Eight Warriors are selected in Major League draft

6-8-07

The Lewis-Clark State College baseball team not only took the NAIA by storm this season in capturing the program’s 15th national championship, the Warriors stormed through the Major League draft as well with a program record eight players selected. 

Seven Warriors were selected Friday, the second day of the draft, and all were chosen in the upper half of the 50 rounds. 

After infielder Beau Mills was selected by the Cleveland Indians with the 13th pick overall on Thursday, the Indians selected shortstop Mark Thompson in the eighth round with the 257th pick. A round later, pitcher Chris Kissock went to Philadelphia with the 293rd pick, and then both catcher Jessie Mier (Los Angeles Dodgers) and pitcher Will Morgan (New York Mets) were selected in the 12th round with the 386th and 393rd picks, respectively. 

(Mark Thompson selected in the 8th round by Cleveland)

Pitcher Matt Fitts went in the 15th round with the 471st pick to Houston, while Brian Parker, a pitcher, went to Baltimore with the 579th pick in the 19th round.  Donnie Ecker was the final Warrior selected, going in the 22nd round to Texas with the 680th pick. 

The draft set a number of first for the Warriors. The eight players selected break the previous high of seven in the 1985 draft. This is also the first draft where more than one LCSC player went before the 10th round, and the first time five players were selected by the 12th round. Only in 2005 did LCSC have more than one player drafted by the 12th round. 

Mills is the highest draft pick in the history of the program. 

If all eight players sign as expected, it will leave some holes in the LCSC lineup, especially with the pitching staff. Only Mier and Thompson are seniors and the rest, including the four pitchers selected, are juniors. 

Thompson, at 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds, made the transition from center field to shortstop this year and had a banner season. He hit .382 with 19 doubles, six triples and four home runs. He also was 38-of-41 in stolen bases, which puts him second on the single-season stolen base list. Thompson, who is from Santa Clara, Calif.,  was a second-team NAIA All-America pick. 

Kissock was a first-team All-America selection after the right-hander from Fruitvale, British Columbia posted an 11-1 record with one save. The one game he lost was a 1-0 game. Kissock started a team-high 15 games and pitched 94.1 innings. The 6-4, 195-pounder  gave up 92 hits, but struck out 82 and walked 13. 

The 6-1, 215-pound Mier, from Pomona, Calif., was a second-team All-American and had an outstanding year behind the plate. Opponents were only 18-of-35 in stolen base attempts with him behind the plate. He also hit .350 and led the team in doubles with 26,  tied for second in home runs with seven,  and his 60 RBI was second best behind Mills. 

Morgan, a 6-1 right-hander from Eureka, Calif., made an impact in his first season in the program. He finished with a 5-1 record and a 1.46 ERA that actually was below 1.00 for most of the season. He tied Parker for most appearances with 23 and all but one was in relief. He pitched 67.2 innings and allowed 41 hits and 17 walks, but struck out 78. 

Fitts, a right-hander from Cloverdale, Calif., also made an impact in his first year. He was an honorable mention All-America selection and posted a 10-1 record with a 2.08 ERA. The 6-1, 205-pounder pitched 65 innings and allowed 46 hits and 22 walks, but struck out 75. In his final appearance this season at the Avista NAIA World Series, he threw a two-hit shutout. 

Parker, a 6-4 195-pounder from Yakima, emerged as the team’s closer during the year. He posted a 5-0 record, a 1.86 ERA, and a team-best nine saves. He pitched 63 innings and gave up 41 hits and walked 16. He led the team with 81 strikeouts and took part in five shutouts by the Warrior pitching staff during the year. 

Ecker, who is from Mountain View, Calif., transferred to LCSC from Santa Clara University. The 6-3, 210-pounder was declared ineligible by the NAIA at the start of the season, but the decision was appealed and he was later allowed to play. An injury, however, kept him sidelined part of the season, although he made the postseason roster because of his baserunning abilities. He hit .238 (10-of-42) during the season with two doubles and three triples. 

The draft wrapped up late afternoon on Friday after the maximum of 50 rounds had been completed.