FULLERTON, Calif. – All-American and 2014 All-Big West First Team selection Matt Chapman was selected as the 25th overall pick by the Oakland Athletics in the 2014 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Thursday.
Chapman was named to the Louisville Slugger All-America Third Team by Collegiate Baseball on May 29 and also garnered his first selection to the All-Big West First Team in 2014. In addition, Chapman was also named a preseason All-American by Baseball America and was named to the Golden Spikes Award Initial Watch List in 2014.
The Trabuco Canyon native was also selected to the 2013 USA Collegiate National Team, becoming the 21st Titan to represent Cal State Fullerton on the Collegiate National Team dating back to 1987. Chapman also earned Big West Conference Freshman of the Year honors in 2012 and made the 2013 Big West Conference Second Team.
In 2014, Chapman hit a career-best .312 with six home runs and a team-high 48 RBI in 54 games. The 6-foot-2 infielder started 53 games at third base and made just six errors in 157 chances. He was second on the team with 24 extra-base hits, a .498 slugging percentage and .412 on-base percentage.
Chapman caught fire in the second half of the season. In his final 29 games of the regular season, Chapman hit .373 (38-for-102) with a .588 slugging percentage and .472 on-base percentage. He blasted three home runs in that stretch to go along with nine doubles, two triples and 29 RBI.
On May 11, Chapman reached a career milestone as he drove in his 100th RBI as a member of the Titans. He went 3-for-4 against UC Riverside with a double and two runs scored. In the first inning, Chapman drove in his 100th and 101st career RBI as he hammered a two-run double to left field.
During his three years at Cal State Fullerton, Chapman played 162 games and made 157 starts. He hit .295 with 171 hits, 37 doubles, five triples and 13 home runs. He drove in 108 RBI and scored 103 runs to go along with 13 stolen bases.
Chapman's selection marks the 40th consecutive year the Titans have had at least one player selected in the MLB Draft. He was also the 13th Titan to be selected in the first round of the MLB Draft and was the highest pick for the Fullerton baseball program since Christian Colon (4th overall, Kansas City) and Gary Brown (24th overall, San Francisco) were first-round selections in 2010.