Canes See Two Signees Selected in MLB Draft's Opening Round

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Two University of Miami baseball signees for the class of 2011 – Henry Owens and Corey Spangenberg – heard their names called in the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft on Monday, June 6, 2011. The draft took place live at Studio 42 at the MLB Network.

Cory Spangenberg went No. 10 overall to the San Diego Padres, joining former UMiami pitcher Cesar Carrillo as another first round selection by the Padres – taking the Chicago native with the 18th overall pick in the 2005 draft. Carrillo started his Canes career 24-0 before losing his last two decisions.

Spangenberg went to the Padres out of Indian River Community College, by way of Abington Heights High School. He began his collegiate career at Virginia Military Institute before transferring to Indian River CC. At Abington Heights, Spangenberg helped his team to a PIAA championship in 2009. While at VMI, he earned freshman All-America second team honors, setting records for hits (87), runs (62), total bases (140) and at-bats (235) with the Keydets.

In the summer of 2010, he was most valuable player of the Valley Baseball League, an 11-team summer collegiate wooden bat league in Virginia. In 2011, he was named the junior college player of the year in Florida. Baseball America evaluates him as an above-average hitter with a pure lefty swing, whose ability to handle the bat allows him to rip line drives to all fields. Not known as a power hitter, Spangenberg has displayed the ability to go deep on occasion.

Henry Owens, a lanky 6-foot-7 left-handed pitcher from one of California’s finest baseball high schools – Edison High School in Huntington Beach, Calif., was named All-CIF three times during his prep career en route to being taken 36th overall in this year’s draft by the Boston Red Sox. Last season, the Red Sox took UM pitcher Chris Hernandez with the 233rd overall pick in the seventh round.

From his freshman year to his senior season, he went 33-4 on the bump, including two no-hitters. He was also named Sunset League Pitcher of the Year in 2009 and ’10. Edison has won nine league championships in baseball, with Owens being a part of three of them.

He named the Most Valuable Pitcher at the 2009 World Wood Bat Association World Championship in Jupiter, Fla., while helping his team towards the title. Owens has known little but success in his prep career since his sophomore year at Edison High, when he went 10-1 overall with a 1.98 ERA. Over the last three years, Owens has gone 29-3 (1.14 ERA), including a 10-0 record in 2011, although he failed to hold a three-run, last-inning lead in his first outing in May, and came away with a last at-bat rally, allowing his team to finish 21-2 on the year – clinching their third consecutive Sunset League title.

According to several scouting services, Owens’ success lies in three different areas. First, he has intimidating size and creates enough deception in his delivery that hitters have trouble locating the ball. Second, he has the ability to throw both of his off-speed pitches for strikes with uncanny regularity. Finally, he has the approach of a mature big leaguer with his ability to throw his fastball outside the strike zone in just the right place to get hitters to chase it.

There are several other Miami signees and current players expected to be selected on day two of the draft, including draft-eligible sophomore Zeke DeVoss (Mims, Fla.) and juniors Harold Martinez (Miami, Fla.) and Nathan Melendres (Miami, Fla.). Also eligible for the draft is Rony Rodriguez (Miami, Fla.), in addition to pitchers Sam Robinson (Miami, Fla.) and Daniel Miranda (Miami, Fla.). Senior outfielder Chris Pelaez (Miami, Fla.) and junior pitcher Travis Miller (Tequesta, Fla.) are also available for draft opportunities.

The second day of the MLB Draft continues with pick No. 61 on Tuesday, June 7.

For more information on the University of Miami baseball team, please log on to HurricaneSports.com. To follow the UM Baseball Team via twitter, please navigate to Twitter.com/CanesBaseball. You can also access the official UMiami Baseball blog at TheUBaseball.com.

Fans can keep up-to-date with all UM Athletics via twitter at Twitter.com/HurricaneSports. You can also become a fan of the Canes on Facebook at Facebook.com/MiamiHurricanes.