The final day of the Major League Baseball draft on Wednesday turned out to be a busy time for several players with local ties.
Among the local players taken were Galena High graduates Joey Hooft and Rod Scurry. Ben Mummy of the University of Nevada was also taken.
Even though the Western Nevada Community College baseball team won't take the field until next season, it has already made its mark with four players taken in the draft. Aaron Greer of North Eugene High School in Oregon, Tyler Jaquez of Loyalton, Calif., Josh Brink of Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada, and Justin Reynolds of Independence, Ore., were taken on Wednesday as well. All have signed with WNCC.
Greer, a left-handed hitting catcher, was the 1,057th overall pick, taken in the 35th round by the Philadelphia Phillies. Jaquez, a third baseman, was taken in the 45th round by the Detroit Tigers. Jaquez is currently playing with the Sierra Sun Devils.
Reynolds, an outfielder, was the 737th player taken, picked in the 24th round by the Atlanta Braves. Brink, a right-handed pitcher, wsa the 854th player chosen, taken in the 28th round by the Minnesota Twins.
WNCC coach D.J. Whittemore said he's confident that Greer, Jaquez and Brink will all still come to the school. The three players shouldn't be able to command much of a signing bonus as low as they were taken.
Reynolds is also being recruited by Mt. Hood Community College and since the letter-of-intent he signed with WNCC is non-binding, he could end up there. He also obviously has the option of signing with the Braves.
"He's probably a long shot at this point," said Whittemore about Reynolds coming to WNCC.
Whittemore said having the whole year to recruit while other schools were playing gave him an advantage.
"I was pretty fortunate to have the whole year to recruit," he said. "I've been out watching people play.
"It's been a nice advantage. I'm still excited. That's exciting. These guys are living the dream."
Hooft was the 609th player drafted, taken in the 20th round by the Texas Rangers. Hooft, a 2001 Galena graduate, helped lead the Grizzlies to an NIAA 4A State Runner-up finish in 2001.
Hooft signed with Miami where he played for three years before transferring to Arizona State for his senior season. He's currently hitting .279 for the Sun Devils, who will be playing in the NCAA Super Regional this weekend at Cal State Fullerton. The winner of that best of three series will advance to the College World Series.
At ASU, Hooft has been starting at third base and was drafted as a second baseman by the Rangers. He may be able to command a signing bonus for as much as $15,000.
Nevada may have lost another player to the draft in Mummy. The Wolf Pack first baseman, a junior was the 602nd pick, taken in the 20th round by the Cincinnati Reds.
Mummy earned all-Western Athletic Conference second team honors this past season after hitting .297 with 18 home runs. Mummy could receive a signing bonus in the $15,000-$20,000 range. If he decides not to sign with the Reds, Mummy could return to Nevada for his senior year.
Nevada has already lost three players to the draft. Brett Hayes, a junior, was the 79th overall pick of the Florida Marlins and is virtually certain to sign with the club. Jacob Butler, a senior outfielder, was also drafted in the eighth round by the Toronto Blue Jays.
Wooster High's Jake Rasner, who signed with Nevada, was taken in the seventh round by the Texas Rangers and he's expected to sign with the team for a $250,000 signing bonus.
Scurry, who pitched this season with a Sierra Community College team in Rocklin, Calif., that went 26-12 and 17-9 in the Bay Valley East Conference, was the 1,167th pick overall, taken in the 39th round by the Colorado Rockies. Scurry is the nephew of the former Major League pitcher of the same name.
Another player with local ties, UCLA's Brett McMillan, who played for the Carson Capitols, was the 1,074th pick overall, taken in the 36th round by the Washington Nationals.
