FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Three players from the University of Arkansas baseball team were drafted on the second day of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
Two were picked in the second round. Junior third baseman Matt Reynolds was the first, no. 71 overall to the New York Mets. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Nolan Sanburn soon followed at no. 74 to the Oakland A’s, and junior right-hander DJ Baxendale was selected no. 310 in the tenth round by the Minnesota Twins.
Reynolds has been the most consistent offensive threat for Arkansas this season, batting .343 and leading the team with seven home runs and driving in 42. He is first-team All-SEC and All-SEC Defensive team.
Sanburn, rated the top college prospect in the state by PerfectGame.org, has appeared in 20 games, starting four, for a 4-1 record and 2.58 ERA. The fireballing righty, who can touch 99 mph, has struck out 46 batters in just 38.1 innings, and has held opposing hitters to a .196 average against him.
Baxendale leads the Hogs in wins this year with a 7-4 record in 17 games, and has posted a 2.83 ERA. He leads the team in innings with 92.1, has struck out 85 batters and earned a 1.51 ERA in his last nine starts.
Along with the three current Razorbacks, five Arkansas signees were selected as well. Right-handed pitcher from Fort Worth, Tx., Teddy Stankiewicz was picked in the second round, no. 75 overall, by the New York Mets. D’Vone McClure, outfielder from Jacksonville, Ark., was a fourth rounder, no. 143 overall, by the Cleveland Indians, and Ty Buttrey, right-handed pitcher from Matthews, N.C., was no. 151 overall. Colin Poche, left-hander from Flower Mound, Tx., was a fifth round pick, no. 162 overall, by the Baltimore Orioles, and Shilo McCall, outfielder from Farmington, N.M., was drafted in the ninth round, no. 298 overall by the San Francisco Giants.
The 2012 draft concludes on Wednesday.