Additional Three Kats Tabbed In MLB Draft
6/8/2014 7:37:00 AM | Baseball
Shortstop Corey Toups, third baseman Carter Burgess and center fielder Colt Atwood were picked Saturday to bring the total of Sam Houston baseball players tabbed in the 2014 Major League Baseball draft to five.
Pitcher Tyler Epler and first baseman Ryan O'Hearn were drafted in the MLB sixth and eighth rounds, respectively, Friday.
The five draft picks sets a record for the SHSU baseball program that has won three consecutive Southland Conference regular season championships and advanced to the NCAA Championships each year as well.
Previously, Sam Houston saw four draft selections in 1966 and 1975. Three Bearkats went in the MLB draft in 195 and 2011.
Toups was selected in the 15th round by the Kansas City Royals. Burgess was picked in the 28th round by the Tampa Bay Rays. Atwood's selection came in the 38th round by the Oakland A's.
Friday, Eppler was drafted in the sixth round by the Pittsburgh Pirates and O'Hearn was selected in the eight round by the Royals.
The five players led Sam Houston to a 43-19 season in 2014. The Bearkats rolled to a third consecutive conference crown with a 22-8 Southland mark.
Toups was the Kats' second-leading hitter with a .310 batting average. He totaled 58 hits and 29 RBIs and led the team with 11 stolen bases. Toups posted 17 multiple hit games and produced the squad's third-longest hitting streak (12).
Burgress hit .284 this spring, tying with Toups as the squad's leaders in doubles with 17 apiece. Burgess posted 18 multiple hit performances.
Atwood ranked third in hitting for the Kats with a .306 batting mean that included 83 hits and 40 RBIs. He led Sam Houston with 27 multiple hit performances in 2014. He also produced a team-best 13 multiple RBI games. Atwood's 14-game hitting streak during the spring was the squad's longest of the season.
