Eight ORU Players Selected in MLB Draft
A school-record eight Oral Roberts University baseball players were selected on the second day of the Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft.
2008 ORU Major League Baseball Draft Selections:
• David Genao, Sr., C (18th round, Tampa Bay)
• Adam Younger, Sr., SS (18th round, Los Angeles Angels)
• Brian Van Kirk, Sr., OF/C (21st round, Toronto)
• Ryan Groth, Jr., OF (22nd round, Los Angeles Angels)
• Michael Jarman, Sr., LHP (26th round, Tampa Bay)
• Carlos Luna, Sr., RHP (30th round, Colorado)
• Ben Petralli, Jr., C (33rd round, Texas)
• Brendan Duffy, Sr., OF (41st round, Arizona)
Genao, a senior catcher, was the highest drafted Golden Eagle on Tuesday going to the Tampa Bay Rays as the first pick of the 18th round. He was the 533rd overall selection.
A first-team All-Summit League pick and a member of the Lincoln Regional all-tournament team, Genao batted .347 with 10 home runs and 55 RBI in splitting time between third base and catcher. Younger, a senior shortstop, joined Genao in the 18th round, going 559th overall to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Drafted on the strength of his outstanding defensive skills, Younger appeared in 48 games last season and batted .235 with three home runs and 24 RBI, while posting a .946 fielding percentage. A 2008 Collegiate Baseball First-Team All-American and the Summit League Player of the Year, Van Kirk was selected in the 21st round by Toronto. The senior catcher/outfielder enjoyed one of the finest individual seasons in school history last year, batting .414 with 18 home runs and 74 RBI.
Groth, a junior outfielder, was taken in the 22nd round by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Groth earned first-team All-Summit honors after an impressive campaign which saw him hit .351 with 20 doubles, nine home runs and 48 RBI in 61 games.
Jarman, a senior left-handed pitcher, will likely be a minor league teammate of Genao’s after being taken in the 26th round by Tampa Bay. A first-team All-Summit honoree, Jarman posted an 11-3 record and 4.24 ERA. He struck out 95 batters in 102.0 innings.
Luna, a right-handed pitcher, enjoyed a stellar 2008, earning Collegiate Baseball Second-Team All-America and Summit League Pitcher of the Year honors. Luna went 13-1 with a 3.35 ERA. In 99.1 innings, Luna struck out 99 batters.
Petralli, a junior catcher, heard his name called for the fifth time after being drafted as a high school senior and three times in junior college. This time, Petralli was selected in the 33rd round by Texas. In 2008, Petralli batted .354 with nine home runs and 70 RBI in 60 games, earning Summit League Newcomer of the Year honors. Petralli’s father, Geno, spent nine of his 12 MLB seasons with the Rangers.
Duffy, a three-time first-team all-Summit selection, was a 41st round choice by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Duffy batted .339 with two home runs and 24 RBI in 54 games a senior, adding 16 doubles and 16 stolen bases.
Updated 06-23-2008
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