The University of Mississippi Athletics
Barrett, Ferguson Taken In Day Two Of MLB Draft
6/8/2010 | Baseball
OXFORD, Miss. - Two more Rebels were taken in the 2010 MLB Draft on Tuesday as senior right-hander Aaron Barrett and junior outfielder Tim Ferguson were selected in the second day of the event.
Barrett was drafted in the ninth round by the Washington Nationals, while Ferguson was drafted in the 10th round by the Kansas City Royals.
The pair join junior left-hander Drew Pomeranz as Rebels drafted so far in the 2010 MLB Draft. Pomeranz was taken with the fifth overall pick of the draft by the Cleveland Indians on Monday night.
Barrett served as the Saturday starter for the Rebels, anchoring the weekend rotation with Pomeranz this season and helped Ole Miss advance to an NCAA Regional for the eighth consecutive season. The right-hander posted a 7-5 record on the year and picked up some big wins for the Rebels, including victories over No. 8 Louisville, No. 9 Arkansas and No. 2 Florida while jumping out to a 6-0 start to open the season.
He struck out 98 batters on the season and posted a 4.34 ERA in 91.1 innings of work, making 16 starts on the season. For his career with the Rebels, Barrett posted 131 strikeouts in 30 appearances as he served as both a starter and reliever in his junior season.
"I'm super excited," Barrett said of being drafted by the Washington Nationals. "I was hanging out with my teammates and got the call from my brother who told me that I had been drafted and I was pumped. Washington is a great organization with a lot of room for a young pitcher to move up."
Ferguson, a junior outfielder, has posted a .307 career batting average with the Rebels and tallied 48 stolen bases in his career, placing him eighth on the career steals list at Ole Miss. As a senior, Ferguson was 24-for-28 in stolen bases to pace the team as he helped the Rebels to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament and an NCAA Regional appearance.
As a sophomore, Ferguson was critical to the Rebels' claiming the Southeastern Conference Championship with a .358 batting average and a .520 slugging percentage while going 18-for-19 in steals.
"I'm really excited to see my name pop up with Kansas City in the draft," Ferguson said. "I've been comfortable when talking to their scouts. They pursued me a lot and I really got to know them and develop that relationship. I'm really happy to see my name with their organization. I have family in that area and grew up going to watch the Royals play and I know they are excited. It's cool to see that happen and go to a team I like."
The MLB Draft will conclude on Wednesday.
