Wichita State has seven selected in major-league draft

Wichita State juniors Sam Hilliard and Daniel Kihle were early selections on the third day of the major-league draft. Another junior, Willie Schwanke, wasn’t far behind.

Hilliard, an outfielder who also pitches, was selected in the 15th round by the Colorado Rockies. Kihle, an outfielder, was an 18th-round pick by the Minnesota Twins. Schwanke, a right-hander, was a 22nd-round pick by the Milwaukee Brewers.

Later in the afternoon, senior pitcher Chase Williams was taken in the 24th round by San Diego, and junior pitcher Isaac Anderson went to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 40th rounf.

Incoming freshman Dayton Dugas, an outfielder, was taken by the Detroit Tigers in the 25th round. Last month, he told The Eagle he would likely attend WSU if he was not a high-round pick. He reiterated on his Twitter account Wednesday that he was “still 100% college!”

Maize High right-hander Connor Lungwitz, also a WSU signee, was selected in the 35th round by the Tigers but quickly wrote on Twitter that he remained committed to the Shockers.

Hilliard (6-foot-5, 225 pounds) increased his worth as a position player this season by hitting a team-best .335 with 14 doubles, eight home runs and a team-high 51 RBIs. He was designated as an outfielder by the Rockies in their selection, but he was 1-4 with a 6.15 ERA as a Shocker pitcher in the spring.

Kihle (6-foot, 195 pounds), who played at Andale High, hit .301 this season with five doubles and four home runs. He was successful on 21 of 25 stolen-base attempts.

Schwanke (6-1, 190) made seven appearances last season, going 0-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 33 innings. He tore the lat muscle in his right arm in a March 20 game against Southern Illinois, ending his season. He has hoped to return to the mound this summer in the Cape Cod League.

Williams was 3-4 with a 5.59 ERA and made seven starts among his 18 appearances. Anderson was 5-7 with a 3.94 ERA and started 13 games.

Dustin Hurlbutt, a right-handed junior pitcher from Tabor, was a 16th-round selection of the Oakland Athletics. Hurlbutt was 10-3 for the Bluejays with a 3.16 ERA, throwing seven complete games and striking out 106 in 88 1/3 innings.

Kansas State first baseman Shane Conlon went to Oakland in 34th round and center fielder Max Brown was taken by Arizona in the 37th round. Emporia State third baseman Dean Long was chosen by Texas in the 38th round.

This story was originally published June 10, 2015 at 1:15 PM with the headline "Wichita State has seven selected in major-league draft."