Baseball: Osborne highlights Cajuns drafted

Joshua Parrott • jparrott@theadvertiser.com • June 9, 2010

A group of about a dozen UL baseball players gathered at Zach Osborne’s apartment on Tuesday, eager to watch the Major League Baseball first-year player draft.

To do so, Osborne had to hook up cables to stream MLB.com from his computer onto his big-screen TV. It was worth the effort as three Ragin’ Cajuns and one UL recruit was selected on the second day of the draft.

Osborne saw his name pop up when the Texas Rangers took the senior right-hander in the ninth round.

Redshirt sophomore right-hander Dayton Marze got picked in the 14th round by the Toronto Blue Jays. Senior catcher Chad Keefer went in the 28th round to the Florida Marlins.

Jim Callis, executive editor of Baseball America, had projected Osborne to go sometime after the 10th round after consulting with various pro scouts and MLB player personnel.

"We were watching and waiting and just started freaking out when I got picked," said Osborne, picked in the 35th round by the Atlanta Braves in 2008. "It’s a really good memory. My dream has always been to play pro baseball, so I’m really excited."

Osborne had a dream

season as a senior, posting a 9-4 record with a 2.37 ERA and 112 strikeouts over 121.2 innings. The Houston native was a first team all-Sun Belt Conference pick and ranked in the top 30 nationally in strikeouts and ERA as well as throwing five complete games.

Last Friday, Osborne became only the second Cajun to toss a complete-game shutout in NCAA tournament history with his five-hitter in a 1-0 win over then-No. 17 Rice in the Austin Regional. That performance earned him a spot on the regional all-tournament team.

Osborne grew up a Houston Astros fan but has always liked the Rangers. It was an emotional day for Osborne, who lost his father to an untimely death three years ago.

"I just wish I could give him a big hug right now," Osborne said. "I know he’s up there proud of me. My mom called me and couldn’t even talk because she was crying and so happy. I’m just glad I got picked by a Texas team."

Marze, whom Callis expected to go between the eighth and 12th round, was at Osborne’s apartment but missed his big moment after walking outside to his truck. In fact, he was on the phone with someone from the Marlins at the time when the 14th round rolled around and the Blue Jays selected him.

The former Teurlings Catholic standout led all Cajun relievers with five victories and had a 3.22 ERA and two saves in 50.1 innings.

Pro scouts love his velocity (90-92 miles per hour), the movement on his fastball and his easy delivery and athleticism.

Marze was evaluated by Toronto scout Rob St. Julien — the same guy that recommended the Blue Jays draft former Cajun pitchers Danny Farquhar (10th round) and Hunter Moody (35th round) in 2008.

"Rob compared me to Farquhar and said that I was on the same level as him athletically," Marze said. "If anyone was going to draft me, I thought it would be the Blue Jays."

Marze is being advised by his father Dickey Marze, who was picked in the 17th round by the Atlanta Braves in 1989 and played two years in their minor-league system.

With two years of eligibility remaining, Marze holds some extra bargaining power during the negotiation process with Toronto. The final day for 2010 draft picks with remaining college eligibility to sign is Aug. 16 before going into next year’s draft pool.

"I’m in a good situation as a redshirt sophomore," said Marze, who plans to get a job in Lafayette and fish while resting his arm this summer if he doesn’t sign. "I think it’s a win-win situation for me. If I stay in school I’ll get closer to my degree and play for a good school or I’ll get paid to play pro ball.

"It’s all about if it’s worth it for me to leave right now, and we just won’t know that for a while."

Keefer watched the first 20 rounds of the draft with his teammates before going home. While he was eating dinner, the Marlins drafted him.

As a senior, Keefer led the Cajuns in home runs (15) and RBIs (58) and was second with a .325 batting average to garner second team all-conference honors.

He also threw out a league-best 20 base runners and was behind the plate for the nation’s sixth-best pitching staff in terms of ERA.

"It’s awesome to get drafted," said Keefer, drafted in the 29th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2007. "When I started out in T-ball the Marlins were my first team, so it’s pretty cool now to get picked by the Marlins."

The Cleveland Indians took UL signee Tony Dischler, a sophomore right-hander from LSU Eunice, in the 23rd round.

Callis projected Dischler to go in the first five rounds of the draft due to his velocity in the upper-to-mid 90s. Dischler went 11-3 with a 3.56 ERA in 17 outings to lead the Bengals to the NJCAA Division II national title last weekend.

"I went lower than I wanted to go, but it was still very exciting to get drafted," said Dischler, a native of Rayne. "My family and I were just sitting around the house and joking around about it. I wasn’t stressing the situation."

Dischler said there’s a chance that he plays in a summer league, likely the prestigious Cape Cod League, to help during negotiations with the Indians.

If Dischler cannot reach a deal with Cleveland, he is prepared to play for the Cajuns.

"I hope people know that I’d love to play there and would have no second thoughts about it," Dischler said.

"But I hope they know that I’m looking out for my best interests. I could have an opportunity to do something I’ve wanted to do all my life, and that’s playing pro baseball."