10 UA players taken in MLB draft

Wildcat File Photo Arizona Daily Wildcat Arizona Summer Wildcat File Photo UA senior second baseman Erik Mattern throws the ball to a teammate last season. Mattern and nine other member of the UA baseball team were drafted by Major League Baseball teams last week.

Four seniors and six juniors from the Arizona baseball team were drafted by Major League Baseball teams last week.

Senior left fielder Jason Hendricks, senior right fielder Colin Porter, senior second baseman Erik Mattern, senior first baseman Kenny Corley, junior catcher Greg Clark, junior third baseman Omar Moraga and junior pitchers Darrell Hussman, James Johnson, Rob Shabansky and Ryan Moskau were all selected during the annual amateur draft, which was held June 2 and 3.

"It was pretty much what we expected," UA head coach Jerry Stitt said. "The people we expected to get drafted got drafted in about the order we expected."

Arizona also had three recruits get drafted, with outfielder Ben Diggins (Bradshaw High School, Prescott, Ariz.) going as the 32nd pick overall to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Diggins was a "sandwich" pick, the last pick of the first round, which the Cardinals received as compensation for pitcher Dennis Eckersley signing with Boston in the off-season.

Pima College left-handed pitcher Chris Cervantes has already signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks, which Stitt called "a disappointment.

"We're disappointed that he won't be a Wildcat, but we're happy for him, too," Stitt said.

Cervantes had been counted on to step into Arizona's starting rotation next year, a role Stitt said could now fall to one of several pitchers, including recruits Brian Pemble and Michael Crawford and returning pitchers Peter Fredericks and Robert Schulz.

One highly-touted UA recruit who didn't get drafted was Canyon del Oro High School outfielder Shelley Duncan, son of St. Louis pitching coach Dave Duncan.

"Yes and no," Stitt said when asked if he was surprised by the fact Duncan wasn't picked. "We pretty much knew that if he wasn't (taken) in the first few rounds he wouldn't be going. I think the teams knew that, too."

The other UA recruit to get drafted was outfielder Ken Huff from Horizon High School in Scottsdale, Ariz., in the 47th round by the Toronto Blue Jays.

Among the draftees, Moskau said he has already signed with the Dodgers, leaving UA with one year of eligibility remaining.

"I like them," he said. "They're a great organization. They drafted me out of high school so I've had a good relationship with them for three years now."

"I was excited," he said when he first heard the news. "Finally, all of my hard work comes down to a single phone call."

Moskau said he is especially happy to be joining the Dodgers since they always seem to be in need of left-handed pitching.

For Mattern, the chance to someday play for the San Francisco Giants is "perfect."

Overall, UA's 10 players drafted is the second most all-time for the program, trailing only the 11 players drafted in 1986 and 1993. It also tied UA with Arizona State, Central Florida and Oklahoma for the second most players taken from any one school in the draft. Southern Cal had the most with 12.

"I thought it was awesome," Moskau said. "That shows what kind of a team we had."