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Illinois catcher Jason Goldstein selected by Seattle Mariners in Ninth Round of MLB Draft

Good morning. Welcome to the Orange Minute for Saturday, June 11.

By Jim Vainisi
Photo via Illinois Baseball Report

On Friday afternoon, Fighting Illini catcher Jason Goldstein was selected in the ninth round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners. Goldstein played in 198 games during his Illinois career, finishing with a .289 batting average, 16 home runs, and 115 RBI; he was also the second catcher in program history to earn three All-Big Ten honors.

Goldstein was drafted in the 17th round of the 2015 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he obviously elected to return to Illinois for his senior season. That seems to have been the right move since he was able to improve his draft status while obtaining a degree from the university.

So congratulations, Jason! The No. 267 overall pick has a slot value of $168,900, so you've got that to look forward to.

Illinois Football News

- Freshman QB Eli Peters is transferring to Toledo (TCR)

The former three-star prospect is originally signed to play for Bill Cubit and his staff, so this isn't too big of a surprise. Peters seems to be a good player, but his style of play doesn't fit Garrick McGee's vision of the future offense.

- Lovie Smith, Illini using satellite camps to reach stars (The Courier)

"We've had a great reception with the first three camps we've put on," Smith said. "We expected more than 200 players in Dallas, and we got more than 500. We got a great reception.

"When you're new, you want to spread your message as much as anything. We can help young athletes get better in the summer, but it's also about spreading our brand, too."

Illinois Basketball News

- Illini attendance ranked No. 28 nationally last season (TCR)

That seems pretty good on the surface, but Illinois' fan turnout was down from No. 15 the year before. Also, the nightly turnout at State Farm Center was the program's worst since 1978.

- 2019 PG Marquise Walker will visit Illinois on Saturday (Illini Inquirer)

It's early for the class-of-2019, but the St. Joe's (Chicago) guard is already one of the best players in the state. Don't be shocked if Illinois extends a scholarship offer soon.