June 6, 2008

(San Francisco, CA) - Three more Diamond Dons were selected in the second day of the 2008 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. Senior second baseman Joey Railey went to the San Diego Padres in the 21st round, senior left-handed pitcher Matt Baugh was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 29th round, and senior right fielder Kyle Morgan was chosen by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 36th round.

Railey, Baugh, and Morgan join junior left-hander Evan Fredrickson who was chosen by the Milwaukee Brewers in the first round (35th overall) yesterday. Fredrickson is the second consecutive Don taken in the first round, following left-hander Aaron Poreda, who was chosen by the Chicago White Sox as the 25th overall pick in 2007. In the past two seasons, USF has sent nine Diamond Dons into the professional ranks through the MLB Draft.

Senior 2B Joey Railey - 21st Round, San Diego Padres

The West Coast Conference's reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Railey was taken in the 21st round by the San Diego Padres. Railey also earned WCC First Team Honors, along with being named Co-Team MVP (Dante Benedetti Award) by the USF Coaching Staff. Railey spent all four years on the Hilltop and currently holds nine places on various single season and All-Time charts in the Dons record book. This year he batted .326, with a team high 78 hits (4th in conference and tied for 9th on USF's single season chart), a team high 18 doubles (3rd in conference, and tied for 5th on the single season charts), five homeruns, 39 RBI, 37 runs scored, a team high 34 walks, and nine stolen bases. His 730 career at bats are good enough for 4th place all time and this season's 239 put him in 4th place on the season list. He also owns a .996 fielding percentage, committing just one error in 57 games, including 56 consecutive games without a miscue. For his career, he batted batting .328 (tied for 13th all time) with 239 hits (tied for 3rd), 42 doubles (6th), four triples, eight homeruns, 104 RBI, 129 runs scored (9th), 106 walks (4th) and 37 stolen bases. He owned the longest hitting streak by any Don this season, at 18 games. He also led the team in multi-hit games with 28, seven of which were three hit days.

Baugh came to San Francisco from the University of Arizona where he went 2-1 with one save in 26 appearances as a freshman and sophomore. In 2007, he finished the season 3-3, getting his final win in USF's exciting 11-10 victory over Saint Mary's in the season finale. As a senior, he transitioned into a starter's role, going 5-3 with a 4.00 ERA and two complete games, tops in the West Coast Conference. In a team and conference leading 101.1 innings, he had 58 strikeouts and just 21 walks. His career strikeout to walk ratio is an impressive 97-to-34. Baugh earned a WCC Honorable Mention nod, while also taking home the Jesse Foppert Award (Pitcher of the Year) at the USF annual baseball end-of-season banquet.

Senior OF Kyle Morgan - 36th Round, Pittsburgh Pirates

Morgan spent two years at Bakersfield College where he earned All-American and All-Conference honors. He then spent one season at Long Beach State before transferring to USF where he was a tremendous presence in the line up and in the outfield. In his first season as a Don, he batted .298 with a team high 50 RBI, 15 doubles, one triple, and six homeruns. He crossed the plate 39 times and had six stolen bases. He held a .957 fielding percentage and made a team high six assists from the outfield. His accomplishments earned him a spot on the WCC First Team.