COLLEGE PARK, Md. – After a record setting season, the Maryland baseball team saw four of its players selected on day two of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft Tuesday.
Sophomore second baseman Brandon Lowe was the first Terp selected, going in the third round (87th overall) to the Tampa Bay Rays. Junior left-handed pitcher Alex Robinson was taken in the fifth round (140th overall) by the Minnesota Twins. Junior centerfielder LaMonte Wade also went to the Minnesota club in the ninth round (260th overall).
Junior left-handed pitcher Jake Drossner was selected in the tenth round (301st overall) by the Milwaukee Brewers. Maryland has never had four players taken in the first ten rounds of a single draft in its history.
“We're extremely happy for Brandon, Alex, LaMonte and Jake,” head coach John Szefc said. “They have worked very hard over their three years to put themselves in this position. We are excited to see what the future holds for them. This is a great day for the Maryland baseball program.”
Lowe put together one of the finest offensive seasons in Maryland history in 2015, batting .331 with a team-high 83 hits and 18 doubles. Lowe also swatted nine home runs and sported a team-high slugging percentage of .542. He also walked 38 times.
The Suffolk, Va., native was named first-team All-Big Ten and was named to the 60-player USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award watch list. He was tabbed a freshman All-American as a redshirt freshman in 2014.
Lowe is the first Terp ever selected by the Rays.
Robinson sported a 1.63 ERA and struck out 32 during his senior campaign and went his first 17 and 1/3 innings of the season with out giving up an earned run. Opponents batted just .136 against the Hewlett, N.Y., native, the lowest mark on the team.
Wade started the season strong before an injury saw the Owings Mills, Md., native miss part of the season. The junior exploded onto the scene at the Los Angeles Regional, batting .400 with two home runs while making several highlight reel defensive plays. He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the regional.
Wade finished the season with a .335 batting average and a team-high .453 on-base percentage. He also stole seven bases and walked 30 times in just 42 games.
Drossner's standout campaign came in 2014 when he led the Terps with a 2.59 ERA and went 4-1. Drossner's best appearance of 2015 came against College World Series qualifier Cal State Fullerton. The Richboro, Pa., native threw eight innings of no run, three hit ball.
He was originally drafted out of Council Rock North High School by the Chicago Cubs in the 23rd round.
The 50th MLB Draft will finish on Wednesday with rounds 11-40.
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