Four Sooners Selected On First Day Of Major League Draft

NORMAN, Okla. - Four University of Oklahoma baseball players were chosen on the first day of the 2003 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Tuesday. Senior offensive stars Reggie Willits and Eddie Cornejo were joined by underclassmen pitchers Buddy Blair and David Purcey as the only Sooners selected in the first 20 rounds of the annual draft. It marked the second-straight year that the Sooners had four players chosen on the first day of the two-day event.

Willits was the first Sooner name to appear on the selection board when he was picked in the seventh round, the 210th pick overall, by the World Champion Anaheim Angels. Blair, a staple on the mound for the Sooners over the last three seasons, followed in the 10th round when he was the 305th player taken in the draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. Three rounds later, Cornejo was chosen by the Oakland Athletics with the 392nd pick in the 13th round, followed by Purcey's 17th round selection by the New York Yankees as the number 514th overall pick.

Willits' seventh round selection was the highest pick of a University of Oklahoma player since former Sooner infielder Tommy Whiteman was chosen in the sixth round by the Houston Astros in the 2000 draft. A second team All-Big 12 Conference performer in the outfield this season, the Fort Cobb, Okla., product finished the regular season as the conference's stolen base leader and, after ranking towards the top in batting for most of the year, he finished tied for 11th in hitting in the league. He also ranked in the top 10 in several other Big 12 categories including on base percentage, runs scored and walks. His stolen bases per game average currently ranks him tied for sixth in the nation in the category.

Blair first caught the eye of professional scouts last summer after becoming one of the top pitchers to emerge out of the college summer baseball leagues. A 15-game starter for the Sooners this year, the Tulsa, Okla., native finished the season tied for the team lead in wins with a 5-6 record, while his 5.09 ERA ranked second among the squad's starters. He saved the best for last as he helped the Sooners clinch a conference tournament berth in his final regular season start while combining with closer Jarod McAuliff to pitch the team's only shutout of the season in a 7-0 victory over Missouri.

Cornejo ended his two-year Oklahoma career as a unanimous first team All-Big 12 selection after ending the regular season ranked second in the league in hitting overall and in conference games only. The conference's Co-Player of the Week for the week of April 28, also appeared among the league leaders in on base percentage, hits and walks. A native of Mira Loma, Calif., the Athletics' selection will keep Cornejo close to his west coast roots.

Purcey began the season as a preseason second team All-American selection by Baseball America and was also projected as the Big 12's top Major League prospect entering the season by the publication. Following a rocky beginning to the season, the Dallas, Texas, native finished strong and evened his record at 3-3 while posting a 5.20 ERA. Like Blair, Purcey also turned in some of the best performances of his career towards the end of the season. The sophomore-eligible drafteee recorded seven or more strikeouts in each of his final three starts and also tied his career long of seven innings pitched in the last two contests.

The draft concludes tomorrow with selections beginning with the 21st round.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Four Sooners Selected On First Day Of Major League Draft

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