University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Ardoin Tops List of Cajuns Selected in 2005 MLB First-Year Player Draft
6/8/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Ardoin Tops List
of Cajuns Selected in 2005 MLB First-Year Player Draft
Kevin Ardoin was lone Cajuns
player selected in first day of draft
LAFAYETTE
–
Five players from the 2005 Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns
baseball team that won the Sun Belt Conference regular
season championship and made the 10th NCAA Regional
appearance in school history were drafted in the 2005
MLB First-Year Player Draft which was held Tuesday and
Wednesday in New York City.
The five players (Kevin
Ardoin,
Dallas
Morris,
Phillip
Hawke,
Austin
Faught and
Justin
Morgan) selected were the most in a single draft
since 2000 when six players were chosen during
Louisiana-Lafayette's epic run at the NCAA College World
Series.
Twenty-six players have now been selected under head
coach Tony Robichaux, while Faught, who was selected
three times, was the only player to be drafted multiple
times.
Ardoin,
a Eunice native, was selected with the 300th overall
pick in the 10th round by the Detroit Tigers. Ardoin was
a second team All-Sun Belt selection after going 10-5
with a 3.76 earned run average and a team-best 115
strikeouts.
Ardoin was a nominee for the Brooks Wallace Award which
is given to the nation's top college baseball player and
the Roger Clemens Award which is given to the nation's
top college pitcher.
Last season, Ardoin was drafted in the 17th round by the
Texas Rangers.
Morris,
who arguably had two of the best offensive seasons in
school history, was selected in the 24th round (#733) by
the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Morris hit .357 with a team-high 12 home runs and 68
RBI, while hitting a team-best 92 hits. Morris became
the third player in school history with at least 90 hits
in a single season, while combining with teammate Josh Landry to become the first pair of teammates in school
history to each drive in at least 60 runs in the same
season.
Morris, a first team All-Sun Belt selection this season
and a second team All-Sun Belt pick in 2004, was also
nominated for the Brooks Wallace Award.
The
other corner of the Cajuns infield also saw his name pop
up on the MLB Draft board on day two - Phillip Hawke,
who was drafted in the 29th round (#879) by Texas. This
season, Hawke became the school's all-time leader in
career and single-season walks. Hawke also finished in
the career top five in games played and home runs.
Hawke, a Baton Rouge native, received back-to-back
second team All-Sun Belt honors at first base in 2004
and 2005. Hawke batted .317 with 10 home runs and 42
RBI.
The
third time was a charm. Faught, who was drafted in the
31st round (#939) by Texas, originally transferred to
Louisiana-Lafayette prior to the 2003 season and made an
immediate impact to the Cajuns' pitching staff. However,
an elbow injury prematurely ended his season.
After sitting out the 2004 season to recover from "Tommy
John" surgery, Faught came back with a vengeance, going
12-0 with a 2.40 earned run average en route to first
team All-Sun Belt honors and being named Sun Belt
Pitcher of the Year.
It marked the third time in as many seasons that Faught
was drafted by the Texas Rangers. Faught was selected by
Texas in the 35th round in 2003 and the 43rd round in
2004.
Probably
one of the most fascinating stories in day two of the
MLB Draft was that of Justin Morgan. Morgan, who was
selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 39th round (#1180),
finished his best season as a Cajun.
This season, Morgan batted .331 with four home runs and
32 RBI, including a home run in his final at bat as a
Cajun against Alabama in the NCAA New Orleans Regional
on June 5. In March, Morgan became the first of three
Cajuns this season to tie the school record with five
hits in a game.
Morgan began his career at Louisiana-Lafayette as a
walk-on and ended his career as one of three captains on
the 2005 squad that won the Sun Belt Conference regular
season championship.
Louisiana-Lafayette finished the 2005 season with a
48-19 overall record, while claiming the Sun Belt
Conference regular season championship. The Cajuns also
appeared in the NCAA New Orleans Regional hosted by
Tulane University at Turchin Stadium.
Louisiana-Lafayette Players Drafted in 2005 MLB
Draft
10th Round
#300 Kevin Ardoin, RHP (Detroit Tigers)
24th Round
#733 Dallas Morris, 3B (Los Angeles Angels)
29th Round
#879 Phillip Hawke, 1B (Texas Rangers)
31st Round
#939 Austin Faught, LHP (Texas Rangers)
39th Round
#1180 Justin Morgan, C (Chicago Cubs)
-Ragin' Cajuns-
