On to the Pros
NEW YORK, N.Y. - The 2012 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft concluded on Wednesday as 28 NAIA programs had players drafted by 24 of MLB's 30 clubs. In total, 44 NAIA student-athletes were selected during the three-day, 40-round event.
Oklahoma City's Dane Phillips, a junior catcher from Nacogdoches, Texas, was the first NAIA player off the board, selected in the second round (70th overall) by the San Diego Padres. Phillips, a 2012 NAIA First Team All-American, led the Stars with a .410 batting average and ranked second on the squad with 67 RBIs, 14 home runs, 160 total bases and three triples. Additionally, he paced the NAIA with 26 doubles, while ranking amongst the top 15 nationally in total bases, slugging percentage (.762), RBIs (67) and home runs.
The first NAIA pitcher drafted was Corey Black of Faulkner (Ala.). Black, chosen in the fourth round (157th overall) by the New York Yankees, was 11-2 with four complete games and a 1.53 earned run average in 14 starts this season. He held opponents to a .173 batting average and totaled 96 strikeouts, including a season high 10 punch-outs against Brewton-Parker (Ga.) on Feb. 24 and again on March 30 against Loyola (La.).
Lee (Tenn.) boasted the most draftees with five including: pitcher Kris Hall, pitcher Patrick Merkling, pitcher Vincent Spilker, pitcher Andy Hillis and catcher Jorge Saez. Oklahoma City was second with four, while British Columbia, Azusa Pacific (Calif.), Southern Poly (Ga.), Embry-Riddle (Fla.), Arizona Christian, Fresno Pacific (Calif.), Tennessee Wesleyan and St. Thomas (Fla.) had two selections, respectively.
The Miami Marlins had the most NAIA selections with six, followed by the Chicago Clubs with four and the Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres with three each.
Fourteen percent of participating institutions had players drafted in 2012. Since 2008, the NAIA has averaged 42 individuals selected each year by MLB clubs.
For a complete breakdown from MLB.com, click here.
To learn more about NAIA baseball, click here.
2012 MLB Draft - NAIA Players Selected
| Pick | Round | Team | Player | School | Pos. |
| 70 | 2 | San Diego Padres | Dane Phillips | Oklahoma City | C |
| 157 | 4 | New York Yankees | Corey Black | Faulkner (Ala.) | RHP |
| 227 | 7 | Miami Marlins | Ryan Newell | Shorter (Ga.) | RHP |
| 245 | 7 | Milwaukee Brewers | David Otterman | British Columbia | LHP |
| 254 | 8 | Chicago Cubs | Michael Heesch | South Carolina Beaufort | LHP |
| 259 | 8 | Oakland A's | Kris Hall | Lee (Tenn.) | RHP |
| 295 | 9 | Toronto Blue Jays | Jordan Leyland | Azusa Pacific (Calif.) | 1B |
| 334 | 10 | Detroit Tigers | Charles Gillies | The Master's (Calif.) | RHP |
| 336 | 10 | Texas Rangers | Joseph Shiver | Southern Poly (Ga.) | RHP |
| 393 | 12 | Arizona Diamondbacks | Keith Glenn | Arizona Christian | CF |
| 437 | 14 | Miami Marlins | Michael Vaughn | Fresno Pacific (Calif.) | C |
| 534 | 17 | Washington Nationals | Blake Schwartz | Oklahoma City | RHP |
| 549 | 18 | Houston Astros | Ricky Gingras | Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) | C |
| 557 | 18 | Miami Marlins | Patrick Merkling | Lee (Tenn.) | LHP |
| 602 | 19 | Tampa Bay Rays | Miguel Beltran | Oklahoma City | 1B |
| 650 | 21 | New York Mets | Gary Ward | Bethel (Tenn.) | LHP |
| 659 | 21 | Atlanta Braves | Jeremy Fitzgerald | Tennessee Wesleyan | RHP |
| 681 | 22 | Chicago White Sox | Cory McGinnis | Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) | RHP |
| 686 | 22 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Alan Garcia | Azusa Pacific (Calif.) | RHP |
| 701 | 23 | Seattle Mariners | Levi Dean | Tennessee Wesleyan | RHP |
| 751 | 24 | Boston Red Sox | Keaton Briscoe | British Columbia | 2B |
| 758 | 24 | Philadelphia Phillies | Chad Carman | Oklahoma City | C |
| 767 | 25 | Miami Marlins | Dane Stone | St. Thomas (Fla.) | RHP |
| 768 | 25 | Colorado Rockies | Alec Mehrten | Fresno Pacific (Calif.) | SS |
| 771 | 25 | Chicago White Sox | Storm Throne | Morningside (Iowa) | RHP |
| 783 | 25 | Arizona Diamondbacks | Vincent Spilker | Lee (Tenn.) | RHP |
| 795 | 26 | San Diego Padres | Brandon Alger | Indiana Tech | LHP |
| 798 | 26 | Colorado Rockies | Adam Paulencu | Embry-Riddle (Fla.) | RHP |
| 838 | 27 | San Francisco Giants | Chris Fern | Union (Ky.) | LHP |
| 854 | 28 | Chicago Cubs | Lance Rymel | Rogers State (Okla.) | C |
| 867 | 28 | Los Angeles Angels | Joel Capote | St. Thomas (Fla.) | CF |
| 884 | 29 | Chicago Cubs | Austin Pentecost | Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) | RHP |
| 900 | 29 | St. Louis Cardinals | Andy Hillis | Lee (Tenn.) | RHP |
| 914 | 30 | Chicago Cubs | Izaac Garsez | College of Idaho | RF |
| 959 | 31 | Atlanta Braves | Matt Kimbrel | Southern Poly (Ga.) | RHP |
| 985 | 32 | Toronto Blue Jays | Jorge Saez | Lee (Tenn.) | C |
| 992 | 32 | Tampa Bay Rays | Benjamin Kline | Embry-Riddle (Fla.) | SS |
| 995 | 32 | Milwaukee Brewers | Nick Anderson | Mayville State (N.D.) | RHP |
| 1022 | 33 | Tampa Bay Rays | Luke Goodgion | Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) | LHP |
| 1047 | 34 | Los Angeles Angels | Zachary Livingston | Arizona Christian | C |
| 1074 | 35 | Washington Nationals | Cory Bafidis | Texas Wesleyan | LHP |
| 1085 | 35 | Milwaukee Brewers | Jose Sermo | Bethany (Kan.) | SS |
| 1157 | 38 | Miami Marlins | Michael Smith | Cumberland (Tenn.) | LHP |
| 1185 | 39 | San Diego Padres | Anthony Renteria | Cal State San Marcos | OF |
