June 13, 2009
Secaucus, N.J. - The Cal State Fullerton Titan baseball team saw seven of its players drafted in this year's First-Year Player Draft held over three days last week in at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, N.J.
The Cincinnati Reds took Josh Fellhauer (Jr., OF, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) with the 209th overall pick in the seventh round on Wednesday afternoon, making him the highest drafted Titan of 2009.
Khris Davis (Jr., OF, Glendale, Ariz.) was drafted 17 picks later by the Milwaukee Brewers, also in the 7th round. It is the second time in Davis' baseball career that he has been drafted (29th, WAS, 2006)
Fellhauer, a 2009 All-American and All-Big West Conference first-teamer, went into the draft with a .399 Fullerton batting average with a team-leading 87 hits, six home runs and 55 RBI. Davis, also a first-team All-Big West Conference outfielder, paced the league with 16 home runs and 25 doubles in his third season in a Titan uniform.
Seniors Jared Clark (12th round), Dustin Garneau (19th round) and Joe Scott (41st round) will all move into professional baseball together as the Colorado Rockies took all three veterans over the last two days of the draft.
Clark (Sr., 1B, Castaic, Calif.) heads into this week's College World Series with a team-leading 81 RBI with 12 home runs and 82 hits. The first baseman is also hitting .363 and has stolen 14 bases. He and Scott have both been drafted three times, Clark by three different teams (21st, CLE, 2007 and 45th, LAA, 2008).
Scott (Sr., INF, Corona, Calif.), a three-time draftee, has been an unexpected bonus with the bat for the Titans in 2009, driving in 39 runs from the bottom of the Titan order. The middle infielder is hitting a career-best .313 heading into the College World Series and has provided exceptional defense from second base. He was selected twice previously (39th and 41st) by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2007 and 2008.
Garneau (Sr., C, San Pedro, Calif.), an All-Big West Honorable Mention, has been an unsung hero guiding a young Titan pitching staff to the fourth-best ERA in the nation, and is also hitting 50 points higher than his career average at .293 in 2009.
The Detroit Tigers selected junior right-hander Michael Morrison in the 29th round, making him the first Titan selected by Detroit since RHP Lauren Gagnier signed with them as a 10th rounder in 2006. Morrison comes into the week with a 1-2 overall record with four saves and a 3.10 ERA in 20 innings.
And despite much playing time over the last half of the 2009 campaign, Kyle Witten (Jr., RHP, Bakersfield) was picked up in the 42nd round (1,261th overall) by the Seattle Mariners. Witten finished his season with a 4-3 record and a 6.14 ERA over 44 innings as both a starter and reliever. Witten is now a four-time draftee. He was selected by the Atlanta Braves out of high school (25th) and then twice by the Minnesota Twins in 2007 and 2008 (26th and 22nd, respectively).
Nine of Fullerton's recruits were drafted, but none higher than pitcher Matt Hobgood, who was taken in the first round, and fifth pick overall, by the Baltimore Orioles.
The Titans begin their quest for their 5th national title with a 1:08 p.m. start time of Game 1 of the 2009 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.