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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Pomeranz Drafted Fifth Overall By Cleveland Indians
6/7/2010 | Baseball
OXFORD, Miss. - Junior left-hander Drew Pomeranz was selected with the fifth overall pick by the Cleveland Indians in the 2010 MLB First Year Player Draft on Monday, making him the highest drafted player in the history of Ole Miss baseball.
The southpaw recently completed his junior season with the Rebel and was named the Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Year to become the first Ole Miss pitcher to earn the honor since its inception in 2003.|
"I'm very excited to have been drafted by the Cleveland Indians ," Pomeranz said. "They have a great history and I'm looking forward to joining the organization and am thankful for them giving me the opportunity to play professional baseball."
"We're very excited and proud of Drew and know it's a special day for him," said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. "It's one that most people would feel that he deserves. He's worked so hard since he's been here to make himself into the best college pitcher in the country."
This season, Pomeranz compiled a 9-2 record with 139 strikeouts, putting him second on the single-season list and first on the career strikeout list with 344 over the past four seasons. He held a 2.24 ERA on the year as he allowed only 25 earned runs in 100.2 innings of work and held opponents to a .195 batting average against.
His performance on the mound helped Ole Miss to an eighth consecutive NCAA Regional berth and ninth in the last 10 seasons. He was also named an All-America selection by Collegiate Baseball and is a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Award and the Golden Spikes Award, honoring the nation's top collegiate baseball player. He was also named the Midseason Player and Pitcher of the year by Baseball America.
For his three year career, the left-hander posted a 21-9 record, tying for ninth most wins in a career by a Rebel pitcher along with Mark Holliman (2003-05), Jamey Price (1994-95), and Barry Gaddis (1971-74). He also posted two complete games in his career, none more impressive than his appearance against Western Kentucky in the championship game of the NCAA Regional in 2009.
Pomeranz garnered All-SEC honors as he posted an 8-4 record and struck out 124 batters while helping the Rebels claim the Southeastern Conference Championship in 2009.
As a freshman in 2008, the left-hander began his career coming out of the bullpen before settling into the starting role. He was named a Freshman All-America selection as well as being named to the SEC All-Freshman team as he picked up wins over No. 6 Vanderbilt, LSU and No. 10 South Carolina.
