June 10, 2009

KENNESAW, Ga. - Day two of the 2009 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft proved to be a good day for the Kennesaw State baseball program as three more Owls were selected by MLB organizations. Kenny Faulk, Jace Whitmer, and Justin Edwards were all taken on day two of the event.

Faulk was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 16th round with the 480th overall pick. The senior was named First Team Atlantic Sun Conference as a relief pitcher after posting a 7-4 record with four saves and a 3.16 ERA. Batters hit just .208 over 42.2 innings against the lefty. The Woodstock, Ga., native allowed just 33 hits while striking out 56 batters.

"I'm really proud of Kenny from where he's come as a high school pitcher who had Tommy John surgery to moving to junior college and then coming here and putting up the numbers he did the past two years," said KSU head baseball coach Mike Sansing. "Today is a reward to Kenny for his dedication to the game."

Whitmer followed Faulk off the board one round later when he was taken with the 508th overall pick by the Atlanta Braves. The Kennesaw native set a KSU Division I record when he hit 13 home runs during 2009, his junior campaign. The catcher appeals to many MLB teams due to his power, which Coach Sansing attributes in part to Whitmer's work during the off-season.

"Jace worked extremely hard this off-season," Coach Sansing said. "The benefit of that hard work has really paid off for him. With power numbers dropping in Major League Baseball, someone like Jace is very valuable to a professional team."

Edwards was selected with the 849th overall pick by the St. Louis Cardinals in round 28. The Guyton, Ga., native moved into the role of KSU's third starting pitcher in A-Sun series and flourished. The lefty went 5-4 for the Owls, appearing in 17 games with 10 starts. Edwards recorded a save during conference play and also notched a complete game when he earned a victory over Florida Gulf Coast.

"Justin has improved each year he's been here," said Coach Sansing. "He's gotten a lot stronger with better command of his pitches. He has two pitches which would probably be close to being big-league pitches now."

While Faulk is a senior and has exhausted his eligibility, Whitmer and Edwards both have a year left.

"I'm hoping that they return for their senior years," said Coach Sansing. "I think they can improve their standing for next year's draft by coming back and developing even more. They can also both graduate in May and leave here with their college degrees before they start their baseball careers."

The Owls have now had five players taken in this year's draft, the most in the history of the program. Chad Jenkins was selected with the 20th overall pick by the Toronto Blue Jays, while Kyle Heckathorn went with the 47th selection to Milwaukee.