BREAKDOWN BY SCHOOL
UALR 2 (Sullivan, Champion)
Florida Atlantic 2 (Pepe, Ozga)
FIU 4 (Townsend, Ebert, Waddell, Mollica)
Louisiana 1 (Wilborn)
ULM 2 (Soignier, Anderson)
Middle Tennessee 3 (Bishop, Hines, Woods)
New Orleans 2 (Schwaner, Pivach)
South Alabama 4 (Jackson, Doss, Sage, Heisler)
Troy 2 (Walls, Sorce)
WKU 6 (Gaynor, Paxon, Cregar, Dayleg, Ridings, Teague)
BREAKDOWN BY POSITION
Pitcher 14 (Ebert, Wilborn, Walls, Sullivan, Champion, Anderson, Ridings, Sorce, Jackson, Woods, Teague, Pepe, Sage, Pivach)
Catcher 2 (Paxson, Doss)
First Base 2 (Bishop, Ozga)
Second Base 1 (Mollica)
Shortstop 2 (Dayleg, Soignier)
Third Base 2 (Gaynor, Schwaner)
Outfielder 5 (Townsend, Cregar, Waddell, Hines, Heisler)
BREAKDOWN BY TEAM
Baltimore Orioles 2 (Townsend, Anderson)
Boston Red Sox 2 (Ebert, Pivach)
Colorado Rockies 2 (Woods, Hines)
Detroit Tigers 2 (Gaynor, Bishop)
Florida Marlins 2 (Cregar, Dayleg)
LA Dodgers 2 (Paxson, Wilborn)
New York Yankees 1 (Soignier)
New York Mets 3 (Sage, Ozga, Mollica)
Philadelphia Phillies 1 (Doss)
San Diego Padres 1 (Jackson)
San Francisco Giants 3 (Walls, Champion, Schwaner)
Seattle Mariners 2 (Sorce, Waddell)
St. Louis Cardinals 1 (Heisler)
Tampa Bay Rays 1 (Sullivan)
Toronto Blue Jays 2 (Teague, Pepe)
Washington Nationals 1 (Ridings)
A record 28 Sun Belt Conference standouts heard their names called during the 2009 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft this week, highlighted by a pair of third round picks in FIU’s Tyler Townsend and WKU’s Wade Gaynor. The Baltimore Orioles took Townsend with the 85th overall pick and the Detroit Tigers chose WKU Gaynor with the 89th overall selection.
Townsend, the second-highest drafted Golden Panther in the history of the program behind only Josh Banks, who was taken in the second round by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2003 -- had a record-setting year for FIU, hitting .426 with 24 home runs and 77 RBIs to go along with 182 total bases. The 77 RBIs and 182 total bases are a single-season records at FIU, while the .426 average and 77 RBIs are both second-best for a single season. Townsend also broke the career-RBI mark this year, as he has driven in 164 runs in his three seasons as a Golden Panther. After his outstanding junior campaign, Townsend was named to the Louisville Slugger NCAA Division I All-America First Team. The slugging outfielder was also named to the All-Sun Belt Conference First Team.
Gaynor was the ninth selection of the third round, and in a season of firsts, the Hawesville, Ky. native became the highest draft pick in the Hilltoppers' 90-year history. He is the fifth WKU player in history to be tabbed by the Tigers organization, joining Jim Pickens (1950), Mike Williams (1981), Andy Baldwin (2003), and Jordan Newton (2006). Tyler Townsend, first baseman with FIU, was the only other Sun Belt Conference player to go on day one of the draft (first 111 picks over three rounds), as the Baltimore Orioles selected the junior with the 85th pick.
Gaynor's amazing junior season led the Hilltoppers to unprecedented success. The 6-4 product of Hancock County High School batted .371 with 20 doubles, four triples, and 25 home runs. In guiding WKU to a share of its first-ever Sun Belt Conference Regular Season Championship, the program's second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, and advancing to the winner-take-all game of the 2009 NCAA Oxford Regional, also an historic first for WKU, Gaynor tied a school record and finishing fourth in the nation scoring 83 runs. He also drove in a league-leading 78 RBI, the 16th best total in Division I.
A Sun Belt All-Conference First-Team selection, Gaynor became the first player in WKU history to hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases in the same season. He slugged .781, had an on-base percentage of .457, and an impressive .940 fielding percentage while manning the hot corner.
Ranked in the top eighth in the Sun Belt in 12 different offensive categories, Gaynor was also fifth in the nation in home runs, second in total bases, 11th in slugging, and 31st in hits with 93.
13th Round - 397th overall pick
LA Dodgers select Joseph Paxon, WKU
Paxson becomes the first Hilltopper to be drafted by the Dodgers. A catcher for his first three years at WKU, Paxson moved to the bullpen this year and scouts took notice of his arm. The senior from Greenwood, Ind. was drafted as a catcher two years ago in the 17th round, but opted to stay in school. Tossing his fastball in the mid-90's, Paxson had only three rough outings in his 26 appearances, upping his season's ERA to 6.82. Without those three appearances, his ERA was 3.07. Paxson posted a 3-1 record with three saves, striking out 41 batters in only 33.0 innings of work, second best among relievers. In three appearances in the NCAA Tournament, all against #8 Ole Miss, Paxson tossed 3.0 scoreless innings, walking one and fanning three.
15th Round - 458th overall pick
Florida Marlins select Chad Cregar, WKU
After being drafted in the 47th round by the Chicago Cubs last season, Cregar certainly upped his stock in his senior campaign as he became the first Hilltopper to ever be selected by the Florida Marlins, going in the 15th round as the 458th overall pick. The 6-3 outfielder from Oxford, Miss. batted .325 with 13 doubles, two triples, 19 home runs, scoring 67 runs, and driving in 63 RBI for the Hilltoppers. Named to the Sun Belt All-Conference First-Team, Cregar was also a preseason All-American by both the NCBWA and Louisville Slugger. In finishing the season ranked in the top seven in the Sun Belt in seven different offensive categories, the 2008 Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year won the "Home Run Derby" as part of this year's Sun Belt Tournament, smacking 21 home runs over two rounds. Cregar was selected to both the Sun Belt Tournament and NCAA Regional All-Tournament teams. Leading WKU to NCAA Tournament appearances in both his seasons on the Hill, Cregar finishes his two-year career batting .343 and slugging .661, ranking fourth all-time in career home runs (40) and sixth in RBI (145). As a farewell to his collegiate career, Cregar played in his hometown of Oxford, Miss. at the NCAA Regional, batting .409 and slugging .727 with two home runs and seven RBI in five games.
18th Round - 547th overall pick
LA Dodgers select Greg Wilborn, Louisiana
Ragin’ Cajuns rising senior Greg Wilborn was taken by the Los Angeles Dodgers as the 16th selection of the 18th round of Major League Baseball’s First Year Player Draft, representing the 547th overall pick of the draft. The last Ragin’ Cajun to be selected by the Dodgers in the draft was Phil Devey, in the fifth round in 1999. Wilborn returned this year from elbow ligament replacement surgery, more commonly known as Tommy John surgery, after missing the 2008 season. He made 12 appearances including 10 starts in 2009, compiling a 3-4 record with a 7.83 ERA while touching the low to mid-90’s on the radar gun. Wilborn was 0-1 in 2006 as a freshman and 1-0 in 2007 before his injury. For his career, he is the owner of 4-5 record with a 7.30 ERA with 87 strikeouts.
19th Round 567th overall pick
San Francisco Giants select Jason Walls, Troy
19th Round 570th overall pick
Detroit Tigers select Rawley Bishop, Middle Tennessee
The Germantown, Tenn., native ended his stellar career with six career records to his name. Bishop set the career mark in runs, home runs, RBI, total bases, walks, hit by pitch and putouts during his senior campaign. Bishop ranks in the Top-10 in seven other career categories. In 2009, Bishop was named Second Team All-Sun Belt while batting .398 with 96 hits, 17 doubles, 51 RBI and scored 78 runs.
19th Round - 588th overall pick
Boston Red Sox select Tom Ebert, FIU
Ebert is the first FIU pitcher drafted since David Asher was selected in the eight round of the 2005 draft by the Seattle Mariners. Ebert is coming off a stellar campaign that earned him All-Sun Belt Conference recognition. The 6-6 hurler went 6-5 this year with a 4.39 ERA, striking out 84 batters while walking just 18 in 80 innings of work.
22nd Round 668th overall pick
Florida Marlins select Terrence Dayleg, WKU
Dayleg quickly followed Cregar as the Marlins drafted their second Hilltopper of the day, going in the 22nd round as the 668th overall selection. The three-year starter at shortstop for WKU, Dayleg will go down as one of the best to ever play the position for the Hilltoppers. As a senior, he finished with a .959 fielding percentage, committing just 11 errors in 269 chances. At the plate, Dayleg hit .327 with 18 doubles, two triples, and three home runs, scoring 43 runs and driving in 39 RBI. Named as one of the 38 finalists for the prestigious Brooks Wallace Award honoring the nation's best shortstop, Dayleg earned Sun Belt All-Conference Second-Team honors. For his career, he hit .331 and slugged .491 while committing just 35 errors in 712 chances for a fielding percentage of .951. His 51 career doubles ranks third all-time at WKU while his 222 hits in 166 games played is 10th most all-time.
22nd Round 675th overall pick
New York Yankees select Ben Soignier, ULM
Soignier, a native of West Monroe, La., was drafted by the Florida Marlins following his junior season last year, but elected to return for the 2009 campaign. In his return, he led the Warhawks in batting average (.376), doubles (22), RBIs (71), walks (46), on-base percentage (.500) and slugging percentage (.628). He becomes the 64th ULM player to be selected in the MLB Draft since 1952 and just the second to be drafted twice David Mixon was drafted in 2006 and 2007. The two-time All-American is ULM’s all-time leader in hits (296), total bases (478), doubles (63) and at-bats (837). Soignier also owns the ULM single-season records for hits (93), runs scored (83), total bases (166) and RBIs (71). Soignier earned his second consecutive first team All-Sun Belt Conference honor this past season. He became the first ULM player since Tom Brown in 1971 to earn first team all-conference honors in three different seasons (Soignier was a first team All-Southland Conference selection in 2006).
22nd Round 679th overall pick
Tampa Bay Rays select Jake Sullivan, UALR
A product of Little Rock Central High School, Sullivan was selected with the 679th overall pick after a 2009 season which saw him go 5-5 with a 5.82 earned run average. In 77.1 innings of work, Sullivan racked up 70 strikeouts against just 28 walks for a 2.5-to-1 ratio. He led the Trojans in strikeouts and innings pitched, and combined for two shutouts on the season. Sullivan was named Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week on March 2 after striking out 11 batters and holding Valparaiso to three hits over 6.1 shutout innings in a 5-0 victory on Feb. 27. He opened the 2009 season with 19.1 scoreless innings before allowing his first run of the season against Florida Atlantic on March 6, and recorded a career-high 13 strikeouts over 7.0 innings in a win over Houston Baptist on April 26.
23rd Round 687th overall pick
San Francisco Giants select Adam Champion, UALR
A native of Evansville, Ind., Champion was taken with the 687th overall pick by the Giants following a 2009 season in which he went 3-7 with a 5.60 ERA. The 6-7 southpaw held opposing hitters to a .264 batting average on the year and racked up 69 strikeouts over 72.1 innings pitched. Champion totaled a season-high nine strikeouts against both Valparaiso (March 1) and Houston Baptist (April 24), scattering three hits over the full 9.0 innings in the win over HBU. Sullivan and Champion ended the regular season ranked fifth and sixth in the Sun Belt Conference in total strikeouts, respectively. Champion led the Trojans with an 8.59 strikeouts per nine innings average, followed by Sullivan at 8.15. UALR has had a player selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft each of the last four seasons, including two players in the 2008 and 2009 drafts.
24th Round 716th overall pick
Baltimore Orioles select Justin Anderson, ULM
Anderson, a native of Tempe, Ariz., joined the Warhawks this season following two years at Central Arizona Junior College. In his first season at ULM, he posted a 6-2 record with a 6.82 ERA. The 6-foot-4 southpaw allowed just three home runs in 68.2 innings and struck out 40 batters. He led all ULM pitchers with 10 Sun Belt Conference starts positing a 4-2 record and a team-low (among starters) 17 walks. Anderson’s six-inning, one-run outing against Florida Atlantic on March 28 spurred a ULM run of nine wins in 11 games. Anderson becomes the 65th ULM player selected in the MLB Draft since 1952 and the second in 2009 shortstop Ben Soignier was selected by the New York Yankees in the 22nd round.
25th Round 742nd overall pick
Washington Nationals select Matt Ridings, WKU
Ridings becomes the eighth WKU player drafted by the former Montreal Expos organization, but first since their relocation to Washington, D.C. A preseason All-American and Sun Belt Conference Preseason Pitcher of the Year, Ridings led the league in strikeouts and starts in 2009 while finishing second in wins and innings pitched. The junior righthander from Franklin, Tenn. posted an 8-2 record with two saves. He had a 4.84 ERA while striking out 93 batters and walking just 29 in 102.1 innings of work, holding opponents to a .267 batting average against. His eight wins ranked 63rd in the nation while his 93 strikeouts were 52nd best in all of Division I. A Sun Belt All-Conference Second-Team selection, Ridings stepped up his game in the postseason, going 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA in 13.1 innings of work over two starts against Missouri and #8 Ole Miss in the NCAA Regional. In striking out 12 and walking just four, Ridings held those teams to a .235 batting average against, highlighted by his 7.0 inning, one-run performance coming off two days rest in the winner-take-all NCAA Regional Championship against the Rebels. In his three seasons, Ridings is 25-8 in 46 starts with a 4.52 ERA, ranking second all-time in victories. His 291.0 innings of work are third most all-time while his 264 strikeouts is tied with Ryan Hutchison for tops in school history.
26th Round 773rd overall pick
Seattle Mariners select Chris Sorce, Troy
31st Round 924 overall pick
San Diego Padres select Matt Jackson, South Alabama
Jackson, who transferred to USA prior to the 2009 season, will have until August 17 to decide whether to sign a professional contract or return to South Alabama for his senior season. Jackson posted a 5-4 record with a 5.33 ERA in 13 appearances, all starts. He led the team with 74.1 innings pitched and struck out 64 against just 27 walks. He was named Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week after limiting Mercer to just two hits in 7.1 innings in his debut with the Jags on Feb. 20, and again after limiting New Orleans to three hits in 7.0 innings on March 20.
31st Round 947th overall pick
Philadelphia Phillies select David Doss, South Alabama
Doss hit .378 with 12 home runs, 20 doubles and 59 RBI in his senior season. His batting average ranked second on the team, while he led the team in home runs, doubles and RBI. Additionally, his .378 batting average ranked sixth in the Sun Belt Conference, while his RBI total was good for eighth.
33rd Round 991st overall pick
Colorado Rockies select Coty Woods, Middle Tennessee
Woods set the single-season record for saves with 15 and tied for first in appearances with 32 as he was named first team All-Sun Belt. The Murfreesboro, Tenn., native ended the season posting a 1.62 ERA with 50 strikeouts and batters hit .213 against him.
35th Round 1060th overall pick
Toronto Blue Jays select Evan Teague, WKU
Teague becomes the second Hilltopper selected by the Toronto Blue Jays, joining Darren Kizziah who was a 37th round pick in 1989. The 6-2 lefthander from Perryville, Ky. led the Sun Belt Conference in appearances in 2009 with 35, the second most in school history. His 3.32 ERA was tops on the team, posting a 5-3 record with three saves in 40.2 innings of work. Teague struck out 38 batters while walking 17 and holding opponents to a .245 batting average against. In his four-year WKU career, Teague pitched in 97 games. Only Matt Wilhite (2000-03), with 110 appearances, pitched in more games in a Hilltopper uniform. Teague finished with a 12-6 career record with three saves. In 108.1 innings pitched, he struck out 100 while walking 59 and registering a 5.48 ERA. Over his final two seasons, however, Teague was dominant out of the bullpen, recording a 2.94 ERA in 67.1 innings pitched. Teague's only start of the season came at Kentucky on April 8 where he tossed 2.0 innings of two-hit baseball, striking out three as the Toppers won in Lexington 10-9. His final pitching performance might have been his most gutty, tossing a career-best 4.0 innings against Missouri in the NCAA Regional in Oxford, Miss. Less than 48 hours after working 2.2 innings of hitless relief against the Tigers in the opening game of the tournament, Teague's closing out of the Toppers' 11-6 win in the elimination game helped WKU save its pitching staff for what would be two more games against #8 Ole Miss.
36th Round 1090th overall pick
Toronto Blue Jays select Alex Pepe, Florida Atlantic
A senior from Highlands Christian High School in Deerfield Beach, Pepe finished his four-year career as FAU's all-time leader in career appearances (88)... limited opposing batters to a .260 average during his career, including allowing just 25 hits in 34-plus innings as a senior in 2009... allowed just five homeruns in more than 119 career innings while totaling 119 strikeouts... Pepe had been chosen in the 44th round of the 2008 MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers, but opted to return to FAU for his senior season.
37th Round 1124th overall pick
New York Mets select Brandon Sage, South Alabama
Sage posted a 3-6 record with one save and a 4.64 ERA in 15 appearances 10 of which were starts in his senior season. His ERA ranked second on the team, and he threw the Jags’ only complete game.
39th Round 1163rd overall pick
Seattle Mariners select Greg Waddell, FIU
In limited playing time, Greg Waddell showed tremendous potential, hitting .414 in 2009 with four home runs, 20 RBIs and a .671 slugging percentage. At one point in the year, Waddell tied a school record by hitting safely in eight consecutive at-bats.
41st Round 1244th overall pick
New York Mets select Travis Ozga, Florida Atlantic
A senior from Boca Raton’s Pope John Paul II High School, Ozga totaled 100 RBI as FAU's everyday first baseman in 2008 and 2009...not only did he play excellent defense at first base, but piled-up 39 extra-base hits in his final two seasons hitting in the heart of the FAU batting order... Ozga’s switch-hit for power while also hitting for average, reeling off a 19-game hitting streak from March 1 through April 4.
42nd Round 1257th overall pick
San Francisco Giants select Nick Schwaner, New Orleans
Schwaner got off to a slow start in the first month of 2009 -- hitting .208 with two home runs and six RBIs in his first 18 contests of the year. However, the Slidell native hit .394 with 10 home runs and 47 RBIs in his last 37 games. He finished the year with a .332 average, a team-best 12 home runs and 53 RBIs.
45th Round 1359th overall pick
St. Louis Cardinals select Adam Heisler, South Alabama
Heisler led the Jags with a .390 batting average and a .441 on-base percentage. He also knocked 14 doubles, stole 16 bases in 23 tries, and his 45 RBI were good for second on the team. Heisler will have until August 17 to decide whether to sign a professional contract or return to South Alabama for his senior season.
46th Round 1398th overall pick
Boston Red Sox select John Pivach, New Orleans
Pivach was 0-1 with a 7.16 ERA in 18 appearances this past season. The Belle Chasse product has one of the best fastballs on the team -- routinely clocked at over 90 miles per hour.
47th Round 1424th overall pick
New York Mets select Ryan Mollica, FIU
Ryan Mollica is one of the best hitters FIU has seen, hitting .352 this past year after hitting .413 as a junior. After a 2008 season that saw Mollica hit .504 in conference games, the second baseman showed more power in ’09, belting nine home runs and driving in 51. Mollica was named to the All-Sun Belt Conference First Team after 2008 and 2009. Before his senior season, Mollica was named to the Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Watchlist.
50th Round 1501st overall pick
Colorado Rockies select Nathan Hines, Middle Tennessee
Hines set the single-season and career mark for doubles and ranks Top-10 in nine categories on his way to second team All-Sun Belt and All-Tournament honors. The Murfreesboro, Tenn., native batted .352 with 27 doubles, 11 home runs, 73 RBI and scored 60 runs.
Courtesy: School Files
