June 6, 2008

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Three members of the Marshall University baseball team and one high school signee were selected during day two of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft on Friday, led by junior outfielder Nate Lape's selection by the Colorado Rockies in the 20th round.

Lape, picked No. 617 overall by Colorado, was soon followed in the draft by fellow junior Steve Blevins at No. 636 (21st round) by the Minnesota Twins. Marshall's lone senior to be selected, catcher Tommy Johnson, was selected in the 27th round (No. 822) by the Seattle Mariners.

Left-handed pitcher Greg Williams, out of Moeller (Ohio) High School, was picked by the Tampa Bay Rays with the first selection of the 31st round (No. 923). Williams signed with Marshall during his senior year and will be eligible to join the Thundering Herd as a freshman next season.

"I'm very proud of these young men," Marshall head coach Jeff Waggoner said. "They worked extremely hard to get to this point. It's obviously a huge honor to get drafted into professional baseball."

Waggoner, who concluded his second season at Marshall in 2008, and his coaching staff have beefed up recruiting efforts, as evident by the selection of one of his high school signees in Williams. "Greg has a chance to be a special player," Waggoner said. "He's a good looking kid that has a huge ceiling."

The draft selections are the first for any Marshall player in over a decade.

Marshall enjoyed one of its best seasons in school history in 2008, collecting a school-record 30 wins en route to a runner-up finish at the Conference USA Championship.