14th round, Hagen Owenby, ETSU, 435th overall, Pittsburgh Pirates
21st round, L.J. Kalawaia, UNCG, 636th overall, Los Angeles Angels
22nd round, Alex Lee, Samford, 649th overall, Atlanta Braves
23rd round, Garrett Brown, Western Carolina, 705th overall, Pittsburgh Pirates
24th round, Hunter Smith, UNCG, 718th overall, Boston Red Sox
25th round, Charlie Madden, Mercer, 746th overall, Chicago White Sox
25th round, Colton Davis, Western Carolina, 753rd overall, Minnesota Twins
29th round, Matthew Milburn, Wofford, 862nd overall, Oakland Athletics
29th round, Hunter Swilling, Samford, 865th overall, Detroit Tigers
30th round, Chris Cook, ETSU, 915th overall, Pittsburgh Pirates
33rd round, Bryson Bowman, Western Carolina, 998th overall, New York Yankees
38th round, Collin Woody, UNCG, 1141st overall, Baltimore Orioles
38th round, Aaron Maher, ETSU, 1155th overall, Pittsburgh Pirates
Three ETSU players taken on day three of MLB Draft
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The 2016 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft concluded on Saturday, and the ETSU baseball team saw five of its players taken over the three-day, 40-round event.
A day after having senior second baseman Trey York taken in the ninth round Friday by the Milwaukee Brewers, three Buccaneers were drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, while signee Dylan Bice was selected in the 23rd round (699th overall pick) by the Texas Rangers. Sophomore catcher Hagen Owenby was the first ETSU player taken by the Pirates on Saturday as he came off the board in the 14th round (435th pick), while redshirt junior shortstop Chris Cook heard his named called in the 30th round (915th pick) and sophomore outfielder Aaron Maher went in the 38th round (1,155th pick).
Owenby earned second-team Louisville Slugger All-American and first team All-Southern Conference honors in 2016. The Knoxville, Tenn., native led ETSU in average (.374), hits (88), home runs (17) and slugging percentage (.660), while also scoring 46 runs and driving in 60 in 57 starts for the Blue and Gold. Owenby was named SoCon Player of the Month in May and received Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week honors after hitting .650 and belting home runs in all three games of a series sweep over VMI from April 29 through May 1. Owenby’s 88 hits this season were the most by a Buccaneer since 2010, when Paul Hoilman finished with 99 and Bo Reeder hit 89.
Cook, a preseason All-SoCon selection, got off to a fast start before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury on March 5. The Buccaneer shortstop hit .351 (13-for-37) with one double, three triples, seven runs and five RBIs in nine games this season. In 2015, Cook led the team with 77 hits and tied for the team lead with 55 runs scored, while starting 55 games. To go with the 77 hits and 55 runs, Cook hit .338 with 12 doubles, two triples, five home runs and 40 RBIs a year ago, while also making four relief appearances for the Blue and Gold.
Maher took over as ETSU’s every day left fielder and hit primarily in the four-hole in 2016. The Brentwood, Tenn., native hit .315 (69-for-219) with 15 doubles, two triples, nine home runs, 48 runs and 38 RBIs in 56 starts for the Bucs this year. Maher, who hit safely in 13 straight games in April, finished with 22 multi-hit games – including a perfect 4-for-4 effort in a win over UNC Asheville on March 2. The Buccaneer slugger also belted a three-run walk-off home run in the 9-8 win over Purdue on March 5.
Bice, a right-handed pitcher from Heritage High School out of Ringgold, Ga., signed his NLI on Nov. 18. PerfectGame pegged Bice as the eighth-best high school pitcher in the state of Georgia and the 132nd-best pitcher in the country. This season, Bice earned Rawlings-Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-American and second-team all-region honors. In addition to baseball, Bice played basketball and football at Heritage.
The Bucs also had five players drafted in 2006 when Stephen Douglas (16th round by Cleveland), Steven Calicutt (21st round by San Francisco), Chuck Hargis (23rd round by Cleveland), Shane Byrne (25th round by Arizona) and Jeremy Hall (27th round by Miami Marlins) were all selected in the MLB First-Year Draft.
Three UNCG players taken on day three of MLB Draft
GREENSBORO, N.C. – UNCG had a trio of players drafted in the 2016 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Saturday afternoon. L.J. Kalawaia, Hunter Smith and Collin Woody were selected in the 21st, 24th, and 38th rounds, respectively. The three draft picks match the most Spartans picked in the same draft in school history. UNCG had three players drafted in 2007 and 1994.
Kalawaia was selected in the 21st round at pick number 636 to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He is the second Spartan taken by the Angels organization, joining Cambric Moye, who was taken in the 30th round of the 2013 draft. Kalawaia stayed in Greensboro for three years after transferring from Ohlone College. After playing in 38 games as a junior, Kalawaia redshirted due to an injury before having one of the best seasons in UNCG history. In his final season, Kalawaia earned first-team All-Southern Conference honors after hitting for a .396 average, with 89 hits, scoring 62 runs, and driving in 65. He also hit 11 doubles, six triples and six home runs, all while stealing 23 bases. Kalawaia ranks in the top 10 of single-season school history in batting average, runs, hits, triples, RBIs and on-base percentage
Smith was drafted in the 24th round, pick number 718, by the Boston Red Sox and is the second Spartan taken by the Red Sox, joining Lance Surridge, who was taken in the 1998 season. Smith served as the opening-day starter for UNCG in 2016 and started the first game of every series throughout the season. This was his second season in Greensboro but the first with playing time, having sat out the 2015 season due to NCAA transfer rules. Smith earned a 6-5 record, led the Spartans with 88 2/3 innings pitched and struck out 72 batters throughout the 2016 season.
Woody was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 38th round, at pick 1,141. He is the second Spartan to be taken by the Orioles, joining Surridge, who was drafted in the 1997 draft but did not sign with the Orioles. Woody started 109 games in two seasons in Greensboro. The Tampa, Fla., native started 108 of those games at third base and was a 2016 first-team All-Southern Conference selection. 2016 was monumental season for Woody. The third baseman hit for a .349 average in 59 games. Woody led the Spartans with 23 doubles, hit 10 home runs, drove in a team-high 66 runs and led the nation with 11 sacrifice flies. He also worked 30 innings on the mound, striking out 23 batters and earning a 3.60 ERA. His 23 doubles tie for the second in single-season school history, while the 66 RBIs are a single-season third-best.
Western Carolina has three taken on MLB Draft third day
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina had three players selected on the third day of the 2016 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, which concluded on Saturday. Senior outfielder Garrett Brown was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 23rd round, while senior RHP Colton Davis was the 25th-round pick of the Minnesota Twins. Redshirt junior outfielder Bryson Bowman was taken by the New York Yankees in the 33rd round.
Western Carolina’s three selections were among 17 players from the Southern Conference drafted during the three-day, 40-round event that included the highest selection in league history in first-rounder – and 11th overall pick – Mercer’s Kyle Lewis. All told, a combined 1,216 players were selected in the 2016 draft.
ETSU led six SoCon schools with a total of four draft picks. Including WCU, three SoCon teams each had three players drafted with two schools having a pair of players selected. WCU, Samford and UNCG each had three draft picks, while Mercer and Wofford had two taken overall.
Brown was the 705th overall pick, taken in the 23rd round by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Asheville, N.C., product was a 43rd-round pick by the Colorado Rockies out of high school in 2011. He is the first WCU outfielder drafted since 2013, when Julian Ridings was taken in the 18th round by the Tampa Bay Rays.
Brown, a former two-sport standout at WCU, saved his best for last on the diamond as he hit a career-best .321 with 84 hits to rank second on the team and sixth overall in the SoCon. Brown started each of the 58 games in which he saw action in 2016. Including his career-best and SoCon-leading 34 stolen bases – the third-best single-season in program history – Brown concluded his WCU career with 45 career thefts, 14th in the school record books.
Davis, the 753rd overall selection, concluded his Catamount career ranked fifth in program history with 90 appearances on the mound that included 81 out of the bullpen. The Commerce, Ga., native set individual single-season highs in 2016 with a record of 7-3 and a team-high tying 89 strikeouts. Davis finished his career with a 10.89 strikeout-per-nine-inning average. His 31 appearances led the Catamount pitching staff in 2016 while ranking eighth in the SoCon.
Bowman, the 998th overall selection taken in the 33rd round, still has the option to return to Cullowhee for his redshirt senior season in 2017.
In his first season playing for the Purple & Gold, Bowman left his mark in helping the Catamounts to the SoCon tournament title for the first time since 2003, and a return to NCAA postseason play for the first time since 2007. The Baton, N.C., native hit .326 (74-for-227) with 35 extra-base hits, including 13 doubles, three triples and 19 home runs to rank tied for third in the SoCon and among the top 10 nationally. Amidst a battle for the team RBI lead much of the year – finishing second with 60 – Bowman was a second-team All-Southern Conference selection by both the league’s head coaches and voting media, securing SoCon Player of the Week plaudits in late March.
Samford has two taken on final day of MLB Draft
SECAUCUS, N.J. – Two Samford players were selected Saturday in the MLB First-Year Player Draft, as first baseman Alex Lee was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 22nd round and third baseman Hunter Swilling was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 29th round.
Junior right fielder Heath Quinn was taken Friday in the third round, giving the Bulldogs three selections in the draft.
Samford, the winningest Division I program in the state of Alabama since 2011, has now had 19 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 this year, 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 and his staff, Samford had never had more than one player drafted in a single year in program history.
Lee, the 649th overall selection, capped off his brilliant two-year Samford career with a .335 batting average this season. The Bulldogs’ two-time All-Southern Conference performer also added 11 home runs, 45 RBIs and 42 runs scored. Lee started all 61 of Samford’s games at first base in 2016 and finished second on the team in batting average (.335), hits (80), on-base percentage (.421) and fielding percentage (.982).
On April 25, Lee was named a Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week. He hit .500, slugged 1.000 and had an on-base percentage of .565 as the Bulldogs split a midweek doubleheader with Alabama A&M before taking two of three from Kansas that week.
Swilling, a native of Columbus, Georgia, closed out his junior campaign in 2016 with a .292 batting average. The 865th overall selection also powered 12 home runs, 58 RBIs and finished the year ranked fourth in the nation with 25 doubles. Swilling scored a team-high 62 runs this season, while adding three triples and 141 total bases.
On May 22, Swilling was named the Southern Conference Player of the Week after hitting .429 in four games, with five of his six hits going for extra bases. He put together a slugging percentage of 1.071, scored six runs and drove in four, drawing three walks and getting hit by pitches twice in accumulating a .579 on-base percentage.
Mercer catcher Madden drafted by Chicago White Sox
MACON, Ga. – Mercer University junior catcher Charlie Madden was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 25th round of the 2016 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Saturday afternoon, marking the 10th time Mercer has had multiple players drafted in a single season.
Madden, the 746th overall pick, joined teammate Kyle Lewis, who was selected No. 11 overall, as the two Bears to be picked in this year’s draft. He is the 35th player in program history to be drafted and fourth since the 2014 season.
He also becomes the third Mercer player to be drafted by the White Sox, joining Andrew Urena (2006 – 11th round) and Muzzy Jackson (1990 – 21st round).
As the Bears’ primary catcher for the last three seasons, Madden has started 149 of his 162 games played at Mercer. The junior owns career figures of 147 hits, 121 RBIs, 23 home runs, 100 runs scored, 33 doubles and 70 walks to go along with a .277 batting average, .472 slugging percentage and .370 on-base percentage.
The Dunwoody, Ga., native has been named to the Johnny Bench Award watch list each of the past two seasons, becoming the first Bear to be named to the watch list in consecutive seasons since Josh Thompson was tabbed as a semifinalist in 2006 and 2007. The Johnny Bench Award recognizes the top catcher in NCAA Division I baseball.
Madden set career highs in nearly every offensive category during his junior campaign as he helped the Bears to their second straight Southern Conference regular-season championship and a 38-23 overall record. He batted .287 with career highs in hits (56), home runs (11), RBIs (50), runs scored (49), walks (28), slugging percentage (.492) and on-base percentage (.385).
The durable junior additionally set a career best in fielding percentage (.990) while throwing out 16 runners and helped lead a Mercer pitching staff featuring no seniors and 11 underclassmen to the offensive-minded SoCon’s best team ERA (4.82) in league play.
Wofford’s Milburn drafted by Oakland Athletics
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Wofford College senior Matt Milburn was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 29th round of the 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft. The right-handed pitcher was the 862nd overall selection. He joins fellow pitcher Will Stillman (sixth round) as Wofford draft choices this year, giving the Terriers a pair of selections in back-to-back drafts for the first time in school history.
“I appreciate the Oakland A’s giving me this opportunity,” said Milburn. “Being able to sit around the kitchen with my parents and sister as I heard my name called was really special today. I really owe a lot to my teammates and coaches for making this possible. I am looking forward to this next chapter in my baseball career.”
Milburn, from Dallas, Texas, led the Southern Conference in strikeouts with 103 and was fourth in the league in innings pitched with 98.2. His ERA of 4.47 was eighth in the SoCon and second on the team. He started 15 games and had a 6-5 overall record. He earned All-Southern Conference second-team honors from the coaches in 2015 and 2016. He was the 2016 SoCon Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
“We are so excited to see Matt drafted today,” said Wofford head coach Todd Interdonato. “He had an excellent career here at Wofford and it is great to see him rewarded with a chance to continue his career. This is a testament to hard work and the fact that doing things the right way pays off in the long run. We know he will represent our program with the A’s as well as he did while here at Wofford.”
For his career at Wofford, he is first in school history in career strikeouts with 307, topping the Division I marks set in recent years by Luke Leftwich (261, 2013-15) and Jesse Morris (253, 2011-14). He is third in school history in games started with 49 and had 78 total appearances. His 338 innings pitched are third in school history, while his 23 wins are the second-highest mark.
“Matt’s body of work over the past four years speaks for itself,” said Wofford pitching coach Jason Burke. “His work ethic has made a lasting impact on this entire program and I am excited to see him get this opportunity with the A’s. We are all very happy for him on this accomplishment.”
Milburn is the eighth Terrier drafted in the last 10 years. Brandon Waring was selected in the seventh round in 2007, while Michael Gilmartin (27th), John Cornely (15th), Alex Wilson (15th), J.D. Osborne (36th), Leftwich (seventh), and Stillman (sixth) were also recent selections. This marks the second straight season Wofford has had a pair of players drafted, as Leftwich and Stillman were drafted in 2015. Milburn, Leftwich, and Stillman were all freshman pitchers in the 2013 season.