Last year it was Tyler Jay. Now it's Cody Sedlock. For the first time in school history, Illini baseball players have been selected in the first round of the MLB draft in consecutive years. It's just the school's third-ever first round selection. Perhaps even more impressive than that anecdote is the skills set that Sedlock will bring to the table for the Baltimore Orioles, who picked him 27th overall tonight.
Head coach Dan Hartleb released a statement on Sedlock following his selection:
The Orioles are getting an outstanding young man in Cody Sedlock. Cody's work, on and off the field, have made him deserving of a first-round pick. It has been impressive to watch his development on the mound and in the weight room over the past three years; he's a great competitor. I really respect him as a person and for what he did for our program.
Sedlock wasn't even a starter for the Illini last year, but he quickly became the team's ace this season. He racked up 116 strikeouts to go along with a 2.49 ERA and a 5-3 record in 101 innings on the mound. He most likely cemented his high draft pick by finishing his final month in the orange and blue with a 1.01 ERA.
Having back-to-back pitchers drafted in the first round also certainly says something about Illinois' pitching staff:
.@IlliniBaseball w/ a first round arm in back-to-back years.. P coach Drew Dickinson getting it done. #PlayerDevelopment
— Mike Rooney (@Mike_Rooney) June 10, 2016
Best of luck to Cody as he dons a different shade of orange and attempts to make his way up through the Orioles' farm system. Or maybe the Cubs will trade for him:
Can't wait until the Cubs acquire him in exchange for a bucket of rocks and a McDonald's item to be named later. https://t.co/5OijVDfAo7
— Jim Vainisi (@JimVainisi) June 10, 2016