Sept. 5, 2011
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - The UNLV baseball team was represented well in the 2011 MLB Amateur Draft, having two players on the 2011 roster and four incoming freshmen drafted over the three-day event in early June.
The high number of Rebels in the draft is a catch-22 though, with the young talent committed to becoming Rebels forced with the decision to sign professional contracts or enter college, with the later meaning they would have to wait until their junior seasons to become draft eligible again.
"I think the signing deadline should really be moved up," said second-year head coach Tim Chambers. "College coaches are put in a spot where your incoming class can be really good or crush you. Division One baseball is really the only sport that can happen."
Junior right hander Joe Robinson was taken in the 29th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Robinson was 5-7 on the season with a 4.88 ERA in 15 starts. The Henderson native logged 90.1 innings on the year, including two complete games while striking out 35 batters. Robinson earned Mountain West Pitcher of the Week honors in 2011 after throwing UNLV's first one-hitter in two years, leading the Rebels to a 4-1 win over New Mexico on April 30.
Rancho High School teammates Zak Qualls and Brandon Pletsch were taken in the 21st and 34th rounds respectively. Qualls, a left-handed pitcher with potential to be a weekend starter in his first year went to the Los Angeles Dodgers while Pletsch, a shortstop with speed and a knack for making contact went to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Las Vegas High School product Eric Fedde was drafted by San Diego in the 24th round. A right-handed pitcher with a plus slider is also considered to be in the mix for a weekend spot in 2012.
Scott Tomassetti, a catcher from Sierra Vista was plucked in the 46th round by the Philadelphia Phillies. Tomassetti was a four-year starter at SVHS, finishing his career hitting .449 with a team-leading 15 homers and 70 RBI while slugging .956 and carrying a .980 fielding percentage in his senior season.
UNLV's only signee, right-handed ace and Mountain West Pitcher of the Year Tanner Peters was selected on the second day of the 2011 MLB Draft, taken by the Oakland Athletics' organization in the 16th round and has shined in action this summer with the Single-A affiliate Vermont Lake Monsters.
Peters began the season with 16.2 straight scoreless innings, allowing just six hits while striking out 19 in that span, earning him a selection to the All-Star team in the New York Penn League. The all-time Mountain West season and career complete games leader has recorded 11 saves in 18 appearances out of the pen, ranking third in the NYPL.
Peters was UNLV's highest draft selection since Kevin Skogley was taken in the 12th round by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the 2006 draft.
"We got lucky with this class, but it shows that we are getting recruits that are not only great ballplayers, but intelligent people as well," said Chambers. "They understand the importance of education in comparison to going to rookie or Single-A ball, living in hotels and busses and how that doesn't make much sense."
With their first recruiting class garnering a top-25 national ranking and now on campus ready to dawn Rebel Reb, the UNLV coaching staff can breath a sigh of relief - that is until next August 15th when the class of 2012 will be faced with the same decision four freshman made this year.
