Six DuPage athletes picked in baseball draft
After a quiet first day for DuPage County athletes, the second day of Major League Baseball's first-year player draft on Wednesday produced a little bit of everything.
Six MLB teams selected six local players with roots at five high schools, a list that includes four college players and two recent high school graduates.
Neuqua Valley's Ian Krol became the first area player selected when Oakland picked the hard-throwing left-hander in the seventh round with the 213th overall pick.
Krol helped lead Neuqua Valley to the 2007 Class AA state title as a sophomore and last year went 9-1 with 111 strikeouts and a 0.98 ERA. In March, however, Krol was suspended for his entire senior season after a second violation of the athletic code of conduct in District 204.
Despite not playing for the Wildcats this spring, the University of Arizona signee stayed sharp while competing with the Hitters Baseball organization in Wisconsin. In three starts at showcase tournaments, Krol went 2-1 with a 0.44 ERA and 36 strikeouts against 6 walks in 16 innings.
Contract negotiations will determine if Krol will sign with Oakland or play college ball at Arizona.
Willowbrook graduate Rob Scahill, who just completed his senior season at Bradley University, was picked by Colorado in the eighth round with the 241st overall pick. Fully recovered from labrum surgery, this season the right-handed pitcher topped out at 95 mph with his fastball.
The extra velocity allowed Scahill to vastly improve his draft stock after last year being picked in the 48th round.
"It definitely feels really, really good," said Scahill, who this season went 3-3 with a 4.05 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 60 innings for Bradley. "I worked extremely hard to get in better shape, and the extra work paid off.
"I'm not going to be a tough sign," he said. "I'm hoping within a week I can get out there and get to work."
Two Benet graduates - first baseman Connor Powers and pitcher Dave Sever - were selected. Mississippi State's Powers, a junior, went to the Dodgers in the 11th round while St. Louis University's Sever, a senior who was drafted last year but didn't sign, was picked in the 16th round by Toronto.
Powers, the 2006 Daily Herald All-Area baseball captain, recently concluded his junior season at Mississippi State after batting .301 with 19 homers and 63 RBI while starting 53 of 54 games.
Powers, like Scahill, is anxious to sign - especially after working out at Dodger Stadium early this week. If he doesn't sign, though, Powers can head back to Mississippi State for his senior season.
"I'm excited to be picked by their organization, it was awesome hitting in that stadium," Powers said. "I really want to sign and have the negotiations done quickly. But if for whatever reason it doesn't happen, I can still go back to Mississippi State."
Naperville North graduate Jack Walker, a senior shortstop at Concordia University in Chicago, was picked in the 20th round by the Washington Nationals. Downers Grove North senior catcher Dan Sheppard, an Iowa recruit who garnered Daily Herald All-Area honors in football and baseball this school year, was picked by the Cubs in the 30th round.
With 30 rounds of selections completed through two days of picks, the first-year player draft concludes today.