Royse Leads Eight Louisville Players, Three Signees Selected on Day Two of MLB Draft
June 08, 2010 | Baseball
June 8, 2010
SECAUCUS, N.J. - University of Louisville junior right-handed pitcher Thomas Royse was selected 114th overall by the Chicago White Sox in Compensatory Round B of the 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Tuesday and was the first of a school record 11 players with ties to the Louisville baseball program to be selected on day two of the event.
Joining Royse as second day selections in the 2010 MLB Draft were junior right-handed pitcher Neil Holland (11th Round, 326th overall, Washington Nationals), senior infielder Adam Duvall (11th Round, 348th overall, San Francisco Giants), junior infielder Phil Wunderlich (12th Round, 371st overall, Tampa Bay Rays), junior outfielder Josh Richmond (12th Round, 376th overall, Texas Rangers), senior first baseman Andrew Clark (13th Round, 406th overall, Texas Rangers), senior catcher Jeff Arnold (26th Round, 798th overall, San Francisco Giants) and redshirt sophomore outfielder Stewart Ijames (29th Round, 895th overall, New York Yankees).
The Louisville baseball program also had three prep signees, right-handed pitcher Dace Kime (8th Round, 237th overall, Pittsburgh Pirates) from Defiance, Ohio, catcher Jake DePew (9th Round, 281st overall, Tampa Bay Rays) from Granite City, Ill., and left-handed pitcher Joel Bender (27th Round, 817th overall, Cincinnati Reds) from Cincinnati, Ohio, selected during day two of the 2010 MLB Draft.
Royse, a native of Lexington, Ky., who was not drafted out of high school, was the 2010 BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year and a Louisville Slugger Third Team All-American this season. He finished with a 9-1 record overall to go along with a 2.85 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 104.1 innings pitched as the Cardinals' Friday night starter this season. His single season strikeout total is the third highest in school history, while his single season innings total ranks seventh all-time at U of L. His career ERA of 3.48 ranks sixth all-time at Louisville. Compensatory Round B of the 2010 MLB Draft followed the completion of the Third Round with the selections serving as compensation for teams which lost players to free agency last year.
Holland, from Owensboro, Ky., was a Louisville Slugger Third Team All-American and a First Team All-BIG EAST selection and is a finalist for the National Stopper of the Year Award after completing a record setting season as the Cardinals' closer. He set new school record with 17 saves in this season, which is also tied for the NCAA lead, to go with an 8-1 record, a 2.08 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 56.1 innings of relief. He is also Louisville's career saves leader with 19 and ranks second in career ERA at 3.07.
Duvall, a Louisville native, was a Second Team All-BIG EAST selection after hitting .327 overall with 12 home runs and 47 RBI. He matched a school record with 27 doubles in 2010 and ranks in the top 10 in career doubles at U of L with 48 despite playing just two seasons.
Wunderlich, from Chicago, Ill., was a Louisville Slugger Third Team All-American and a Second Team All-BIG EAST honoree after leading the Cardinals with 21 home runs, the eighth highest single season total in school history, to go along with a .355 average and 62 RBI. Through three seasons in Louisville, the Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist is in the top 10 in career doubles with 49, home runs with 40 and hit-by-pitch with 43.
Richmond, a Cincinnati native, hit .262 overall with one home run and 10 RBI in 2010 after missing 41 games with a broken left hand. Last season, he hit .307 with seven home runs and 31 RBI and was named to the All-NCAA Regional team.
Clark, from New Palestine, Ind., was selected in the 31st Round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs, but elected to return for his senior season and in doing so, improved his draft positioning by 18 rounds. He was a First Team All-BIG EAST selection this season after hitting a team-leading .370 with 13 home runs and 61 RBI. He departs as the school record holder in career defensive putouts (1,528) and career defensive chances (1,683), while ranking fifth in career walks (131), seventh in career doubles (49), eighth in career average (.348) and 10th in career runs (179).
Arnold, a native of Louisville, was a Second Team All-BIG EAST selection and a Johnny Bench Award semifinalist in 2010 as he hit .306 with three home runs and 32 RBI to go with a team-leading 16 stolen bases in 19 attempts. He departs the Louisville baseball program as the winningest player in school history with 185 wins, a College World Series appearance, two NCAA Super Regionals, four straight NCAA Regionals, two BIG EAST regular season titles and two BIG EAST Tournament titles.
Ijames, from Owensboro, Ky., was a Second Team All-BIG EAST selection and an All-BIG EAST Tournament honoree in 2010 as he hit .324 overall with 14 home runs and 63 RBI as the Cardinals' everyday right fielder. A Freshman All-American in 2008, Ijames also added six outfield assists this season. Following his senior season in high school, Ijames was selected in the 46th Round of the 2007 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers.
The first round of the 2010 MLB Draft was held on Monday night, while the final 20 rounds (31-50) will be held on Wednesday afternoon. The deadline for signing players selected in the 2010 MLB Draft is Aug. 16.
The No. 7 Louisville baseball team's 2010 season ended on Monday night with a 3-2 loss in 10 innings to Vanderbilt in an NCAA Regional championship game. The Cardinals finished 50-14 overall, including their second straight BIG EAST Conference regular season title, while the 50 wins set a new school record.
