Junior pitchers Casey Hudspeth and Chase Lirette were drafted Tuesday, with USF graduate Brian Baisley being picked up today.
Hudspeth, who finished his senior season with a record of 7-7 and struck out 275 batters in three years as a Bull, was drafted in the fifth round by the Houston Astros.
Nelson North, who was Hudspeth’s pitching coach the last three seasons, wasn’t surprised with where Hudspeth was drafted. North said he expected him to go somewhere in the first five rounds.
After striking out 45 batters last season and earning seven saves, Lirette was drafted in the 16th round by the Toronto Blue Jays.
While Hudspeth is all but done playing at USF, Lirette’s decision to go pro will likely come down to how much money Toronto offers him.
Baisley, who finished his senior campaign with a .299 batting average, was drafted in the 24th round by a team he followed while growing up — the New York Yankees.
Baisley said he would like to have been drafted higher, but he also said he’s just happy to be given the opportunity.
Despite having to wait a day longer than Hudspeth and Lirette to find out what organization he’ll be playing for, Baisley didn’t sit around worrying about what would happen.
He spent Tuesday night learning how not to play baseball, by going to see the Devil Rays get beaten by the Angels 12-2, and he went to the gym this morning, only to find out right when he got home that the Yankees had picked him up.
“Right when I got back from lifting I turned on the draft,” Baisley said. “And my name was the next one to pop up.”
Baisley said it was seconds later that he received a phone call from a Yankees’ scout telling him the good news.
Kevin Smetana
