MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL - Senior right handed pitcher Jake Schmidt (Oakdale, Minn.) became the first player in the history of Concordia University baseball to be selected in the Major League Baseball draft this afternoon when the Chicago Cubs organization selected him in the 41st round with the 1,250th overall pick. He will be the sixth player in CU baseball history to play in an MLB organization. Fans can follow the remainder of the draft live at www.mlb.com.
Head coach Mark "Lunch" McKenzie was thrilled when he learned of the news, "I am extremely proud of Jake and happy for him and his entire family." McKenzie continued, "Jake worked so hard on his game and showed unprecedented dedication. His cousin, Kristen Schmidt, played an important role in his progression as did Mike Mason."
Schmidt was an All-American pitcher for the Golden Bears leading them to three consecutive Sweet Sixteen appearances from 2004 to 2006 and is currently working in the athletic department as a strength coach and assistant softball coach.
Mason is a volunteer assistant coach for Concordia working primarily with the pitching staff in the fall. More importantly, Mason serves as the pitching coach for the Iowa Cubs, Chicago's AAA affiliate in Des Moines.
"There are literally so many individuals that have supported Jake and have been instrumental in aiding in his success. He has a great support system and I'm excited to see him utilize his talent and work ethic at the professional level," McKenzie concluded.
Schmidt was among the most dominant pitchers at the NCAA Division II level in 2009, leading the nation in strikeouts per nine innings with a 13.43 rate with 103 strikeouts in 69.0 innings. He produced back-to-back 100-plus strikeout and 7-2 W-L record seasons for the Golden Bears. As a senior, Schmidt was the NSIC Pitcher of the Year and the Central Region Pitcher of the Year for all three awards (ABCA/Daktronics/NCBWA).
He holds the career record for strikeouts with 273 while tying the career wins record finishing with a 23-8 record. His wins record tied him with Scott Hollingsworth, who was the first CU baseball player to reach an MLB organization when he was in the Texas Rangers system.
Two other players went on to MLB organizations following their careers, Bill Mauer (Minnesota Twins) and Jon Schemmel (New York Mets and San Diego Padres). Two others were in MLB systems prior to their careers at CU: Bobby Meier (New York Yankees) and Joe Abellera (Minnesota Twins).
McKenzie has now coached 65 players who have moved on to professional baseball including 15 MLB first round picks, nine of those coming in the 2009 MLB Draft.
For more information on the Chicago Cubs, visit http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com.
