Adam Mills was one of three Niners drafted in the MLB Amatuer draft today. |
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Charlotte Has Three Drafted in 2007 Amatuer Baseball Draft
June 8, 2007
Lake Buena Vista, Fla. - Charlotte had three senior players taken today in the 2007 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. RHP Adam Mills was taken in the eighth round by the Boston Red Sox, while his battery-mate, catcher Kris Rochelle, was taken in the 22nd round by the Detroit Tigers. LHP Spencer Steedley was taken in the 25th round by the Minnesota Twins.
After not getting drafted high last year, Mills decided to come back and play his senior season with Charlotte, and used that to fuel his fire to compete at a high level in 2007. Mills finished with the nation's best ERA, at 1.01 and is currently tied for the most wins in college baseball this season with 14. He was the Atlantic 10's Pitcher of the Year.
"Hopefully, I'm going to put myself to compete with the guy ahead of me," said Mills. "I want to toe the rubber right now and start throwing. Last summer, I heard that things happen for a reason and I was tired of hearing that. But it rings true today. It really happened for a purpose."
Rochelle became the sixth 49er ever to hit above .400 for a season, finishing the team's batting champ at .404 for the season. He caught 545 innings this season, which was 99.2% of the season's innings. Rochelle drew a team-best 44 walks and led the team with a .502 on-base percentage. He was also third on the team in home runs and fourth in RBI.
Of his catcher, Mills had nothing but praise.
"Rochelle really helped me gain confidence out there. He really understood the art of calming me down and helping the game slow down for me. I think of the 300 mound visits we may of had through the years, maybe two or three times did we actually talk baseball. He kept it light and got me back on track when I needed him."
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Steedley finished with a career-high eight wins on the mound, with an ERA of 3.05 in 18 starts. For most of the season, he hit for himself when pitching, which is no easy task when throwing 112 innings. He also started in right field on days when he did not pitch. Steedley led the Atlantic 10 Conference in homers and RBI in 2006, showing off his versatility on the mound when he was selected as a first-team all-conference pitcher.
Charlotte finished with a school-record 49 wins and finished wqith the lowest ERA in the nation, at 2.64 for the staff. The Niners also set the Atlantic 10 mark with 23 league wins.
