Eppler, O'Hearn drafted on Day 2 of MLB draft
6/6/2014 8:56:00 PM | Baseball
A pair of Bearkats heard their name call on Friday afternoon on the second day of the Major League Baseball draft.
Sam Houston State junior Tyler Eppler was selected in the sixth round the Pittsburgh Pirates and Ryan O'Hearn was an 8th round pick by the Kansas City Royals.
Eppler was a second-team all-Southland Conference selection this past season, serving as the Bearkats Friday night starter. He was 9-6 this past season with a 3.20 ERA and 67 strikeouts.
Eppler was the winning pitcher in the NCAA Regional opener against Dallas Baptist last week.
In two years, he has a record of 14-8 and 111 strikeouts.
O'Hearn has been a regular in the Bearkat lineup for the last three years. Starting at first as a true freshman in 2012, O'Hearn has been part of three straight Southland Conference championship teams that have earned at-large selections to the NCAA Regionals.
This past season, He hit a career high eight home runs and drove in 44 runs. He hit .292 this season and is a career .288 hitter for the Bearkats.
O'Hearn is the highest drafted position player from SHSU since Glenn Wilson was taken in the first round in 1980.
It is the second straight season the Pirates have selected a Bearkat pitcher. Last year, junior Cody Dickson was a fourth-round pick by the Pirates. He is currently playing for the West Virginia Power of the Class A South Atlantic League.
