FULLERTON, Calif. - Cal State Fullerton right-hander Grahamm Wiest and Koby Gauna along with outfielders Clay Williamson, Austin Diemer and catcher Jared Deacon were each selected on the final day of the 2014 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
Wiest was the first of the Titans to be selected on Saturday, going to the Colorado Rockies in the 14th round (413th overall). Williamson was taken in the 19th round (574th overall) by the Washington Nationals while Gauna was chosen by the Oakland Athletics in the 20th round (612th overall). Diemer was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 28th round (830th overall) and Deacon went to the San Francisco Giants in the 33rd round (988th overall).
Wiest had his best statistical season in his Titans career in 2014, posting a 1.68 ERA in 15 starts, ranking fifth in the Titans all-time single season record book. The red-shirt junior pitched 112 and 2/3 innings and allowed just 21 earned runs, earning an All-Big West Conference Second Team selection. He tossed four complete-games, ranking second on the team. Wiest fanned 86 batters and allowed just 12 walks on the season. His 0.96 walks per nine innings average in 2014 ranks as the fifth best single-season mark in Titans history.
Wiest earned Freshman All-American honors from Collegiate Baseball in 2011 and was named to the Fullerton All-Regional Team in 2013. This season, he was named to the Stillwater All-Regional Team after pitching eight innings and leading the Titans to a 4-3 victory over Nebraska in an elimination game on June 1.
In his three years at Cal State Fullerton, Wiest made 47 appearances and started 42 games, compiling a 19-12 record. He had eight complete games and compiled a 2.63 career ERA in 304 innings pitched. He tallied 219 strikeouts and walked just 43, including a career-low 12 free passes in 2014. For his career, Wiest currently ranks ninth in ERA, fourth in walks allowed per nine innings (1.27 in 304 IP), and fifth in batters faced (1,218) in the Cal State Fullerton all-time career record book.
Gauna was the go-to guy for the Titans out of the bullpen, leading the squad with 27 appearances, making two starts and was 5-3 on the year. He was second on the team with five saves. In 60 and 1/3 innings of work, Gauna struck out 54 batters while issuing just eight walks. His 1.64 ERA in 2014 was tied for the third best single-season mark in Titans history and his 1.09 walks-per-nine-innings average tied for eighth best.
In his three years at Fullerton, Gauna made 68 appearances and started 17 games, amassing a 14-7 record. He fanned 118 batters in 182 innings pitched while issuing 23 walks. Gauna compiled a 2.37 career ERA and allowed a career-low 11 earned runs in 2014.
Williamson had a breakout season in his third year with Fullerton. After making just 16 career starts and appearing in 49 games during his first two seasons as a Titan, the Laguna Niguel, Calif. native eclipsed those numbers as a junior. He appeared in 57 games and made 50 starts for the Titans. His .287 batting average in 2014 was a new career high as were his 10 stolen bases and 22 RBI. Williamson scored a career-high 26 runs and tallied seven doubles in 2014 and matched a career-high with two triples.
Williamson ended the season reaching base safely in 31 consecutive games, the most by a Titans player since 2010 when Tyler Pill reached in 43 straight games to end the season while Christian Colon also reached in 36 straight that year.
During the 31-game streak, Williamson had a 13-game hitting streak and ended the year on a five-game stretch with at least one hit. In the 31 games, Williamson batted .319 (37-for-116) with two doubles, two triples, 12 RBI and 15 runs scored. He drew 11 walks and was hit by a pitch 10 times, helping him compile a .420 on-base percentage. He started the streak with a .253 average and improved it 24 points by the time the season came to an end. He finished the 2014 season with a .373 on-base percentage and led the team in stolen bases and 14 hit by pitches.
Diemer batted .250 in 57 games for the Titans in 2014. He scored 29 runs and was tied for fourth on the team with seven doubles and tied for second on the squad with two triples. He was also second on the team as he drew 30 walks on the season. He also stole five bases.
The Rocklin, Calif. native was named to the Capital One Academic All-District VIII First Team for the second consecutive season in 2014. He was also named the 2013 Big West Conference Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was a member of the Big West Conference All-Academic Team. Diemer earned Dean's List honors in each of his semesters as a Titan. He played in 144 games and made 95 starts for Fullerton. He had a .280 career batting average and tallied 99 hits, 13 doubles and four triples. He stole 14 bases in 19 attempts and had 34 RBI.
Deacon served as the primary backstop for a Fullerton pitching staff that set a new school record with a collective 2.24 ERA. The Elk Grove, Calif. native made 38 starts in 2014 and appeared in 45 games. He was named to the Johnny Bench Award Watch List, which is presented to the top collegiate catcher in the country. He set a new career high with 15 walks and also recorded two walk-off base hits in 2014. Deacon hit .225 for the season but picked up his production late in the year to help Fullerton make their push toward their 23rd consecutive postseason. In the team's last 11 games, Deacon batted .333 (11-for-33) with six runs scored and a .421 on-base percentage. He had four multi-hit games during that stretch and improved his batting average by 41 points in the process.
The Titans seven overall selections marked the 40th consecutive year that Cal State Fullerton has had at least one player selected in the MLB Draft. Matt Chapman (25th overall) was selected by the Oakland Athletics on Thursday night while J.D. Davis (75th overall) was taken by the Houston Astros on Friday. It was also the most selections for Cal State Fullerton since 2011 when nine Titans were taken in the MLB Draft.