CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois baseball's
Josh Mueller (pronounced Miller) was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 13th round (410th overall) of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft Tuesday.
Mueller is a junior right-handed pitcher from Columbia, Ill. Should he sign with the Rockies, he would forego his final season of collegiate eligibility.
Mueller's 13th round selection is the highest for an EIU righthander since Bobby Castelli was picked in the fourth round of the 1998 MLB Draft by the Montreal Expos.
“I told Josh you just got drafted into Major League Baseball and you got picked 37 rounds before the draft ends,” EIU head coach
Jim Schmitz said. “Early on he had some higher projections and then early in the season he had some arm soreness. He's going to sit down and give it some thought. It's all about pitching, that's all it is about. If you pitch well, you take care of it yourself. I'm real happy for Josh. He did a lot for our program and now he's got a decision to make.”
Mueller joins his former teammates
Tyler Kehrer,
Brett Nommensen and
Jordan Kreke as Panthers drafted in the last two seasons. Dating back to Erik Huber's selection in the 2007 MLB Draft, EIU has had five players picked the last four years.
Mueller was the fifth Ohio Valley Conference player (second pitcher) selected of the league-record 13 picked in the MLB Draft this year. Day two of the Draft featured rounds 2-30. The Draft concluded Wednesday at 11 a.m. (CDT) with rounds 31-50.
Meanwhile, EIU National Letter of Intent signee Ryan Hartman, a right-handed pitcher from Mount Zion, was selected in the 16th round (490th overall) by the Chicago Cubs. Hartman now has the option of signing with the Cubs or attending EIU in the fall.
EIU 2011 Recruting Class
Mueller is a three-year member of the Panthers' weekend rotation, compiling a 17-10 career record. He made the majority of his 40 collegiate starts in the opening game of a weekend series or tournament. Mueller went 8-1 in 2009, helping EIU win the OVC regular-season title. As a freshman, he started the Panthers' opening game of the OVC Tournament and NCAA Lincoln Regional.
Mueller struck out 78 in 68 1/3 innings pitched this spring, leading the OVC in strikeouts per nine innings (10.2). His 78 Ks ranked seventh in a season in program history. He also struck out 79 in 2008. He matched his collegiate high with 10 strikeouts in his starts against Murray State and Jacksonville State this season.
After earning Second Team All-Mideast Region honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association in the spring of 2009, Mueller got the chance to pitch in the prestigious Cape Cod League over the summer. He was the first Panther to compete in the Cape League since 1995.
Other OVC Players selected on day two of the MLB Draft
Jax State's Todd Cunningham (2nd round, Braves)
Tenn. Tech's Stephen Pryor (6th, Mariners)
Tenn. Tech's A.J. Kirby-Jones (9th, A's)
Morehead State's Drew Lee (12th, White Sox)
Eastern Kentucky's Jayson Langfels (16th, Rockies)
Murray State's Wes Cunningham (17th, Padres)
Tenn. Tech's Chad Oberacker (19th, Cardinals)
Jax State's Daniel Adamson (20th, Astros)
Tenn. Tech's Adam Liberatore (21st, Rays)
Jax State's Andrew Edge (24th, Dodgers)
Jax State's Alex Jones (27th, Brewers)
SE Missouri's Jim Klocke (31st, Phillies)
