Seven Hurricanes Picked In The MLB Draft
Coral Gables, Fla. (www.hurricanesports.com) – The University of Miami baseball team had seven players picked in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft.
Highlighting the first day were two fifth-round picks out of the Hurricanes’ infield in Kevin Howard by the Cincinnati Reds and Javy Rodriguez by the Anaheim Angels. Going in the 11th round was starting pitcher Kiki Bengochea to the Texas Rangers. Matt Dryer was the fourth Hurricane drafted in the 15th round by the San Francisco Giants.
Howard, a junior third baseman, was selected by the Reds with the third pick of the round, 135th overall. Rodriguez, a senior second baseman, was the 12th pick in the round, 144th overall by the Angels.
Bengochea, a junior right-hander, went to the Rangers with the 10th pick of the 11th round, 322nd overall. Dryer, a senior third baseman, was the 25th pick in the 15th round, 457th overall.
In the 21st first with the 20th pick, 21-year old sophomore T.J. Prunty was picked his hometown Minnesota Twins with the 632nd overall selection. Coincidentally, Prunty was a draft pick of the Twins coming out of high school two seasons ago.
On the second day of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft, the University of Miami had 2players picked during the final 29 rounds.
Drafted in 23rd round was the Hurricanes’ catcher Danny Matienzo by theMinnesota Twins. Going in the 47th round to the New York Mets was theHurricanes’ pitcher Troy Roberson.
Matienzo, a junior catcher, was selected by the Twins with the 19th pick inthe 23rd round, 692nd overall. Roberson, a senior right handed pitcher, wasthe 12th pick in the 47th round, 1,394th overall.
Profiles Of Top-Five Picks
Kevin Howard in 2002
Named to the 2002 NCAA Gainesville Regional All-Tournament Team…batted .444 in the regional (8-for-18) with three runs scored, two doubles, four RBI, two walks and one stolen base…also stood out defensively with six putouts and 16 assists…went 2-for-5 in the title game vs. Florida with a run scored and a RBI…went 3-for-4 vs. Florida in Sunday game No. 1 with one run scored, one RBI and one walk…went 1-for-4 vs. Florida on 6/1 with a run scored, a double and a walk…went 2-for-5 in the regional opener vs. FIU with a double and two RBI…named the 2002 Arnold Novins Memorial Award winner, as the most popular player as voted on by the fans…enters the Super Regional tied for No. 1 all-time at Miami with 65 career doubles with Mike Fiore (1985-88)…also places No. 4 all-time with 256 hits…led the team in 2002 with eight game-winners vs. FIU in the regional opener, New York Tech, Jacksonville, Georgia Tech, Long Beach State, Minnesota (twice) and Tennessee…had two walk-off home runs on the season in game No. 3 vs. Minnesota on 2/17 and in game No. 1 vs. Long Beach State on 4/19…led the Hurricanes in doubles in all three of his seasons, 23 in 2002, 20 in 2001 and 22 in 2000…batted 6-for-6 in Miami’s 10-2 win over Georgia Tech in game No. 2 with three runs scored, three doubles, two home runs, eight RBI and 15 total bases…the six hits in the game tied the school-record set by Mike Fiore vs. UCF in 1985…the 15 total bases established a new school-record ahead of the 13 by Joe Squilla vs. Florida Tech in 1978 and Russ Jacobson vs. Princeton in 1999…the eight RBI ties for third-most in a single-game by a Hurricane…named a preseason second-team All-American by Baseball America and Louisville Slugger…played with USA Baseball this past summer…drafted out of Westlake High School in 1999 by the San Diego Padres in the 22nd round…among the team leaders in batting average (.366, #2), slugging percentage (.625, #1), on-base percentage (.456, #1), runs scored (54, #1), hits (82, #2), RBI (51, #2), doubles (23, #1), home runs (11, #2), total bases (140, #1), walks (34, #1) and stolen bases (12, #4)…made nine starts at shortstop and 50 at third base…batted .429 in the New York Tech series…went 4-for-6 in game No. 1 vs. Jacksonville…drew a career-high four walks in game No. 3 vs. Jacksonville…had two-hit outings in the first and third games against Bethune-Cookman…batted .500 vs. Elon…had two home runs in the B-CC series…had four home runs earlier in the season in the Minnesota series, while batting .429 vs. the Golden Gophers…batted .556 vs. Rutgers…went 2-for-4 vs. Southern California with two runs scored, a double and two walks…had a pair of doubles vs. Florida.
Javy Rodriguez in 2002
Named to the 2002 NCAA Gainesville Regional All-Tournament Team…batted .533 in the regional (8-for-15) with three runs scored, one double, two RBI, two walks, three sacrifice bunts and one stolen base…went 2-for-2 in the title game vs. UF with two sacrifice bunts…went 2-for-5 in game No. 1 vs. UF on 6/1 with a run scored…went 2-for-4 vs. UF on 6/2 with two runs scored, a stolen base and a sacrifice bunt…went 2-for-4 in the opener vs. FIU with a double, two RBI and a walk…winner for the second consecutive season of the team’s MVP Trophy, as selected by the coaches…will finish his collegiate career ranked among the top players all-time at the University of Miami…among the school’s all-time best ranked in hits (317, #2), stolen bases (135, #2), at bats (856, #4), total sacrifices (41, #4), total bases (420, #4) and runs scored (198, #5)…was named a 2002 Preseason First-Team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, a second-team selection by Louisville Slugger and a third-team pick by Baseball America…was listed on the 2002 Smith Award watch list…rated #50 on Baseball America’s mid-season top 50 college prospects and was rated #72 entering the season…had a career-long 17-game hit streak in 2002 from 3/3 to 4/5, tying for the ninth-longest streak at UM…along with Vince Vazquez, are currently the only two players in the country to have participated and won two College World Series titles…is nearing his degree in Criminology…led the nation in 2001 with a school-record 66 stolen bases and a 1.05 per game percentage…is the only player in Miami history to be in the 60-60 club (66 SB and 60 RBI in 2001)…was selected the team’s Most Valuable Player in 2001 and has led the team in most offensive categories in 2001 and 2002…was the second-half of an infield combination that produced an NCAA-best 81 double-plays in 2001…named to the 2001 Coral Gables Regional All-Tournament team…selected to the 2001 Louisville Slugger and NCBWA second-team All-American lists…chosen to the 2001 ABCA South Region Team …was also chosen MVP of the 2001 Hormel Foods Baseball Classic…took part in the Red Ribbon Day Assembly at Gulliver Academy…was a former All-Tournament Team pick at the 2000 ACC/Disney Baseball Blast…was drafted out of high school in the 26th round by the New York Yankees…leads the team in batting average (.378), runs scored (54), hits (95), triples (2) and stolen bases (37)…also places among the team leaders in slugging percentage (.510, #4), doubles (14, #4), home runs (5, #4), total bases (128, #3), sac flies (3, #2) and sac bunts (8, #2)…also leads the team in total plate appearances (280), at bats (251), games played (60) and games started (60)…defensively, leads the team with 191 assists and 46 double plays fielded…has a team-best 30 multi-hit games, including three four-hit games…has 10 multi-RBI games, including two four-RBI games vs. New York Tech…has made 20 starts at shortstop and 40 at second base…his four runs scored at Georgia Tech (5/11) tied for the team-season-high…also had team-season bests in sac flies (2 at GT 5/12), stolen bases (3 vs. FIU 2/22) and assists (7 vs. Rutgers 3/16)…has game winning plays vs. FIU (2/22), Elon (3/31) and FAU (4/24)…two of his game winners were stealing home for the deciding run vs. FIU and FAU…along with his 17-game hit streak, also had a 14-game streak from 4/20 to 5/17…batted a season-high .583 at Georgia Tech, including a 4-for-6 outing in game No. 2 with a career-high four runs scored, one double and two stolen bases…went 3-for-4 in game No. 1 at North Carolina with an RBI…went 3-for-4 in game No. 2 vs. Long Beach State with three runs scored, two RBI, a home run, a walk, a IBB and a stolen base…went 4-for-5 in game No. 3 vs. Florida State with three runs scored, two RBI and two home runs…had two hits in each of the final two games vs. Rutgers with a combined five runs scored…went 2-for-4 with two runs scored in game No. 3 vs. South Florida…went 3-for-6 vs. Southern California with two runs scored, two RBI, one triple and one home run…went 3-for-4 vs. Lipscomb…went 2-for-2 vs. Kansas State…batted .571 in the Minnesota series, including a 4-for-5 outing in game No. 2 with a run scored, three RBI, a double and a walk…went 3-for-5 at FIU (2/6) with a run scored…batted .545 in the Tennessee series with two hits in each of the three games.
Kiki Bengochea in 2002
Named to the 2002 NCAA Gainesville Regional All-Tournament Team after earning the victory in UM’s 7-2 win over Florida on 6/1 tying a season-high with 8.0 innings pitched, six hits, two earned runs, three walks and six strikeouts…leads the team with 93.1 innings pitched, 17 starts and is second with 70 strikeouts and six wins…in his 17 appearances the team has gone 10-7, the most wins behind a starter…also pitched a team-season-high 8.0 innings vs. Jacksonville on 5/18…threw a season-high eight strikeouts vs. Bethune-Cookman on 5/4…also has wins over Lipscomb, UW-Milwaukee, Long Beach State, Georgia Tech and Jacksonville…has a 1.65 ERA over his last four starts and a 2.78 ERA over the last seven…four of his longest outings of the season have come over the last six starts…has five career postseason starts going 3-1 in those appearances…moved into ninth place all-time with his 50th career start vs. Florida on 6/1…took no-decisions vs. Minnesota, Northwestern, Florida State, North Carolina and New York Tech…took losses in 2002 games vs. regional opponents Florida and Bethune-Cookman, but had a 2-0 record vs. FIU from the 2001 season…in his third season as a starting pitcher…was a 2002 preseason first-team All-American selection by Baseball America and Louisville Slugger…played two summers with the USA National Team compiling a career record of 6-1 with a 0.61 ERA…was a third round draft pick by the Kansas City Royals coming out of high school in 1999…also listed in the top ten for hits allowed (302, #9), runs (192, #4), earned runs (140, #5) and losses (15, #2)…annually maintains status on various University Honor Rolls.
Matt Dryer in 2002
Batted .333 in the NCAA Gainesville Regional (5-for-12) with a home run, two runs scored, one RBI, two walks and two strikeouts…his home run came in UM’s 8-7 win over Florida for the championship…a second-year Hurricane after transferring from Indian River Community College in 2001…enters the postseason with 48 starts in 50 games played…has made 38 starts in 2002 at first base and 10 at third…had a career and season long hit streak at 17 games from 2/8 to 3/16, tying the ninth-longest hitting streak at UM…successfully hit in 20 of his first 21 games played and had a season-high batting average of .439 in late February…was a 35th round pick out of national-power McQuaid Jesuit High School by the San Francisco Giants in 1999…spent his freshman season at UNC-Charlotte…places among the teams’ top five in these offensive categories: home runs (5, #4), walks (22, #5), HBP (7, #1) and sac flies (3, #2)…had four-game winning hits in the season-opener over Tennessee, UM’s 11th and 12th wins over Rutgers (3/16) and UW-Milwaukee (3/20) and in the season finale over New York Tech (5/26)…has a team-high 385 fielding chances and 322 putouts…has fourth-most assists (53)…tied for the season-high with 17 putouts vs. Northwestern (3/26)…has 13 multi-hit games, including four three-hit outings against Minnesota (2/17), Lipscomb (2/24) and New York Tech (two, 5/25-26)…has eight multi-RBI games, including two three-RBI games against Houston (3/3) and Rutgers (3/16)…also hit home runs against Tennessee (2/3), Cal State Fullerton (3/2), Houston (3/3) and Northwestern (3/26)…batted .545 in the New York Tech series and had a career-high two stolen bases in game No 2…tied a career-high with three walks vs. Bethune-Cookman (5/3)…had a RBI single in game No. 3 at North Carolina…hit a two-RBI single to tie the score in the 8th inning of game No. 2 at UNC…batted 2-for-4 in game No. 2 vs. Rutgers with a run scored, three RBI, two doubles and a walk…went 2-for-5 vs. Houston with a run scored, three RBI and a home run…went 1-for-3 vs. Cal State Fullerton with a two-run home run…batted 3-for-4 vs. Lipscomb with two runs scored, one RBI, one double and one stolen base…batted .556 in the Minnesota series, including 3-for-4 in game No. 3 with two runs scored, one RBI, one triple and one stolen base…hit .416 in the season-opening series vs. Tennessee including two hits in each of game No. 2 and 3…his three runs scored vs. Minnesota (2/16) tied his career-high.
T.J. Prunty in 2002
Went 4.1 innings in relief vs. Florida in the first game on 6/2 with six hits, three runs (two earned) and one strikeout…a first-year starter for the Hurricanes in 2002…has made 13 starts in 16 appearances this season going 5-4 with a 6.40 ERA…has the third-most wins on the staff…places third with 71.2 innings pitched and third with 44 strikeouts…placed second on the club with 16 hit batsmen…team has gone 8-5 in his 13 starts…made just one postseason appearances in 2001 a 0.2 inning stint in game No. 2 of the Super Regionals vs. Clemson, earning the victory…the Hurricanes have won in three of his last five outings…has picked up wins vs. Kansas State, Cal State Fullerton, Rutgers, UCLA and FAU…went 3.2 innings in game No. 3 vs. NYIT with seven hits, five runs (three earned) and four walks…pitched 3.0 innings in game No. 3 vs. Jacksonville allowing three hits, one earned run, one walk with three strikeouts…scored the loss vs. FIU allowing six earned runs to start the game on two hits, three walks and two hit-by-pitches…earned the win vs. FAU going 7.0 innings with eight hits, five runs (four earned), two walks and a career-high seven strikeouts…pitched 3.1 innings of relief vs. Long Beach State (4/20) with two earned runs allowed…went a career-long 7.0 innings for the win vs. UCLA on 3/24…began the season 4-0, before dropping three straight decisions…his ERA was at a season-low 3.23 after he earned the win vs. UCLA…drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 20th round out of St. Paul (MN) Academy…came to Miami on a football scholarship, where he redshirted his first season then joined the baseball team full-time.
