The University of Mississippi Athletics
Gunther, Osteen Taken In MLB Draft On Wednesday
6/8/2005 | Baseball
June 8, 2005
OXFORD, Miss. - Seniors Barry Gunther and Cooper Osteen have been selected on the second day of the 2005 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, making it eight Ole Miss Rebels to have been picked in this year's draft.
Gunther was taken in the 25th round as the 762nd overall pick by the San Francisco Giants, while Osteen was selected in the 31st round as the 937th overall pick by the Philadelphia Phillies.
Gunther, the Rebels' starting catcher for the past two seasons out of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., is batting .285 this season with four home runs and 27 RBI. The solid defensive backstop was also drafted in last year's first-year player draft in the 17th round by the Florida Marlins. Gunther has been a pivotal part of the Rebels' pitching staff ERA of 3.64, including the sophomore-to-junior year improvement of fellow draftees Eric Fowler and Matt Maloney.
Osteen, the two-year starting second baseman from Ft. Pierce, Fla., and Indian River Community College, is batting .321 this year with a team-high 13 stolen bases and is second on the team in runs scored with 60. He has teamed up with freshman shortstop Zack Cozart to form a double-play combination among the best in the SEC and has spent the majority of the time this season as the Rebels' leadoff hitter.
On Tuesday, the Rebels had six players drafted in the first seven rounds, all juniors, including first baseman Stephen Head (2nd round, overall pick #62, Cleveland Indians) outfielder Brian Pettway (3rd round, overall pick #86, Toronto Blue Jays), left-hander Matt Maloney (3rd round, overall pick # 97, Philadelphia Phillies), right-hander Mark Holliman (3rd round, overall pick #100, Chicago Cubs), left-hander Eric Fowler (5th round, overall pick #146, Toronto Blue Jays) and right-hander Anthony Cupps (7th round, overall pick #201, Arizona Diamondbacks).
Ole Miss will host Texas this weekend, Saturday-Monday, in the NCAA Oxford Super Regional for a chance to be one of the final eight teams that will make the trip to Omaha, Neb., for the College World Series.
