Four Keystone players taken in 2010 MLB Draft
Press Release posted by Keystone
La Plume, PA (6-9-10) - Keystone College baseball coach Jamie Shevchik has all the feelings of a proud father today.
After seeing his junior first baseman Yazy Arbello taken on Tuesday in the 26th round of the 2010 Major League Baseball amateur draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks, three more Giants were selected today to join the professional ranks.
Pitchers Sean Murphy and Victor Lara were selected in the 33rd and 34th rounds respectively, while infielder Eric Groff was taken in the 44th round.
Murphy, a native of Philadelphia, PA, was taken with the 995th pick by the Oakland Athletics, while Lara, a native of Miami, FL, was taken by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the 1,021st pick. Groff, a native of Lebanon, PA, was the 1,321nd pick.
Arbello was the 781st selection during day two of the annual draft.
Arbello, Lara and Groff have actually become the second, third and fourth Keystone players to be selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks, with Nelson Gomez joining the organization via the 2008 MLB draft.
"I can not express how proud I am of these guys," stated Coach Shevchik, who is currently in Connecticut serving as head coach of the Danbury Westerners of the New England Collegiate Baseball League.
"We have a solid program with great kids who buy into our philosophy. These draft selections are the reward for their dedication and commitment. This has been the greatest day in my baseball career," added Shevchik.
Arbello wrapped up his junior campaign for the Giants hitting .389 (49-126) with 15 home runs, 11 doubles and a triple. His home run and doubles totals were second best on the team. The Port St Lucie native also scored 43, while driving in 33. Arbello also compiled a slugging percentage of .849.
Murphy compiled a mark of 6-3 this past season with an earned run average of 3.22. The righty led the team with 56 strikeouts in 64.1 innings pitched, while allowing 23 earned runs and 63 hits.
Lara, a hard throwing righty who was used as the team's closer, turned in a mark of 0-1 with three saves. However, with pitches routinely touching the mid-90's, Lara recorded 33 strikeouts in just 18.2 innings. He allowed just eight earned runs on 15 hits.
Groff, a Third Team D3baseball All-America Selection, was the 2009 conference Player of the Year and the MVP of 2010 conference tournament. He hit .368 (56-152) this past season while setting the single season Keystone record for home runs in a season with 18, breaking Gomez's mark of 17. He led the team in RBI with 54, while tying for the team lead in runs scored with 48. He also added eight doubles and five triples in compiling an .842 slugging percentage.
Keystone finished the 2010 season with a record of 30-9 and their second consecutive Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) championship
