CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois baseball's Brett Nommensen was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the eighth round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, becoming the second Panther picked this year.

 

Nommensen was selected 259th overall, the 29th pick in the eighth round. The Fox River Grove, Ill., native concluded his EIU career last month as a four-year starter in center field.

 

Nommensen joins Tyler Kehrer (Compensation Round A, 48th overall) as Panthers selected in this year's draft. Jacksonville State's Ben Tootle (third round) was the only other Ohio Valley Conference player to be picked in the first 10 rounds this season.

 

This year's draft marks the first time in program history that two EIU players have been selected in the first 10 rounds. Should Jordan Kreke also be drafted as projected, it would mark the first time since 1988 that thee Panthers were picked in the same year.

 

Nommensen batted .525 with a .652 on-base percentage in 2009. He was leading the nation in on-base and slugging percentage when he suffered a wrist injury on April 10 that kept him out of the lineup for six weeks. He was able to return in time for the conference tournament and reached base safely in five of his seven plate appearances, going 3-for-5 in the loss to Murray State that ultimately ended EIU's season.

 

Nommensen batted over .400 in each of his upperclassman seasons to finish his career with a .374 average. He tied the EIU all-time record for runs scored in his final collegiate game and most likely would have also established new career marks for hits and stolen bases if not for the wrist injury.

 

 

First Round

Tim Pyznarski (15th overall), 1981 – Oakland Athletics

Stan Royer (16th overall), 1988 – Oakland Athletics

 

First Round Compensation

Tyler Kehrer (48th overall), 2009 – L.A. Angels of Anaheim

 

Fourth Round

Bobby Castelli (114th overall), 1998 – Montreal Expos

 

Fifth Round

Jeff Gossett (107th overall), 1978 – New York Mets

Dan Hargis (122nd overall), 1989 – Montreal Expos

 

Sixth Round

John Burns (114th overall), 1968 – Atlanta Braves

 

Seventh Round

Marty Pattin (127th overall), 1965 – California Angels

 

Eighth Round

Tim Bogar (212th overall), 1987 – New York Mets
Brett Nommensen (259th overall), 2009 -- Tampa Bay Rays

 

 

First Round

Christian Friedrich, Eastern Kentucky (25th overall), 2008 – Colorado Rockies

 

Third Round

Jon Rauch, Morehead State (99th overall), 1999 – Chicago White Sox
Ben Tootle, Jacksonville State (101st overall), 2009 -- Minnesota Twins

 

Fourth Round

Josh Anderson, Eastern Kentucky (119th overall), 2004 – Houston Astros

 

Sixth Round

James Warden, Tennessee Tech (187th overall), 2001 – Cleveland Indians

 

Seventh Round