Two Ohio Valley Conference players were selected on the final day of the 2009 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. That brought the total to players selected in the three-day, 50-round draft to nine.
The nine players is the most since 10 players were selected in 2007's draft. Just six OVC players were selected in 2008.
Thursday's selections included Jacksonville State pitcher Jason Zylstra (36th round by Minnesota) and Southeast Missouri State catcher/pitcher Jim Klocke (46th round by St. Louis).
Zylstra made nine appearances this season, but missed almost six weeks after leaving the Murray State game during the opening weekend of Ohio Valley Conference play. He posted a 1-2 record with a 4.55 earned run average with 18 strikeouts.
Klocke has garnered multiple postseason honors after having his best season at the plate in 2009. The junior catcher was named to the Louisville Slugger All-America Third Team by Collegiate Baseball newspaper, and he earned an honorable mention on the Ping!Baseball Post-Season All-America squad. He was also awarded ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Second Team honors for his outstanding performance in the classroom. Earning All-OVC First Team accolades for the second consecutive season, Klocke finished the season ranked in the top 100 in the nation in batting average (.394, 86th), doubles (20, 64th), and on-base percentage (.484, 73rd). Klocke also recorded 56 runs scored, nine home runs, 46 runs batted in, and a .654 slugging percentage, all of which are career highs. In his first year in the closer role, Klocke also recorded seven saves this season, which ranks 75th in the nation. He pitched 23.2 innings in 17 appearances on the mound, and he recorded 22 strikeouts while
allowing just seven walks.
OVC Players Taken in the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft
Tyler Kehrer, Eastern Illinois - Comp. Round A (#48 overall) by Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Ben Tootle, Jacksonville State - 3rd Round (#101) by Minnesota Twins
Brett Nommensen, Eastern Illinois - 8th Round (#259) by Tampa Bay Rays
Jordan Kreke, Eastern Illinois - 13th Round (#388) by Atlanta Braves
Daniel Tenholder, Austin Peay - 19th Round (#573) by Oakland Athletics
Ryan Dennick, Tennessee Tech - 22nd Round (#662) by Kansas City Royals
Daniel Calhoun, Murray State - 29th Round (#879) by St. Louis Cardinals
Jason Zylstra, Jacksonville State - 36th Round (#1092) by Minnesota Twins
Jim Klocke, Southeast Missouri - 46th Round (#1389) by St. Louis Cardinals