Valpo's Gaedele, YSU's Klein, UWM's Pierce Tabbed in MLB Draft

Valparaiso outfielder Kyle Gaedele (Arlington Heights, Ill.), Youngstown State pitcher Phil Klein (Gahanna, Ohio) and Milwaukee pitcher Chad Pierce (Fond du Lac, Wis.) were among the names called over the three day Major League Baseball Rule 4 draft June 6-8.

Gaedele was taken in the sixth round (203rd overall) by the San Diego Padres, becoming the highest draft pick in Valparaiso history. A Second Team All-Horizon League pick in 2011, Gaedele started all 57 games for the Crusaders, hitting .312 with seven home runs and 39 RBI. With a .417 on-base percentage and a .511 slugging percentage, Gaedele added 23 stolen bases as well.

In his sophomore season, Gaedele, set Valpo's single-season RBI mark with 63 runs driven in. Gaedele batted .326 over his three-year career with the Crusaders, hitting 17 home runs and driving home 121 runs.  His RBI total ranks seventh in school history. A junior this past season, Gaedele also has tallied 48 doubles and 12 triples, ranking fifth and third respectively on Valpo’s career list.  The 86 walks he has drawn also rank fifth in Crusader laurels. Gaedele also ranks third all-time in a Brown and Gold uniform with 148 career runs scored as well as third with 48 stolen bases, while being caught just six times.

Gaedele was a two-time Second Team All-Horizon League selection at Valparaiso, while he earned All-Tournament Team accolades in 2010.  He also was named to the conference’s All-Newcomer Team following his freshman season.

Gaedele is the third Crusader in the last two seasons to be drafted, and fourth in the five years that Woodson has been at the helm of the Brown and Gold.  He is the highest selection ever by a Crusader, surpassing Lloyd McClendon’s eighth round pick by the New York Mets in the June Amateur Draft in 1980.

Gaedele is the 18th player all-time to be selected from Valparaiso.

Klein will become the fourth former Youngstown State standout in the professional ranks after the Texas Rangers selected him in the 30th Round, 924th overall, on Tuesday.  Collecting Second Team All-League honors in 2011, the right-hander led the Horizon League with 105 strikeouts in his senior year, going 5-5 with a 3.61 ERA overall. In League play, Klein tallied a a 2-2 mark and a 2.61 ERA.

The 105 punchouts were the second most in a single season in YSU history, leaving Klein in second place in the Penguins' ledger with 258 career strikeouts.

The 6-foot-7 righty was a First Team All-League pick in 2009, as he struck out 80 batters in 76 innings his sophomore year, winning five straight decisions from April 5-May 13.

Pierce was drafted the team in his backyard, as the Milwaukee Brewers took the right-hander in the 38th round, 1151 overall, on Wednesday. Returning home after a two-year stint at Arkansas, Pierce earned Horizon League Pitcher of the Year honors in 2011 after taking Co-Newcomer of the Year accolades in 2010.

In 101.0 innings pitched, the 6-foot-1 right-hander turned in a 6-4 mark and a 3.21 ERA. Starting all 15 games in which he appeared, Pierce struck out 87 batters while allowing just 82 hits and 29 walks.

In his junior year, Pierce helped lead the Panthers to the NCAA Tournament, collecting Horizon League Tournament MVP honors after winning both of his starts, allowing just three earned runs across 15 innings of work and tossing 6 innings in the league title game. Pierce also started the NCAA Regional opener against Arizona State.