Missouri State University

June 6, 2012

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Missouri State senior Kevin Medrano became the second Bear to be chosen in the 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, as the Arizona Diamondbacks selected the second baseman in the 18th round with the 573rd overall pick on the final day of the 40-round amateur draft Wednesday morning.

Medrano became the first Missouri Valley Conference player on record to earn first-team All-MVC honors in each of his four collegiate seasons, hitting a club-best .327 average to go along with team highs of 12 stolen bases and 81 hits and fielding .982 in 273 defensive chances at second base to earn MVC All-Defensive Team recognition as well. Medrano ranked second in the MVC in overall hits and fourth in doubles (19), matching the Missouri State single-game record for doubles (3) on two separate occasions this season.

The Lee's Summit, Mo., product batted .346 over 217 career games with the Bears, the latter figure ranking seventh in Missouri State history. He also ranks second all-time at MSU in hits (310) and fielding assists (568) and holds the Bears' career records for singles (241) and sacrifice hits (28). The author of 92 multi-hit games, Medrano was a two-time MSU Team MVP and a 2009 Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American. He also hit .410 as a sophomore in 2010, recording a 29-game hit streak that ranks second in MSU history.

Medrano joins junior pitcher Pierce Johnson, who was taken by the Chicago Cubs with the 43rd overall pick in the draft Monday evening, on Missouri State's list of draftees. Additionally, three members of the Bears' 2012 recruiting class were selected in the draft. Infielder Brett Wiley (Huntington, Ind., Jefferson College) was chosen by St. Louis in the 13th round (420th overall pick) Tuesday, while outfielder Tate Matheny (St. Louis, Mo., Westminster Christian Academy) was picked in the 23rd round (720th overall pick) by his hometown club and right-handed pitcher Jonathan Harris (St. Louis, Mo., Hazelwood Central HS) was taken in the 33rd round (1015th overall) by Toronto on Wednesday.

Under the terms of Major League Baseball's new collective bargaining agreement, professional clubs must sign a drafted player by July 13, or the rights to that player are lost and may re-enter the draft in 2013.

Missouri State's 2012 MLB Draft Capsules

Pierce Johnson • Comp Round A • 43rd overall pick • Chicago Cubs
• Junior RHP from Arvada, Colo.
• Set Missouri State single-season strikeout record with 119 in 99.2 innings
• Led the Missouri Valley Conference in strikeouts and ranked ninth in all of Division I baseball in 2012
• Went 4-6 with a 2.53 earned run average and .235 opponent batting average in 14 starts this season
• Two-time MVC Pitcher of the Week honoree as a junior
• Named national pitcher of the week by Collegiate Baseball after fanning 16 Creighton Bluejays in a complete-game shutout on March 23
• Became the first MSU pitcher on record to post four consecutive double-digit strikeout performances (March 3-23)
• Finished the 2012 season in style, going 2-1 with a 1.36 ERA while striking out 34 batters and walking just five over his last four starts
• Ranks fifth on the Bears' career strikeout list with 227 in 216.0 innings

Kevin Medrano • 18th round • 573rd overall pick • Arizona Diamondbacks
• Senior 2B from Lee's Summit, Mo.
• Became the first player in Missouri Valley Conference history to earn first-team all-conference honors in four straight years
• Led the Bears in hitting with a .327 average to go along with team highs of 12 stolen bases and 81 hits
• Fielded .982 in 273 defensive chances at second base as a senior to earn MVC All-Defensive Team honors
• Named most-outstanding player of the Jayhawk Classic (May 4-6) and MVC Player of the Week for the second time in 2012 after hitting .467 with 6 RBIs over three games
• Ranked second in the MVC in overall hits and fourth in doubles (19)
• Matched the Missouri State single-game record for doubles (3) on two separate occasions this season
• A two-time MSU Team MVP and a 2009 Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American
• Hit .410 as a sophomore in 2010, recording a 29-game hit streak that ranks second in MSU history
• Holds MSU career records for singles (241) and sacrifice hits (28) and ranks second on the Bears' all-time hits (310) list and fifth on the school's doubles chart
• Batted .346 over 217 career games, the latter figure ranking seventh in Missouri State history