Drafted Trojans
Published 11:12 pm Thursday, June 11, 2009
Draft day was again good to the Troy Trojans this year.
Chris Sorce and Jason Walls were selected on day two of the 2009 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft Wednesday.
“We are very proud of both Jason and Chris,” Troy head coach Bobby Pierce said. “It is great that they were recognized as potential pro players.”
Sorce and Walls are both still weighing their options and had not signed one day after being drafted.
Both players are involved in contract negotiations.
Pierce said the drafting of Walls and Sorce continues the tradition of Trojans in the draft.
“I think these guys getting drafted speaks highly of coach (Mark) Smartt and coach (Jeff) Crane for the effort they put into recruiting talented guys,” Pierce said. “They are able to locate that type of player and we have had many guys drafted through the years.”
Sorce worked his way into the closer role for the Trojans in 2009.
He led the Trojans with a 3.26 ERA. He had 38.2 innings of work and was second on the team with five saves and 53 strikeouts.
Four of Sorce’s saves were in Sun Belt Conference action and his ERA dropped to 2.91 in conference play in 21.2 innings pitched.
He had 26 strikeouts and 10 walks against conference foes.
Walls was 4-4 as a weekend starter for the Trojans and posted a 4.73 ERA with 49 strikeouts in 64.2 innings of action on the mound.
Pierce said figuring out how to replace drafted underclassmen is a task.
“We have to sit and wait to see what these guys will do and then we have to get back to our plan if they sign, but the players we are going after may be gone because they took an offer from another school,” he said. “But it is all part of the complicated recruiting puzzle and there are always tricks and twists, but we have to just move forward and try and figure it out.”