3rd round, Heath Quinn, Samford, 95th overall, San Francisco Giants
6th round, Will Stillman, Wofford, 174th overall, San Diego Padres
9th round, Trey York, ETSU, 261st overall, Milwaukee Brewers
Samford's Quinn selected by Giants in 2016 MLB Draft
SECAUCUS, N.J. -- Heath Quinn's magical 2016 campaign continued in illustrious fashion Friday as Samford's junior right fielder was selected by the San Francisco Giants with the 18th pick in the third round (95th overall) of the Major League Baseball Draft.
With the honor, Quinn became the second highest draft pick in Samford's 112-year history. In 2013, former Bulldog-great Philip Ervin was selected 27th overall in the first round by the Cincinnati Reds.
Samford, the winningest Division I program in the state of Alabama since 2011, has now had 17 players taken in the MLB Draft over the last six years. Prior to this season, four Bulldogs were drafted in 2011, seven Samford players were taken in 2012, a pair was drafted in 2013 and two were taken in 2014.
Also on Friday, Samford signee Austin Franklin, a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher from Paxton High School in Florida, was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays with the 90th overall pick in the third round.
Before the Bulldogs' current historical run under the tutelage of Head Coach Casey Dunn, Samford had never had more than one player drafted in a single year in program history.
Quinn, who garnered First-Team All-Southern Conference honors this year, finished 2016 with a .343 batting average, 21 home runs and a school-record 77 RBI. The Bulldogs' all-time, single season leader in RBI also proved to a member of the All-SoCon Tournament Team.
In his illustrious three-year career at Samford, Quinn compiled 44 home runs, 48 doubles, 168 runs, 181 RBI and a stellar .334 batting average.
On Tuesday, Quinn received All-America honors from a major national publication for the second time in six days as the Bulldogs' slugger from Birmingham, Alabama, was named to Baseball America's Second Team, it was officially announced by the organization's headquarters.
Last week, Quinn was named a Third-Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball. One day prior, Quinn was named a semifinalist for the 2016 Golden Spikes Award, which is awarded to the top amateur baseball player in the country.
Wofford’s Will Stillman selected in sixth round of MLB Draft by San Diego
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Wofford College senior Will Stillman was selected by the San Diego Padres in the sixth round of the 2016 MLB Draft. The right-handed pitcher was the 174th overall selection.
"I am excited to be drafted by the San Diego Padres to begin my professional career," said Stillman. "When I was drafted last year, I knew that I wanted to come back to Wofford for my senior year. It was a lot different this year when I heard my name called because I was definitely going to be playing professionally and it was much more special. I really want to thank my coaches and teammates for setting me up to succeed over the last four years. I couldn't have done it without their support."
Stillman, from Charlotte, North Carolina, led the Southern Conference with nine saves. He posted a 3.93 ERA this season, along with 58 strikeouts in 34.1 innings on the mound. In his 23 appearances, he also had three victories and an opponent's batting average of .250.
"We are extremely proud of Will," said Wofford head coach Todd Interdonato. "We are glad he was able to improve on his draft round so drastically by coming back to school for his senior year. The Padres got a great pitcher and an even better young man and we know he will represent our program in the right fashion."
For his career at Wofford, he is first in school history with 106 career relief appearances and second in school history with 28 saves, plus an overall record of 11-8. He struck out 198 batters in 137 1/3 innings with 87 walks. He was named All-Southern Conference second team by the media in 2015 and 2016, along with Pitcher of the Month honors for February 2015 and February 2016.
"Over his four years at Wofford, Will progressed an amazing amount on the mound," said Wofford pitching coach Jason Burke. "He was an under-the-radar recruit who came in and worked hard to become the player that he is now. We are happy for him and look forward to watching him play at the next level."
Stillman is the seventh Terrier drafted in the last 10 years and the first to be drafted twice. Last season Stillman was picked in the 29th round (861 overall) by the Boston Red Sox. Brandon Waring was selected in the seventh round in 2007 as the 229th overall pick, while Michael Gilmartin (27th), John Cornely (15th), Alex Wilson (15th), J.D. Osborne (36th), and Luke Leftwich (seventh) were also recent selections. Stillman is the highest draft selection from Wofford since Henry Hubbard (fifth round) in 1983.
Among Southern Conference players this year, he was the third selected following Mercer outfielder Kyle Lewis (first round, 11th overall) and Samford outfielder Heath Quinn (third round, 95th overall).
ETSU's Trey York selected in ninth round by Milwaukee Brewers
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – ETSU senior second baseman Trey York was drafted in the ninth round by the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday evening in the 2016 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. York was the 261st overall selection, which is the highest Buccaneer drafted since Caleb Moore was taken in the fourth round in 2005.
“This is a very special day – not only for myself – but my family and friends,” said York. “I want to thank the Milwaukee Brewers for drafting me, and I am extremely excited to get to their facility and start working with the team. I am honored to be part of the Brewers’ organization.”
York, who was named a first-team Louisville Slugger All-American a week ago, hit .348 (81-for-233) with 23 doubles, one triple, 15 home runs, 60 runs scored and 62 RBIs for the Blue and Gold in 2016. The Knoxville, Tenn., native started all 57 games at second base and also posted a slugging percentage of .648 and an on-base clip of .431. York was also named first-team All-SoCon, marking the second straight season the Buccaneer infielder earned all-conference honors.
For his career, York hit .309 in 190 career games (181 starts) in the Blue and Gold. York registered 211 hits (50 doubles, 13 triples and 25 home runs), while scoring 152 runs and driving in 137.
York credits the ETSU coaching staff and teammates for helping him achieve his goal of getting drafted.
“Coach (Tony) Skole and the staff at ETSU deserve a lot of credit,” added York. “Each day, they brought a lot of energy to the field, pushed us to compete and made sure we got in a certain routine to become successful both on and off the field… That’s what I live by.
“My teammates also deserve a lot of the credit. They always pushed each other to become better players. From my senior class to the seniors who were here my freshman year, they all played an important role in helping me develop during my time at ETSU. I couldn’t be prouder to play with my teammates and I want to thank them for everything they have done for me.”
Skole said was proud to see York get drafted by the Brewers and enjoyed coaching him the last four years at ETSU.
“We are all so proud of Trey,” said Skole. “I know he is excited about this opportunity with the Milwaukee Brewers. It has just been amazing to see Trey develop as a ball player and as a young man. His progression has been remarkable and it truly is a testament to his commitment, work ethic and the quality of young man that he is. It is going to be fun following his career.”
Rounds 3 through 10 of the MLB Draft were held on Friday, while it concludes with rounds 11-40 on Saturday.