June 11, 2007

PARK RIDGE, Ill.  - Twenty-four Big Ten baseball players representing each of the conference's 10 teams were taken in the 2007 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, June 7-8.

Ohio State's Cory Luebke, the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, was the first conference standout to be selected as he was taken in the supplemental first round by the San Diego Padres with the 63rd overall pick. Illinois' Lars Davis, the Big Ten Player of the Year, was also taken on Day 1 of the draft, going to the Colorado Rockies in the third round with the 102nd overall selection.

Penn State had more draftees than any other Big Ten team with five selections, including right-handed pitcher Drew O'Neil, who went in the eighth round to Cincinnati with pick No. 259. Ohio State was second with four selections, while Iowa and Minnesota each had three. Illinois, Michigan and Michigan State each had two representatives drafted, and Indiana, Northwestern and Purdue each had one.

Twelve members of the All-Big Ten teams were taken in this year's draft, including first-team honorees Davis of Illinois, Jason White and Travis Sweet of Iowa, Mike Mee of Minnesota, Luebke of Ohio State, and O'Neil and Craig Clark of Penn State.

The complete list of 2007 Big Ten draftees can be found below.