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June 8, 2007
Western Carolina All-Time in the MLB Draft (from the 2007 Media Guide)
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Cullowhee, N.C. - A school-record tying five current Western Carolina baseball players and one incoming freshman were selected on the second day of the 2007 Major League Baseball Amateur Player Draft. Juniors Jonathan Greene, Greg Holland, Blake Murphy and Steven Strausbaugh, senior Kenny Smith, and signee Sean McCauley were all drafted today by Major League clubs.
The five players drafted off the 2007 roster marks the most since four were selected off the regular season and tournament championship squad of 2003. In 1998, the Catamounts had a previous school-record five drafted, with two others signing with major league franchises for a total of seven.
Greene was the first Catamount - and third player from the Southern Conference overall - selected on Friday morning. Tagged with the 260th overall pick in the eighth round, the Boone, N.C., native was drafted by the Texas Rangers as a catcher. Greene was a utility player for WCU this season, spending most of the time in left field despite being tabbed preseason All-SoCon at third base. He earned first team all-conference accolades from the voting media in the outfield in `07, also playing first, third, designated hitter and behind the plate. He hit .331 with 14 home runs and 57 RBI for the regular season co-champion Catamounts.
Greene is the 14th different Catamount to be selected in the eighth round or better since 1967, and the highest draft pick since Ryan Basner in the seventh round (217th overall pick) back in 2003. WCU's highest pick ever was Rick Adair in 1979 as he was drafted with the 53rd pick in the third round by the Seattle Mariners.
Holland was the second pick of Round 12, selected with the 306th pick by the Kansas City Royals. The junior right-hander was a first team All-SoCon selection by both the league's head coaches and media this season, leading WCU with 10 saves and a 4-4 record. The Marion, N.C., native earned SoCon Pitcher of the Week honors after earning all three victories over Elon in relief in a three-game sweep of the Phoenix in Cullowhee in late-April. He led the team with 33 appearances this season, all in relief, with 54 strikeouts in 45.1 innings pitched.
Also tabbed by the Royals was Sean McCauley (Manassas, Va./Osbourn HS) as he was the second pick of the 12th round, chosen with the 366th overall pick. McCauley is a highly touted catcher that comes from the same high school as current Catamount, Brent Greer.
SoCon Player of the Year, Kenny Smith, was selected in the 20th round (620th overall pick) by the Texas Rangers. Having transferred to Western from UNC Wilmington for his final year of eligibility, Smith was the 13th different Catamount to earn the school's Triple Crown by leading the team in batting average (.390), RBI (84) and home runs (20). His 84 runs driven in also tied a school record, tied with Chris Moore (1999), who was an 11th-round draft pick of the Colorado Rockies (340th overall pick). Smith was a second team All-American selection by Collegiate Baseball, and was among the final 30 players in consideration for the Brooks Wallace Award which goes to the top collegiate player in the nation.
In the latter rounds, both Steven Strausbaugh and Blake Murphy were selected. Strausbaugh, a native of Venice, Fla., was the final pick of the 37th round by the New York Yankees while Murphy was selectd in the final round by the Chicago Cubs.
Strausbaugh, who was a preseason All-American, was voted to both the media and coaches' second team All-SoCon after hitting just under .300 on the season with 16 doubles, 12 home runs and 53 RBI -- numbers similar to those when he was dubbed SoCon Freshman of the Year two seasons ago. Murphy led the Catamounts this year with 52 walks. The Waynesville, N.C., native hit .367 with 20 doubles, a triple and 16 home runs with 66 runs driven in and a team-high 73 runs scored.
FINAL 2007 DRAFT PICKS FROM WESTERN CAROLINARd. Pick Name, Position MLB Team 8 260 Jonathan Greene, Catcher Texas Rangers 10 306 Greg Holland, RHP Kansas City Royals 12 366 Sean McCauley, Catcher* Kansas City Royals 20 620 Kenny Smith, 2nd Base Texas Rangers 37 1135 Steven Strausbaugh, RF New York Yankees 50 1435 Blake Murphy, C Chicago Cubs
* - High School player who has signed a NLI to play at WCU
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