Baseball: Three Selected On Second Day Of 2018 MLB Draft
Jeff Schneider, Associate Director of Athletics Communications
LAFAYETTE, La. – With the 85th pick of the 2018 MLB First Year Players’ Draft, the Oakland Athletics selected Louisiana junior left-hander Hogan Harris on Tuesday making him the third highest player drafted in the Tony Robichaux Era.
Harris was one of three Ragin’ Cajuns players taken on the second day of the draft with both Logan Stoelke and Nick Lee having their name called in the ninth round.
The trio bring the total of players to be drafted in the top 10 rounds of the MLB Draft under Robichaux to 20. Harris joins Blake Trahan (84th, Reds – 2015) and Darrin Babineaux (50th, Dodgers – 1995) as the highest Ragin’ Cajuns selections since Robichaux took over the program in 1995.
"It’s an honor and a privilege to see Hogan go in the third round of the draft," Robichaux said. "To have someone from your program picked as one of the best in the nation speaks volumes for our University. Hogan was a player who could have gone pro out of high school but chose to come here and improve his game and learn our pitching system. We always want our players to play through us and not to us. He was able to capitalize on the opportunity to come here and get better and live out his dream of playing professional baseball.
"All of the coaches on staff are proud of Hogan and his development in the three years he’s been with us. It’s always rewarding to us to see someone paid back for their hard work and effort. We wish him the best of the luck as he continues his journey with the Oakland A’s."
Harris notched a 12-4 record with a 2.87 ERA in three seasons with Louisiana. In 153.2 innings pitched, Harris recorded 167 strikeouts with a .227 opponents average.
This past season, Harris recorded a 5-2 record with a career-best 2.62 ERA in 58.1 innings pitched. Harris tallied 54 strikeouts despite missing over a month of the season due to injury.
Stoelke was selected in the ninth round by the Pittsburg Pirates with the 264th overall pick, while Lee was taken six picks later by the Tampa Bay Rays with the 270th selection.
"We’re also happy to see Logan and Nick go in the first 10 rounds," Robichaux added. "Logan has had to play several different roles in his career here and really work while he waited. This year, switching to a pitcher only role really paid off for him in the draft. He’s a prime example of baseball paying someone back for their hard work and effort.
"Nick is another example of a person who could have potentially gone pro out of high school, but he chose to come here and get better in our system. Nick has grown a lot as a pitcher with us the last three years. He’s had to help fill several different roles throughout his career and is a really talented pitcher."
Stoelke had a standout season as a senior notching a 4-0 record and 10 saves in 21 appearances for the Cajuns. The right-hander had a 2.97 ERA in 33.1 innings pitched while striking out 36 and held opponents to a .165 average.
Lee registered a 16-12 record with three saves in 51 appearances in three seasons with Louisiana. A 2016 Freshman All-American, Lee logged 197 strikeouts in 223.0 career innings while making double-digit starts in ever year.
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