2008 Woodie Awards
3 Knights sign MLB deals
Allen Levin
Issue date: 6/19/08 Section: Sports
As the UCF Baseball program tries to garner more recognition, its cause was assisted June 5-6 as four players and seven '09 signees were picked in the MLB draft.
As of Wednesday, three of the four current Knights have signed with their respective teams. Players who have not signed have until Aug. 15 to decide if they will sign MLB contracts.
The three players who signed contracts are junior pitcher Mitch Herold, junior catcher Robert Lara and senior infielder Dwayne Bailey.
Left-handed pitcher Herold was taken in the 16th round, No. 502 overall, by the Boston Red Sox. He has reported to the Class-A Lowell Spinners of the New York-Penn League.
Lara went in the 19th round at No. 585 to the San Diego Padres, and Bailey was selected in the 21st, No. 649, by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He will report to the Orem Owlz of the Rookie Pioneer League.
While the Knights' 2008 season was far from perfect, the three signed players performed well enough to earn the attention of major league clubs.
Mitch Herold had a record of 4-4 this season, with a 3.04 ERA and 70 strikeouts. He also recorded UCF's first complete game since 2006.
Lara finished with a .312 batting average that included three home runs and 31 RBIs. He also became the first Knight since 2005 to hit two grand slams in the same season.
Finally, Bailey compiled a .356 average, second-best on the team. He either shared or outright led the Knights with 77 hits, 47 runs and 21 stolen bases. With a 91.3 stolen base percentage, Bailey finished with the seventh-best single-season stolen base percentage in school history.
This year was a record-setting year for Conference USA, as a total of 37 C-USA players were drafted - the most ever for one year. There was also at least one player selected from each school in the conference, a first-time occurrence in C-USA.
UCF's incoming signees who were selected but have not signed are Graham Hicks, Matt Richardson, Wesley Freeman, Jamie Mallard, Jacob Rogers, D.J. Hicks, and B.J. Zimmerman. Graham Hicks was the Knights' highest draft pick. He was selected in the third round, pick No. 121, by the Washington Nationals.
As of Wednesday, the one unsigned current Knight is sophomore left-handed pitcher Mitch Houck.?
As of Wednesday, three of the four current Knights have signed with their respective teams. Players who have not signed have until Aug. 15 to decide if they will sign MLB contracts.
The three players who signed contracts are junior pitcher Mitch Herold, junior catcher Robert Lara and senior infielder Dwayne Bailey.
Left-handed pitcher Herold was taken in the 16th round, No. 502 overall, by the Boston Red Sox. He has reported to the Class-A Lowell Spinners of the New York-Penn League.
Lara went in the 19th round at No. 585 to the San Diego Padres, and Bailey was selected in the 21st, No. 649, by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He will report to the Orem Owlz of the Rookie Pioneer League.
While the Knights' 2008 season was far from perfect, the three signed players performed well enough to earn the attention of major league clubs.
Mitch Herold had a record of 4-4 this season, with a 3.04 ERA and 70 strikeouts. He also recorded UCF's first complete game since 2006.
Lara finished with a .312 batting average that included three home runs and 31 RBIs. He also became the first Knight since 2005 to hit two grand slams in the same season.
Finally, Bailey compiled a .356 average, second-best on the team. He either shared or outright led the Knights with 77 hits, 47 runs and 21 stolen bases. With a 91.3 stolen base percentage, Bailey finished with the seventh-best single-season stolen base percentage in school history.
This year was a record-setting year for Conference USA, as a total of 37 C-USA players were drafted - the most ever for one year. There was also at least one player selected from each school in the conference, a first-time occurrence in C-USA.
UCF's incoming signees who were selected but have not signed are Graham Hicks, Matt Richardson, Wesley Freeman, Jamie Mallard, Jacob Rogers, D.J. Hicks, and B.J. Zimmerman. Graham Hicks was the Knights' highest draft pick. He was selected in the third round, pick No. 121, by the Washington Nationals.
As of Wednesday, the one unsigned current Knight is sophomore left-handed pitcher Mitch Houck.?