June 6, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The second and final day of the 2008 MLB First-Year Player Draft was loaded with members of the UCF baseball program Friday. Four current Knights and seven signees were selected on day two, and they will have until Aug. 15 to decide if they will sign contracts with their respective major league clubs.
On the first day of the draft, incoming recruit Graham Hicks (Lakeland, Fla./George Jenkins) was taken with the 121st pick in the fourth round by the Washington Nationals.
A complete list of UCF's draft picks can be found at the bottom of this release, while detailed information follows.
Three members of the 2008 UCF squad, junior Mitch Herold (Merritt Island, Fla.), redshirt sophomore Mitch Houck (Weston Fla.) and junior Robert Lara (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), were all drafted in the top 20 rounds. Herold was undrafted out of high school, while Houck was a 50th round pick and Lara was a 17th round selection. The program now has had 46 Knights be selected from rounds 1-20 since 1982 when Sam Natille became the first Knight to develop into a top-20 round pick (sixth round, Boston Red Sox).
In all, 66 UCF players, not counting incoming recruits, have had the distinction of being drafted by major league organizations dating back to 1979 and the school's first-ever draft pick, Jeff Rudolph (25th round, New York Yankees).
On Friday, incoming freshman Matt Richardson (Lake Mary, Fla.) was drafted in round No. 15 as the New York Yankees picked the two-way player with their 470th pick. The brother of former Knight Ryan Richardson, Matt went to Lake Mary High School where he was a right-handed pitcher and an infielder. He was ranked as the No. 18 top player in the state of Florida's class of 2008 by Prospectwire, and was part of the 2008 Perfect Game World Showcase in January.
Fellow signee Wesley Freeman (Lakeland, Fla.) evolved into the No. 474 pick in the 16th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates. The outfielder helped All Saints Academy to the Class 2A regional semifinals this season, and was an Aflac All-American as a junior. Freeman was listed as the No. 54 top player in the 2008 RivalsHIGH Prospect Rankings, and at one point was the No. 18 top prospect in the Perfect Game Crosschecker national rankings.
Also taken in the 16th round, Herold was tabbed as the No. 502 pick by the Boston Red Sox. The left-handed hurler served as one of the Knights' weekend pitchers and completed his third campaign with a 3.04 ERA in 13 starts. Herold amassed a 4-4 record and set career-highs with 70 strikeouts and 74.0 innings. Opposing batters hit just .239 off the graduate of Cocoa High School.
One round later, Houck went to the New York Mets with the 524th pick. A year after suffering a season-ending injury, the southpaw was healthy for 2008 and went on to post a 4-3 record with a 7.07 ERA. Houck was a strikeout machine as he tallied a career-high 71 in 56.0 innings, good for an 11.41 strikeout-per-game average. The Cypress Bay High School product was part of UCF's second no-hitter when he tossed 7.0 innings vs. Wagner March 17.
Five picks after Houck, recruit Jamie Mallard (Tampa, Fla.) was selected with the 529th pick in round No. 17 by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Standing at 6-foot-0 and 265 pounds, Mallard is a power hitter who has routinely hit homers well over 400 feet his entire career. He finished 2008 by being named a St. Pete Times All-Hillsborough County First Team member, leading the county with a .574 average for Middleton High School. Mallard also had seven homers and a 1.111 slugging percentage.
A first-year UCF catcher and transfer from LSU, Lara went in the 19th round as the No. 585 selection by the San Diego Padres. The backstop was a Johnny Bench Award Watch List honoree in 2008, going .312 at the plate and was the first Knight since 2005 to hit two grand slams in a season. Lara paced UCF with a .358 average in Conference USA games, while he also led all of the league's catchers with five pickoffs. He completed the year with a .986 fielding percentage and threw out 11 would-be basestealers.
Senior Dwayne Bailey (Tampa, Fla.) ended his collegiate career on a high note by being taken in the 21st round with the 649th pick of the Angels. UCF's second baseman played two years in a Black and Gold uniform after he competed for South Florida Community College. Bailey, who was undrafted out of high school, busted out in 2008, leading UCF with 77 hits, 47 runs and 21 stolen bases. He had a .356 batting average and committed just three errors for a .987 fielding percentage.
Jacob Rogers (Clearwater, Fla.) became the fifth UCF signee to get drafted, as he was the 892nd pick in round No. 29 by the Red Sox. Rogers was a key player for the Class 5A state championship Dunedin High School squad this season, and the infielder finished with a .410 average and eight homers. He was named to the St. Pete Times Pinellas County Athletic Conference First-Team in 2008, and served as the county's player of the year as a sophomore and a junior.
UCF then had two signees taken in the 49th round. Infielder and right-handed pitcher D.J. Hicks (Altamonte Springs, Fla.) was the 1,455th pick by the San Francisco Giants, as he was recently named the Orlando Sentinel Central Florida Player of the Year. Hicks led Lake Brantley High School to the Class 6A state title in 2008, going 5-0 on the mound with a win in the semifinals and a save in the champinoship game. With the stick, he batted .475 with 13 home runs.
And four picks later, outfielder B.J. Zimmerman (Kissimmee, Fla.) was drafted by the Washington Nationals at No. 1,459. Zimmerman and Osceola High School advanced to the Class 6A regional semis this year, as he was tagged as a member of the Orlando Sentinel All-Central Florida First Team. He finished with a .507 average with 35 RBI and five dingers.
For the latest news and information on the Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. Also check out UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
UCF Baseball in the MLB Draft
Signee LHP Graham Hicks - Round 4 No. 121 - Washington Nationals
Signee RHP/IF Matt Richardson - Round 15 No. 470 - New York Yankees
Signee OF Wesley Freeman - Round 16 No. 474 - Pittsburgh Pirates
Jr. LHP Mitch Herold - Round 16 No. 502 - Boston Red Sox
RS So. LHP Mitch Houck - Round 17 No. 524 - New York Mets
Signee 1B/DH Jamie Mallard - Round 17 No. 529 - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Jr. C Robert Lara - Round 19 No. 585 - San Diego Padres
Sr. IF Dwayne Bailey - Round 21 No. 649 - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Signee IF Jacob Rogers - Round 29 No. 892 - Boston Red Sox
Signee IF/RHP D.J. Hicks - Round 49 No. 1,455 - San Francisco Giants
Signee OF B.J. Zimmerman - Round 49 No. 1,459 - Washington Nationals