Bulls Represented Well in 2018 MLB Draft
TAMPA, Fla., JUNE 7, 2018 – The USF baseball team was represented well in the 2018 MLB Draft with four draftees going in the first 15 rounds.
It was just the second time in program history that four Bulls went in the top 15 rounds. USF had four players selected in the first 10 rounds of the1987 MLB Draft. The program has seen 123 players drafted dating back to 1975 and 31 players have signed with teams as non-drafted free agents.
For a second-consecutive season, the Bulls had a first-round pick, as lefty
Shane McClanahan (Cape Coral, Fla.) went 31
st overall to the Tampa Bay Rays. On Day 2 of the draft, USF saw its second pitcher taken, as eighth-rounder
Andrew Perez (Orlando) went to the Chicago White Sox. The Bulls have had 10 arms drafted in the last four seasons.
McClanahan is the third-highest choice in program history and third USF pitcher selected by the Rays in as many seasons, joining
Phoenix Sanders ('17) and Brandon Lawson ('16). At least one Bull has been selected by Tampa Bay in the last four years (Kyle Teaf in 2015).
McClanahan finished second nationally in 2018 with 14.15 strikeouts per nine innings and ended the year with 120 strikeouts, both figures that led The American. His 120 strikeouts rank fourth on USF's single-season list. McClanahan allowed just 6.01 hits per nine innings in 2018, ranking 18th in the country.
Named to multiple preseason All-American lists, McClanahan began the season with a streak of 31.2 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run, the longest in program history. During the streak, McClanahan was part of USF's first combined no-hitter against Army on March 16, a game in which he struck out a personal best 15 batters. McClanahan struck out 104 in his first season as a Bull in 2017 and with 120 more this season, he's just the second USF pitcher to strike out 100 or more in back-to-back seasons.
Perez finished with 12 saves as a junior, tied for ninth in single-season history. His 19 career saves are the eighth most in program history. The junior lefty pitched to a 2.34 ERA in 2017 with a 6-3 record out of the bullpen. Along with his 12 saves, Perez struck out 50 in 42.1 innings of work. He was named to the All-American Athletic Conference Second Team and to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List. NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List.
USF didn't have to wait long on Day 3 of the draft, as junior third baseman
David Villar (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) and junior second baseman
Coco Montes (Miami) went within the first hour. Villar was the second pick of the final day, going in the 11
th round to the San Francisco Giants. Montes was taken in the 15
th round by the Colorado Rockies.
Named an All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and College Sports Madness, Villar had a career season at the plate. He led USF with a .374 average to finish second in The American. He led the league with 24 doubles, ranking ninth nationally. It was a figure that ranks third on USF's single-season list.
The third baseman was named a first team all-conference selection. He added a career best 12 home runs, and his 36 extra-base hits are tied for the second most in the Bulls' single-season history. Villar finished with a team leading 59 RBI and 53 runs scored. In his three years as a Bull, Villar appeared in 174 games and started all but one of those games. He exits USF with 51 doubles, 24 home runs, 118 runs scored and 129 RBI. His 51 doubles are the ninth most in program history.
Montes appeared in and started 158 games over his three years at USF, hitting .275 with 31 doubles, 88 runs scored and 71 RBI. Rotating from shortstop to second base from his freshman to sophomore campaign, Montes found himself back at short as a junior and put forth his best season. The Miami native hit .331 with 23 doubles, fourth most in USF single-season history. He had 40 RBI and 43 runs scored from the leadoff spot, led the team with 25 multi-hit games, recorded a hit in 20-straight games and was an all-conference selection for the first time.
About USF Baseball
The University of South Florida baseball team is one of the fastest rising programs in the country. The Bulls reached the NCAA Regionals in 2015 for the first time in 13 years and followed that success with a 42-19 record and second NCAA regional trip in three years in 2017. The Bulls continued the success under first-year head coach Billy Mohl in 2018, reaching the 36 wins and advancing to the semifinals of the conference tournament for the first time since 2012, while being ranked in multiple polls since mid-April. USF earned its third NCAA Regional berth in the last four seasons and had six all-conference selections in 2018. The USF Baseball program has won five conference titles and the Bulls have made 13 NCAA appearances.
– #GoBulls –
