Four NSU Players Selected in Baseball Draft

(L to R) Miles Mikolas, Riaan Spanjer-Furstenburg, J.D. Martinez and Michael Fiers

Four NSU baseball players were selected in the 2009 MLB First year Player Draft on June 10. Miles Mikolas, Riaan Spanjer-Furstenburg, J.D. Martinez and Michael Fiers were all selected by major league organizations. It marks the first time NSU has had four players selected in a single MLB draft.

Mikolas, a junior pitcher, was the first Shark taken off the board, selected in the seventh round with the 204th overall pick by the San Diego Padres. He became the highest MLB draft pick in Nova Southeastern baseball program history. In 2009, Mikolas led the Sharks with a 2.06 earned run average while going 7-2 in 83.0 innings pitched.

Spanjer-Furstenburg, a first baseman, was drafted in the 16th round with the 478 overall pick by the Atlanta Braves. Spanjer-Furstenburg finished the season batting .393 with 15 home runs and a team high 67 runs batted in.

Left fielder Martinez was picked in the 20th round with the 611th overall pick by the Houston Astros. In 2009, Martinez had one of the best single seasons at the plate in NSU baseball history, batting .428 with 15 home runs and 57 runs batted in. He set a single season program record in runs scored (73) while placing second in batting average.

Fiers, a pitcher, was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 22nd round with the 676th overall pick. Fiers was 10-3 on the mound with a 2.65 earned run average in 108.2 innings pitched and led the nation (setting a new NSU single season record) with 145 strikeouts on the season.

For more information, visit http://nsuathletics.nova.edu/.