Baseball: Draft expected to favor Bruin players

While the hopes of the UCLA baseball team were dashed in
Sunday’s NCAA Regional loss to Florida, many Bruins will have
their dreams fulfilled today and Tuesday.

Beginning at 10 a.m. today and continuing with the later rounds
on Tuesday, the first-year player draft may see as many as six
Bruins chosen.

The most likely to be chosen are senior starting pitcher Casey
Janssen, senior third baseman Brandon Averill, junior starting
pitcher and first baseman Wes Whisler, junior outfielder Billy
Susdorf, junior shortstop Ryan McCarthy and redshirt sophomore
catcher Chris Denove.

UCLA has always been represented well in the draft. At least two
Bruins have been selected in each draft during Gary Adams’ 30
years, highlighted by an NCAA-record 12 in 2000.

The first two UCLA players to go will almost certainly be
Janssen and Whisler.

Janssen was taken in the 49th round last year after a mediocre
junior season, but he should explode up the charts based on his
stellar senior campaign.

Whisler was being talked about going as high as the first round
after a breakout freshman season in which he hit 18 home runs and
went 4-1 as a pitcher in the Pac-10.

After a down junior year, though, his stock has dropped. Still,
some team will likely take an early round flyer on a tall, athletic
lefty who can hit upwards of 90 mph on the radar gun.

Juniors who are chosen will have a choice to sign with their
professional teams or return to UCLA for their senior seasons under
a new baseball coach.

JANSSEN’S LAST START: In a year that
included many career-best starts, Friday’s performance
against No. 20 Oklahoma was the crowning moment on Janssen’s
stellar senior season.

The righty threw eight shutout innings, struck out seven, and
allowed two hits and a lone walk in leading the Bruins to a 9-1
victory.

“It felt great to be on,” Janssen said in the
postgame press conference. “First inning, I was nervous and I
had to get through it and get comfortable out there. Once I could
get into that groove, I just let them hit it to my defense and let
them make plays.”

With the win, Janssen (10-4) reached double-digits in wins, the
first Bruin to do so since Josh Karp in 2000.

ALL-REGIONAL TEAM: McCarthy, Denove, Janssen,
third baseman Preston Griffin and second baseman Mike Svetlic made
the All-Regional Tournament team for Oklahoma City.