MLB Draft Targets Cajun's Baseball

Three Ragin'Cajun Baseball players were selected on the second day of the MLB Draft. Staff ace Zach Osborne, pitcher Dayton Marze and catcher Chad Keefer were all selected on Tuesday.

Senior RPH Zach Osborne was taken in the ninth round by the Texas Rangers with the 286th overall pick. Osborne, a 2010 All-Sun Belt First Team selection, posted a 9-4 record on the mound in the 2010 season finishing with a 2.37 ERA and 112 strikeouts over 121 2/3 innings pitched. He crafted 14 quality starts (of 16 total) and tossed five complete games (two shutouts).

He went the entire season with an ERA below 3.00 - highest mark was 2.65 - and held opponents to a .222 batting average. He issued only 21 walks and surrendered just 32 earned runs over 121 1/3 innings.

Osborne led all Sun Belt Conference starting pitchers in ERA and strikeouts and his seven league victories ranked first. He ranked in the Top 30 nationally in strikeouts and ERA.

Osborne's recent complete game shutout over Rice in the Austin, Texas Regional was said to push his selection into the top 10 rounds according to several scouting reports.

Senior catcher Chad Keefer was selected by the Florida Marlins in the 28th round using the 857th overall pick. The Sasakwa, Okla., native was a second team All-Sun Belt selection and led the league with 20 runners caught stealing. Keefer sported a team-best 10 home runs and 35 RBI in Cajuns' strong second half run.

Keefer led Louisiana in RBI for the second straight season. In his two-year stay after coming over from North Central Texas College, Keefer posted 105 RBI.

Keefer finished the season with 28 extra base hits (13 doubles, 15 home runs). In SBC play, he hit .366 and led the league in runs scored (33), home runs (14), total bases (93), slugging percentage (.756) and was second in RBI (35).

Dayton Marze, a local product from Teurlings made 18 appearances in 2010, posting a 5-4 mark and 3.22 ERA. He led all Ragin' Cajuns relievers with five victories and allowed only 12 extra base hits over 50 1/3 innings pitched.

Marze logged three-plus innings in relief nine times, each time allowing one or no earned runs. He posted multiple strikeouts in nine of 18 appearances and carried a sub-4.00 ERA the entire season.

RAGIN' CAJUNS IN THE 2010 MLB DRAFT

Rd. (Pick), Name, Pos., Team

9 (286), Zach Osborne, P, Texas Rangers
14 (426), Dayton Marze, P, Toronto Blue Jays
28 (857), Chad Keefer, C, Florida Marlins