The University of Mississippi Athletics
Five Rebels Selected On Day Two Of MLB Draft
6/7/2011 | Baseball
OXFORD, Miss. - Five Rebels were selected for professional baseball as a part of the Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft on Tuesday, as David Goforth, Austin Wright, Miles Hamblin, Matt Crouse and Matt Tracy were all taken in day two of the annual event.
The draft went through 30 rounds on Tuesday before concluding with the final rounds of the event on Wednesday. Selections in the draft began on Monday night with the first 60 players taken by professional organizations.
Goforth was the first player from Ole Miss selected on Tuesday. The junior hurler served as the Saturday starter this season, making 14 starts with a 4-8 record, including a complete-game performance at No. 16 Arkansas and a combined shutout against Lipscomb. Goforth struck out 63 batters, the second most on the team in 83.0 innings of work while posting a 4.88 ERA. He walked only 27 batters while holding opponents to a .274 batting average against.
The pitcher from Philadelphia, Miss., snagged wins at No. 17 LSU, at Auburn, over Kentucky and over No. 1 South Carolina to give the Rebels a series win over the Gamecocks. His win over the Wildcats helped push the Rebels to a series sweep of Kentucky.
Wright, a native of Schaumburg, Ill., was the second Rebel drafted on the afternoon, taken in the eighth round by the Philadelphia Phillies organization.
Wright posted a 5-4 record in 2011, his first with the Rebels after transferring from Chipola Junior College, and struck out a team-leading 67 batters. The left-handed hurler made 14 starts for the Rebels and posted a 4.73 ERA in 70.1 innings of work. He picked up wins over Houston, Lipscomb, combined for a shutout at Tennessee, Georgia and Mississippi State.
Hamblin, a native of Rowlett, Texas, was taken in the 12th round by the Houston Astros to become the third Rebel drafted on the second day of the draft.
The senior catcher hit .259 for the Rebels in his final season, tallying six home runs and 26 RBI. His six home runs was third best on the team and he posted a .430 slugging percentage with seven doubles and a triple. For his two-year career with the Rebels, Hamblin tallied 13 home runs with 67 RBI and 51 runs scored.
Junior left-hander Matt Crouse and senior left-hander Matt Tracy were both taken in the 24th round of the draft. Crouse was selected by the Detroit Tigers, while Tracy was taken by the New York Yankees.
Crouse moved into the role of Friday night starter for the Rebels in his junior campaign and posted a 7-4 record that included a pair of complete-games and a pair of shutouts. The southpaw struck out 62 and walked only 19 in a team-leading 89.2 innings of work while holding batters to a .262 batting average against.
The junior posted wins over Wright State, at Houston, Tulane, Lipscomb, Alabama, at Tennessee and at No. 18 Arkansas.
A two-way player for the Rebels, Tracy made 10 starts for the Rebels in the midweek and posted 3-3 record in 43.0 innings of work. He also struck out 51 and walked only 25 in that time. He also combined for a pair of shutouts against Jackson State and Samford.
When not pitching, Tracy started in the outfield and posted a .291 batting average with four home runs and 37 RBI - the third most on the team. He also belted out six doubles.
