Ball State University Athletics
Cardinals Poised for MLB Draft History
June 09, 2016 | Baseball
MUNCIE, Ind. — Ball State baseball looks to make history at this weekend's 2016 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, as it is poised to produce one of the program's largest draft classes to date.
The annual draft, broadcast live from MLB Network Studios on both MLB Network and MLB.com, begins with first, second and compensatory round picks Thursday at 7 p.m. Rounds 3-10 begin Friday at 1p.m., with rounds 11-40 following Saturday at noon.
Ball State's roster features 17 players eligible for selection this year. Players eligible for the draft include high school graduates, junior college players and four-year college players having completed their junior or senior seasons or who are 21 or will turn 21 within 45 days of the draft. The Cardinals have three seniors (Matt Haro, Ryan Spaulding and Scott Tyler), 13 juniors (BJ Butler, Alex Call, David Current, Matt Eppers, Sean Kennedy, Evan Korson, Alex Maloney, Zach Plesac, Jarrett Rindfleisch, Caleb Stayton, Shawn Tyler, Kevin Marnon and Luke Whitfield) and one eligible sophomore (Colin Brockhouse).
That 17-man pool is highlighted by seven players who earned All-MAC honors during their careers, including four first-teamers this spring. Zach Plesac was named the National Freshman of the Year, MAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year and a Third Team All-American in 2014 while Alex Call was named both the MAC Player of the Year and a First Team All-American this season.
The largest number of Cardinals selected in a single year is five, accomplished in 1999 and again in 2003. The '99 group was highlighted by eventual major leaguer Larry Bigbie going in the first round to the Orioles, while '03 included eventual major leaguer Brad Snyder being selected 18th overall by the Indians.
All told, 62 Cardinals have been selected in the MLB Draft since its inception in 1965. Most recently Ball State had three names called in 2014 -- T.J. Weir, Sean Godfrey and Nestor Bautista were selected by the Padres, Braves and Marlins respectively. The former two players have already made their ascent to the Double-A level, two steps from the major leagues.
This year could also see the Cardinals produce their highest drafted player since 2010, when Kolbrin Vitek went 20th overall to the Red Sox, followed closely by second round pick Perci Garner going 77th to the Phillies. BSU has seven first round picks in its history, tied for the most in the Mid-American Conference.
For more information on the MLB Draft, fans can visit the Draft Central homepage at MLB.com or follow the offical MLB Draft Tracker on twitter.
For the most up-to-date information on Ball State baseball and all things Ball State sports, fans can follow along on social media @BallStateBB or @BallStateSports.
Ball State Draft History Superlatives:
Highest Drafted Player: Bryan Bullington (1st overall, 2002)
Most Players Drafted in a Year: 5 (1999 and 2003)
Most Common Drafting Team: Baltimore Orioles (8 times, most recently Lorenzo Scott, 2003)
Teams Yet to Draft a Cardinal: Texas, New York (NL), Milwaukee
Most Commonly Drafted Positon: 30 (Pitchers)
Most Number of Times Being Drafted: 2 (Most recently Kyle Heyne in '07, '08)
Most Common Round Drafted: 1st (7 times, most recently Kolbrin Vitkek '10)
Most Common Round Drafted (after the 1st): 26th (4 times, most recently Dean Anna '08)
