Red Sox, Ole Miss both want Conant's Wright

The round was the same as two years ago but the team picking Austin Wright on Tuesday in the major league baseball draft was much different.

The former Conant left-handed pitcher, who spent the last two years at Chipola College in Florida, was taken in the 23rd round by the Boston Red Sox. After his senior year of high school, Wright was also chosen in the 23rd round by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Wright was 7-3 with a 3.90 ERA in 13 starts this spring at Chipola, one of the premier junior college programs in the country. Wright had 97 strikeouts and 50 walks in 85 innings.

Wright has also signed a Division I letter of intent with Mississippi. He signed with Arkansas his senior year of high school but opted to go to Chipola.

"Austin is the type of kid we love to recruit to this program," Mississippi assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Carl Lafferty told OleMisssports.com a month ago. "He's a big kid with a power arm. He's coming from a good junior college program and has played against some top competition.

"We're really excited about getting him on campus and having him as a part of our program."

Wright will have until Aug. 15 to decide between signing with the Red Sox or going to Mississippi.

Former Dundee-Crown star and Creighton shortstop Elliot Soto was picked by the Cubs in the 15th round. Louisville star third baseman Phil Wunderlich (Downers Grove South) went in the 12th round to Tampa Bay.

Pitcher Colin Bates (North Carolina and Naperville Central) went in the 23rd round to Washington.