With the season over, some Hilltoppers now turn their attention to the MLB first-year player draft on June 6th-8th. Rye Davis and Matt Rice were two of five Hilltoppers drafted last year, however both elected to return to WKU for another season. Davis was selected in the 36th round (pick #1080) by the Cleveland Indians, while Rice was the 2010 winner of MLB.com’s “Mr. Don’t Count Him Out” award. This title is given each year to the last player drafted in the MLB draft (50th round, pick # 1525). Although picked last, his title suits his career at WKU. When Rice was at the plate, you could never count him out. “Mr. Don’t Count Him Out” consistently hit for a high average, never posting below a .337 average. His sophomore year he hit a career high .399 and posted a school-record breaking 31-game hit streak. Matt Rice now holds the record for most hits in school history. However, Rice also possessed power and was an RBI machine. In the just under 210 games he started in his career, Rice recorded a school-record 223 RBI’s. Not only that, but Rice maintained a 4.0 GPA as an mechanical engineer major at WKU. Rightfully so, he was distinguished numerous times over the years for both his academics and on-field performances. His top awards include 2011 Capital One Academic All-American of the Year, 2010 American Baseball Coaches Association third-team All-American, and Collegiate Baseball Insider Southeast Region Player of the Week (2010) among numerous other academic and Sunbelt Conference honors. Matt Rice has been one of the major faces of WKU baseball the last few seasons, and his presence will be missed on the field. Although his and other Hilltopper’s careers ended with their loss on Thursday to Troy, many Hilltoppers have a potential future in baseball. MLB.com’s draft tracker lists six players from WKU as potential draftees in this year’s draft. Kes Carter, Rye Davis, Casey Dykes, Matt Rice, Logan Robbins, and Phil Wetherall could all hear their name called in the annual draft. However, realistically only Carter and Rice have a high potential to go relatively early. Talk around campus says that if Carter is drafted early, he will likely sign and will not return to the hill for his senior year. However, Carter remains the only player with a moderate chance of not returning next year. Dykes (.281 average; 27 RBI’s), Robbins (.286 average; 33 RBI's), and Wetherall (1-3, 4.25 ERA) still need time to develop fully and will likely go in the late rounds. However, all three should return to WKU next season. Senior Rye Davis hurt his draft chances with his performance this year. A 36th round draft pick last year, his above 6 ERA will likely cause him to go even later this year. It will definitely be interesting to see what happens. Both Carter and Rice boosted their chances with very good seasons this year. Make sure you tune in to see how the Hilltoppers fare in this year’s draft.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Rice, Carter, and others hope for high picks in MLB Draft
With the season over, some Hilltoppers now turn their attention to the MLB first-year player draft on June 6th-8th. Rye Davis and Matt Rice were two of five Hilltoppers drafted last year, however both elected to return to WKU for another season. Davis was selected in the 36th round (pick #1080) by the Cleveland Indians, while Rice was the 2010 winner of MLB.com’s “Mr. Don’t Count Him Out” award. This title is given each year to the last player drafted in the MLB draft (50th round, pick # 1525). Although picked last, his title suits his career at WKU. When Rice was at the plate, you could never count him out. “Mr. Don’t Count Him Out” consistently hit for a high average, never posting below a .337 average. His sophomore year he hit a career high .399 and posted a school-record breaking 31-game hit streak. Matt Rice now holds the record for most hits in school history. However, Rice also possessed power and was an RBI machine. In the just under 210 games he started in his career, Rice recorded a school-record 223 RBI’s. Not only that, but Rice maintained a 4.0 GPA as an mechanical engineer major at WKU. Rightfully so, he was distinguished numerous times over the years for both his academics and on-field performances. His top awards include 2011 Capital One Academic All-American of the Year, 2010 American Baseball Coaches Association third-team All-American, and Collegiate Baseball Insider Southeast Region Player of the Week (2010) among numerous other academic and Sunbelt Conference honors. Matt Rice has been one of the major faces of WKU baseball the last few seasons, and his presence will be missed on the field. Although his and other Hilltopper’s careers ended with their loss on Thursday to Troy, many Hilltoppers have a potential future in baseball. MLB.com’s draft tracker lists six players from WKU as potential draftees in this year’s draft. Kes Carter, Rye Davis, Casey Dykes, Matt Rice, Logan Robbins, and Phil Wetherall could all hear their name called in the annual draft. However, realistically only Carter and Rice have a high potential to go relatively early. Talk around campus says that if Carter is drafted early, he will likely sign and will not return to the hill for his senior year. However, Carter remains the only player with a moderate chance of not returning next year. Dykes (.281 average; 27 RBI’s), Robbins (.286 average; 33 RBI's), and Wetherall (1-3, 4.25 ERA) still need time to develop fully and will likely go in the late rounds. However, all three should return to WKU next season. Senior Rye Davis hurt his draft chances with his performance this year. A 36th round draft pick last year, his above 6 ERA will likely cause him to go even later this year. It will definitely be interesting to see what happens. Both Carter and Rice boosted their chances with very good seasons this year. Make sure you tune in to see how the Hilltoppers fare in this year’s draft.
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