Head

Turner

Ballew

Kalenkosky

SUBMITTED REPORT

Four more Texas State baseball players were chosen on Wednesday in the third and final day of Major League Baseball’s First-Year Player Draft.

Juniors Louis Head, Colton Turner, Travis Ballew and senior Casey Kalenkosky all received nods to join major league organizations. Counting Jeff McVaney‘s selection in the eighth round on Tuesday, five Bobcat baseball players were drafted for the second season.

Texas State has had 45 players drafted into professional leagues, including 30 since head coach Ty Harrington took over the baseball program in 2000.

“It shows the development that our guys go through at Texas State because none of them had been drafted before coming here. This has been part of all of their goals when they chose to come to Texas State, so we’re proud of those guys,” Harrington said.

Three of five drafted this year are juniors and will decide whether to sign a contract with the team that drafted them or continue school for their senior year.

Head heard his name called as the first Bobcat chosen on Wednesday when the Cleveland Indians picked the right-handed pitcher in the 18th round as the 563rd overall selection.

The junior finished 2012 season strong, pitching in pivotal situations down the stretch for the Bobcats. Head tallied a 2-2 record, 4.20 ERA and three saves primarily coming out of the bullpen. He also made two starts for Texas State and struck out 25 batters over 30 total innings on the mound.

Turner, an All-Southland Conference Second Team selection, was next off the board when the Toronto Blue Jays picked the left-handed pitcher in the 21st round and the 655th overall selection.

Turner capped off his junior season with a 5-3 overall record and 2.46 ERA on the mound, the best ERA for qualified starts on the Texas State staff. He allowed just one home run the entire season and struck out 87 batters in 87 2/3 innings on the mound.

Ballew, the Southland Conference Pitcher of the Year and all-American selection, then went to the Houston Astros with the first pick of the 23rd round and 699th overall.

The right hander finished his breakout 2012 campaign with an 11-4 overall record and 2.73 ERA. He struck out a team-high 119 batters in 102 1/3 innings, while holding opponents to just a .239 batting average collectively. Ballew also had four complete games, two of which were shutouts, during his third season with the Bobcats.

Kalenkosky, an All-Southland Conference Third Team selection, heard his named called for the second straight season in the draft. This time around, the Bobcat first baseman was picked in the 30th round (929th overall) by the Atlanta Braves, where he will join former Bobcat Kyle Kubitza, who was drafted by the Braves organization in the third round during last year’s draft.

Kalenkosky capped off his second and final season this year with the Bobcats with a team-high 10 home runs to go along with a .266 batting average, 41 RBIs and 34 runs scored. The senior also led the team with four triples and 28 bases on balls.

COVER: Texas State Bobcat pitcher Travis Ballew was among four teammates drafted by Major League Baseball teams on Wednesday in the final day of the first-year player draft. They join Jeff McVaney who was picked in the eighth round on Tuesday by the Detroit Tigers. TEXAS STATE PHOTO