Sophomore pitcher Sean Nolin was the first San Jac baseball player selected in the 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Photo credit: Amanda L. Booren, San Jacinto College marketing department.

Nine San Jac baseball players selected in MLB First-Year Player Draft

HOUSTON – Nine players from the San Jacinto College baseball team were selected this week in the 2010 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft.

The first San Jac player selected was pitcher Sean Nolin, who was taken in the sixth round by the Toronto Blue Jays as the 186^th overall pick. Nolin was the outstanding pitcher of the 2010 Alpine Bank National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) JUCO World Series, and is a 2010 NJCAA All-American. The left-hander from Seaford, N.Y. (Seaford HS) went 13-0 on the year with a 2.02 ERA.

With the 298^th pick in the 10^th round, the Baltimore Orioles selected pitcher Clay Schrader. The sophomore from Humble (Atascocita HS) racked up 11 saves with a 2.73 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings for San Jac. Schrader was also named to the Region XIV South all-Conference team.

Sophomore outfielder Riley Hornback (Sweeny / Sweeny HS) went in the 12^th round (358^th pick), also to the Orioles. Hornback was selected to the Region XIV South All-Conference team, and was named to the All-tournament team at the JUCO World Series.  Hornback hit .358 on the year, including 5 homeruns.

Chris McKenzie, a right-handed pitcher from Framingham, Mass. (Marian HS), was the 386^th pick by the Washington Nationals in the 13^th round. McKenzie was 7-1 during the regular season with a 2.27 ERA.

Highly touted pitcher Miguel Peña (La Joya / La Joya HS) was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 13^th round. The first-team All-American was 13-3 on the year with an ERA under 2.00. He was named to the All-Region XIV team, as well as the JUCO World Series All-tournament team.

Relief pitcher Mark Herrera (Victoria / Cuero HS) was the 476^th overall pick in the 16^th round. Herrera was 2-2 with 2 saves during the regular season, and posted an ERA of 1.03.

Grapevine’s Randall Thorpe (Colleyville HS) was the 548^th pick by the Chicago White Sox in the 18^th round. The outfielder hit .297 in 158 at bats during the regular season, including a team-high 13 doubles.

Ryan Hornback (Sweeny / Sweeny HS) was selected in the 43^rd round (1,301^st pick) by the Tampa Bay Rays. The freshman catcher was a Rawlings Gold Glove award winner, and named to the All-tournament team at the JUCO World Series. During the regular season he was third on the squad in hitting with a .341 average, with a team-best 13 doubles.

Pitcher David Rollins (Carthage / First Baptist Academy) was the final San Jac player selected in the first-year player draft. Rollins was taken in the 46^th round as the 1,392^nd pick by the Seattle Mariners. The lefty saw limited action this season, after going 8-3 with a 4.61 ERA in 2009 as a freshman.

Overall, a record 174 NJCAA players were selected in this year’s draft, breaking the previous record of 161 (2007). Last year, 155 NJCAA players were selected. Of the 174 NJCAA players drafted, 22 were Division I All-Americans, and two 2010 NJCAA Rawlings Gold Glove winners were selected, including San Jac’s Ryan Hornback. For a complete list of NJCAA players selected in this year’s MLB draft, please visit www.njcaa.org. For more information about San Jac baseball, please visit www.sanjacsports.com.

San Jacinto College serves a diverse population of more than 27,000 students in over 140 degrees and certificates in university transfer and technical programs. The College also serves the community through workforce training. Students come with various goals and aspirations and we are committed to their success. San Jacinto College. Your Goals. Your College.

For information about San Jacinto College, please call 281-998-6150 or visit www.sanjac.edu.