FAYETTEVILLE -- Six players on the 2018 Arkansas Razorbacks baseball roster were picked Wednesday on the third day of the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft, joining five taken on the second day to tie a program record of 11 selections set in 2013.
Arkansas' five selections on the second day were junior starting pitcher Blaine Knight (11-0, 2.74 ERA) in the third round to the Baltimore Orioles, junior leadoff right fielder Eric Cole in the fourth round to the Kansas City Royals, junior catcher Grant Koch in the fifth round to the Pittsburgh Pirates, junior shortstop Jax Biggers in the eighth round to the Texas Rangers and redshirt senior second baseman Carson Shaddy in the 10th round to the Washington Nationals.
Cole has the fourth-best batting average on the team at .328 and is tied for the team lead in home runs with 13 and runs scored with 56. Koch is hitting .250 with seven home runs and 34 RBIs while making just one error to 433 putouts this season behind the plate for a .998 fielding percentage. Biggers has rebounded after a hand injury to improve his average to .281 after batting .338 as a sophomore. Shaddy is hitting .331 with 11 home runs and 43 RBIs.
McLennan Community College catcher Josh Breaux, an Arkansas signee, was drafted No. 61 overall in the second round by the New York Yankees on Monday. He hit .401 with 19 home runs and 82 RBIs in 59 games as a freshman and .404 with 18 home runs and 69 RBIs as the Highlanders finished the 2018 season 44-15.
Junior left-handed starter Kacey Murphy (8-4, 2.86) was the first pick of the day on Wednesday, going No. 315 overall in the 11th round to the Detroit Tigers. Murphy has 74 strikeouts to only 16 walks in 88 innings as the No. 2 weekend starter behind Knight.
Sophomore Evan Lee was taken in the 15th round Wednesday at No. 461 by the Nationals. He was draft-eligible as he will turn 21 within 45 days of the draft.
Lee (4-3, 5.00) won his last four decisions in 14 appearances this season. He also had a .300 batting average in 50 at-bats with 15 RBIs, three home runs and 11 runs scored playing at times at first base, outfield and designated hitter.
Junior relief pitchers Barrett Loseke and Jake Reindl were taken with back-to-back picks in the 17th round. Loseke was taken 517th overall by the Yankees. Reindl went 518th to the Chicago Cubs.
Loseke (2-2, 3.35) has pitched 40 1/3 innings this season over 21 appearances. He struck out 10 batters in 4 2/3 innings on April 24 in a 5-1 victory against high-powered Texas Tech (42-17) at Baum Stadium and allowed two runs with seven strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings of relief that weekend against Alabama (27-29) to earn Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Pitcher of the Week honors. He has three saves this season against Texas Tech, Alabama and Texas A&M (40-22).
Reindl (3-1, 2.47) was the fifth Arkansas pitcher selected in the draft after 43 1/3 innings of relief this season with five saves. He has the two longest relief outings for Arkansas this season, going seven innings against each of Auburn (42-21) on April 8 and Dallas Baptist (42-21) on Sunday to clinch the Fayetteville Regional as the Razorbacks advanced to this weekend's super regional against South Carolina (36-24).
Redshirt sophomore Isaiah Campbell (4-6, 4.17) became the sixth Razorback pitcher drafted this year in the 24th round at No. 721 by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He suffered an injury in his only appearance in 2017 and missed the rest of the season before pitching 58 1/3 innings this season in 15 appearances and 14 starts.
Backup redshirt junior catcher Zack Plunkett was the final Arkansas selection this year when he was taken at No. 1,119 overall in the 37th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Plunkett sat out the 2017 season after transferring from TCU and has played in seven games this season. He is one of two Razorbacks to hit a pinch hit home run this year.
Another Arkansas signee, pitcher Wade Beasley, was drafted in the 24th round Wednesday at No. 725 by the Milwaukee Brewers out of Horatio High School. He committed to Arkansas in August 2016.
Sports on 06/08/2018