FULLERTON, Calif. – Three Cal State Fullerton juniors rounded out the final day of the 2015 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft as outfielder David Olmedo-Barrera was selected in the 12th round (358th overall) by the Tampa Bay Rays, catcher A.J. Kennedy followed in the 30th round (897th overall) to the San Diego Padres and infielder Jake Jefferies was chosen in the 39th round (1,184th overall) by the Washington Nationals on Wednesday.
Olmedo-Barrera enters the College World Series (CWS) with a .328 average, leading the team in runs (44), triples (5), home runs (10), RBIs (45), total bases (113) and slugging percentage (.571). Competing in 58 games (54 starts) and batting third as Fullerton's starting designated hitter, Olmedo-Barrera adds 44 runs scored, eight doubles, 27 walks and a team-high 14 stolen bases to his offensive repertoire.
In the winner-take-all series finale against Louisville in the Super Regionals on June 8, Olmedo-Barrera belted two round-trippers in a 3-for-4 effort including the go-ahead solo-homer in the 11th inning to send the Titans to the CWS for the first time since 2009. He torched Cardinals' pitching for a .583 (7-for-12) clip in the series, collecting five runs, one double, two home runs and two RBIs.
Olmedo-Barrera was tabbed Big West Conference Co-Player of the Year and was also named to the Fullerton All-Regional Team. In conference play, he batted .383 with 31 hits, 22 runs scored and a team-leading 26 RBIs as well as six home runs, six doubles and one triple with a .704 slugging percentage. Olmedo-Barrera recorded a 12-game hitting streak during the year, the longest for any Titan in 2015 as Fullerton maintained a 9-3 record during that stretch.
In Cal State Fullerton's 13-2 trounce of Big West foe Cal Poly on April 4, Olmedo-Barrera tied the school record for most RBIs in a single game as he drove in eight runs for the Titans, tying Danny Dorn's record which was set on April 8, 2003 against Loyola Marymount at Goodwin Field in Fullerton, Calif. He concluded the day 2-for-2 with a single, grand slam, sacrifice fly and an RBI hit by pitch.
Thus far into his career, Olmedo-Barrera has competed in 98 games, 73 of which are starts for Fullerton. The La Canada, Calif. native sits with a .310 career batting average and has tallied 92 hits, 13 doubles and six triples. He's swiped 15 bags in 22 attempts to compliment his 59 RBIs and 10 home runs.
Kennedy, recognized on the 2015 Johnny Bench Award Watch List, was superb defensively behind the dish for the Titans. In the Super Regionals in Louisville, the catcher recorded 15 putouts and six assists in 22 chances while adding one double play to his credit. Kennedy gunned out both runners attempting to steal in the series.
Heading into the CWS, Kennedy has played in 59 games (56 starts) boasting a .988 fielding percentage while throwing out an efficient 19 base runners in 23 attempts. Opponents have a dismal .548 stolen base percentage against the right-hander. In total, Kennedy has collected 436 putouts and 72 assists in 514 chances. He's added six double plays thus far into the season.
Offensively in 2015, Kennedy has a .169 average with 13 runs, 29 hits and eight doubles. He's added 18 walks and 19 RBIs. Kennedy has five multi-hit games and a pair of multi-RBI performances.
The Anaheim, Calif. native set a new career-high with three doubles in a 4-for-4 performance and provided all the cushion the Titans would need with a two-run double in the sixth inning to turn a 1-0 lead into a 3-0 advantage as Fullerton clinched a 4-0 shutout over then No. 5 Texas Tech on March 6. Kennedy also batted 3-for-3 with a double, RBI and run scored in a 19-0 rout at UC Riverside on May 2.
Kennedy turns in a career clip of .185, making 80 starts in 108 games. He's tallied 25 runs scored, 48 hits and 12 doubles. In addition, Kennedy has 24 RBIs and 27 walks now in his third season at Fullerton.
Jefferies enters the CWS with a .246 average, logging 31 starts in 46 games. Being versatile in the Fullerton batting order, Jefferies has batted from each of the 1-7 spots in the line-up this season. The switch-hitter has 14 runs scored, 13 RBIs, nine walks and three stolen bases.
The Pleasanton, Calif. native has totaled six multiple-hit games and produced an eight-game hitting streak from Feb. 27-March 10 as the Titans accumulated a 7-1 record over that span. Jefferies was named Big West Player of the Week on March 9 after batting 6-for-13 (.462) with three runs scored, two RBIs and two walks while posting a .533 on-base percentage.
Jefferies also helped lead the Titans to a sweep of Texas Tech hitting .556 (5-for-9) in the series including a 3-for-3 night in a 4-0 victory to open the series as he delivered the game-winning RBI double on March 6.
Recognized on the Fullerton All-Regional Team in 2013, Jefferies has compiled 96 starts in 128 games among his three seasons as a Titan. In total, he has scored 45 runs, logged 83 hits, 13 doubles, one triple and two home runs. With a minimum of two more games left in the 2015 campaign, Jefferies sits with 45 RBIs, 26 walks and remains a perfect 6-for-6 in career stolen base attempts.
The Titans six overall selections marked the 41st consecutive year that Cal State Fullerton has had at least one player selected in the MLB Draft. Right-handed pitcher Thomas Eshelman (46th overall) was selected by the Houston Astros on Monday while another pair of hurlers in right-hander Justin Garza (244th overall) went to the Cleveland Indians, and left-hander Tyler Peitzmeier (263rd overall) was taken by the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday.
The Titans open up the NCAA College World Series Sunday night against defending national champion Vanderbilt at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ESPN2 from TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb.
The Cal State Fullerton Athletic Ticketing Office has tickets available for the CWS and information can be found here.
