LEXINGTON — Four Kentucky baseball players were selected Wednesday, on day two of the Major League Baseball draft, bringing UK?s total players taken to a school-record six.
Aaron Tennyson, a 6-4 southpaw, was taken in the 22nd round by the Minnesota Twins. He started 15 games for Kentucky this season, serving as the Wildcats Friday night starter in Southeastern Conference play. He compiled a 4-3 record with a 5.00 earned-run average. Coming out of high school, he was a 23rd round pick by the Cleveland Indians.
Zach Dials, a junior right-hander, was taken off the board in the 28th round by the Toronto Blue Jays. This year, he appeared in 21 games with a 3.97 earned-run average and held opposing batters to a .252 average.
Michael Bertram, a senior infielder, went in the 39th round to the Detroit Tigers. The Lexington native batted .340 as a senior, which ranked second best on the team. He also struck out just 19 times in 197 at bats.
Sean Coughlin, a junior catcher, got picked up by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 42nd round. The junior college transfer led all SEC catchers with 17 home runs and 55 RBIs while batting a robust .325. He was a second-team All-SEC pick.
Juniors Ryan Strieby, the SEC Player of the Year, and John Shelby, a second-team all-conference choice, were drafted on day one of the draft in the fourth and fifth round, respectively.
UK Signee Goes in 37th Round: Chris Walden became the second UK signee to get taken in the draft when he was picked in the 37th round by the Seattle Mariners.
Walden, a pitcher at Bellefontaine High School, has gone 7-1 with a miniscule 0.59 ERA en route to Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year honors. He has fanned 60 batters in just 38 innings. Offensively, he bats .355 with 27 RBIs as well while leading his team to the state playoffs. He also excels in the classroom with a 3.6 GPA. Prior to the season, he was named a first-team Louisville Slugger All-American.
Signee Kyle Orr was selected in the fourth round on Tuesday by the Los Angeles Dodgers.