 37.1 IP. He posted a 5-0 record last season and was named third-team All-SLC.
A native of Orange, CT, Meyer was selected in the 24th round (727th overall) by the Chicago Cubs. For his career, he posted an 8-2 record with a 5.00 ERA and three saves in 62 games pitched. He struck out 77 in 108.0 IP, and limited opponents to a .263 batting average.
Lamar had five players selected in the 2007 MLB Draft as outfielder Collin DeLome was taken in the fifth round (171st overall) by the Houston Astros Thursday on day one of the draft. The Cardinals had seven players taken in the 2004 draft and had six players drafted last year.
McNeese State -- Bryan Cartie, Charlie Kingrey and Derek Blacksher
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- McNeese State's infielder Bryan Cartie, outfielder Charlie Kingrey and pitcher Derek Blacksher were drafted here Friday afternoon on the second day of the Major League Baseball draft. Cartie and Kingrey were drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals while Blacksher was picked up by the Florida Marlins.
Cartie, the junior from Meadows Place, TX. went in the 20th round, Kingrey was selected in the 22nd round and Blacksher was taken in the 33rd round. The players are the latest of many McNeese athletes to be drafted. The last McNeese player drafted was pitcher Jacob Marceaux in the 2005 draft. Marceaux went to the Florida Marlins.
Cartie set a school record with 60 doubles this season and was second on the team with a .354 batting average. He also led the team with 37 walks, 24 stolen bases which ranked third in the SLC and had a .456 on base percent. He ranks fourth all-time at McNeese with 202 hits and 54 stolen bases and sixth with 140 runs scored. He was a all-SLC first team selection.
"This is a dream come true, I have strived and worked hard for this and I finally made it. This couldn't have worked out any better and this is a real good organization," said Cartie.
Kingrey, the native from Kinder was also selected to the All-SLC first team. He led McNeese State and ranked second in the SLC with 15 home runs. He also led the Cowboys with 47 RBI's and a .360 batting average and was third in the SLC with a .672 slugging percent. He ended his career at McNeese State as the hit leader with 244 and second with 170 RBI's and 35 home runs.
"It still doesn't seem real. This is the best day in baseball for me. I grew up wanting this to happen and it is truly a dream come true," said Kingrey.
Blacksher, the junior from Bridge City, TX., was named the SLC and Louisiana "pitcher of the week" during the season. Blacksher posted a 4-6 overall record with a 5.42 ERA this season and led the team with 104.2 innings pitched, 87 strike outs and three complete games.
Texas-Arlington -- Dillon Gee
ARLINGTON, Texas -- UT Arlington junior right hander Dillon Gee became the 12th Maverick player drafted since 2002 when the New York Mets selected him with the 663rd pick in the 21st round on the second day of the 2007 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft. Gee is the fifth UTA player to be selected by the Mets and the first since Matt Mize went in the 30th round in 1999.
Gee (Cleburne, Texas) ends his three-year career at UTA with a record of 15-25 and a 5.16 ERA. He ranks second on the all-time innings pitch list with 298.1, fifth in strikeouts (198) and eighth in appearances (58). His 111.2 innings pitched in 2007 ranks fourth on the single-season list, while his 96 strikeouts are tied for third.
The two-time honorable mention all-SLC selection burst onto the scene as a freshman. In just his fourth career start, Gee tossed a complete-game four-hit shutout against then-No. 12 Baylor.
As a sophomore, Gee tied a UTA record by starting 17 games and led the team with six victories. He would toss his second complete-game shutout of his career in a victory over Stephen F. Austin before closing out the regular season with a career-best 11 strikeouts in a nine-inning no decision against Dallas Baptist.
Last season, Gee overcame a slow start to become the ace of the staff. Gee tossed 53.1 innings with 58 strikeouts and only seven walks in his final seven starts. He had three double-digit strikeout performances over that span, including a complete-game three-hit shutout against Northwestern State. He would tie his career-high with 11 strikeouts in his final start against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Central Arkansas -- Jonathan Ashworth
BRADENTON, Fla. -- Former University of Central Arkansas baseball player Jonathan Ashworth signed with the Bradenton Juice of the South Coast League last week. The 5-10, 180 lb. middle infielder and pitcher from Little Rock joined the team over the weekend for their series with the Anderson Joes in South Carolina.
Ashworth hit .266 with seven home runs and 35 runs batted in during his senior year with the Bears. He finished his career ranked in UCA's top 10 in: games played (4th, 186), at bats (7th, 556), hits (9th, 153), doubles (8th, 34) and total bases (10th, 229).
Ashworth is the third former Bear to be currently playing with a professional team. Former pitcher Andy Jackson is with the Greensboro Grasshoppers, a Class A affiliate of the Florida Marlins. Also, Todd Gossage is with the Chico Outlaws of the Golden Baseball League.