We here at Cardinal Sports Zone would like to congratulate all the UofL student-athletes selected in the 2018 MLB draft!
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - For the third straight season, the University of Louisville baseball team had eight players selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft as five Cardinals were chosen on the final day of the 2018 edition Wednesday afternoon.
Junior righthanded pitcher Riley Thompson was selected in the 11th round (338th overall) by the Chicago Cubs, junior righty Sam Bordner went in the 16th round (477th overall) to the Miami Marlins and junior righthander Liam Jenkins was taken in the 17th round (523rd overall) by the Cleveland Indians. Graduate righthanded pitcher Austin Conway was selected in the 31st round (918th overall) by the Chicago White Sox and junior righty Bryan Hoeing went in the 36th round (1,066th overall) to the San Francisco Giants.
The eight Cardinals chosen in this year’s draft (as well as 2016 and 2017) ranks as the second highest total in school history trailing only the 10 players selected in 2010. Overall, Louisville has produced seven or more MLB Draft selections six times in the last nine years, including five of the last six (2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018).
A Louisville native, Thompson made 11 appearances on the mound for the Cardinals in 2018, including seven starts, registering a 1-3 record, 6.82 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 33.0 innings pitched. Wednesday’s selection marked the third time Thompson has been drafted by an MLB team after going in the 37th round in 2015 to the Cincinnati Reds and in the 25th round in 2017 to the New York Yankees.
Bordner made 17 relief appearances for the Cardinals in 2018 registering a 1-2 record with 10 saves, 3.38 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 18.2 innings. Last season, the Baltimore, Ohio native earned Third Team All-America honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association while accumulating a 2-0 record, three saves and a 0.41 ERA in 43.2 innings and 23 total appearances as a sophomore.
In his first season with the Cardinals, Jenkins made 14 appearances with two starts and finished with a 1-1 record, 6.46 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 15.1 innings. A native of Mokena, Illinois, Jenkins was selected in the 40th round of the 2017 MLB Draft following his sophomore season at Wabash Valley College.
Hailing from Muncie, Indiana, Conway had a 3-1 record with two saves, 2.25 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 20 total appearances and 24.0 innings pitched during his only season with the Cardinals. A graduate transfer from Indiana State, he completed his collegiate career with 22 saves, including 20 with the Sycamores.
Hoeing completed his third season in Louisville with a 7-2 record, 2.88 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 68.2 innings pitched. A native of Batesville, Indiana, Hoeing had a team-leading 24 appearances in 2018, including five starts. Following his final prep season at Batesville High School, Hoeing was chosen in the 32nd round of the 2015 MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Junior outfielder Josh Stowers became the first Louisville player selected in the 2018 MLB Draft going 54th overall to the Seattle Mariners in the second round on Monday night. Junior lefthanded pitcher Adam Wolf and junior infielder Devin Mann were each selected in the fifth round of the 2018 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Tuesday. Wolf went 135th overall to the Detroit Tigers and Mann was chosen 164th by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Louisville baseball team completed its 2018 season with a loss at Texas Tech in the championship round of the NCAA Lubbock Regional. The Cardinals finished with a 45-19 record overall after advancing to the final round of an NCAA Regional for the seventh straight season. Louisville also registered its seventh straight 40-win season and the 11th in 12 seasons under head coach Dan McDonnell.
Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter at @UofLBaseball and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ulbaseball.
LOUISVILLE BASEBALL AT 2018 MLB DRAFT
- OF, Josh Stowers (Westchester, Ill./Mount Carmel HS) – 2nd Round – 54th Selection – Seattle Mariners
- LHP, Adam Wolf (Milan, Ohio/Edison HS) – 5th Round – 135th Selection – Detroit Tigers
- INF, Devin Mann (Columbus, Ind./Columbus North HS) – 5th Round – 164th Selection – Los Angeles Dodgers
- RHP, Riley Thompson (Louisville, Ky./Christian Academy of Louisville) – 11th Round – 338th Selection – Chicago Cubs
- RHP, Sam Bordner (Baltimore, Ohio/Bloom-Carroll HS) – 16th Round – 477th Selection – Miami Marlins
- RHP, Liam Jenkins (Mokena, Ill./Lincoln-Way North HS) – 17th Round – 523rd Selection – Cleveland Indians
- RHP, Austin Conway (Muncie, Ind./Delta HS) – 31st Round – 918th Selection – Chicago White Sox
- RHP, Bryan Hoeing (Batesville, Ind./Batesville HS) – 36th Round – 1,066th Selection – San Francisco Giants
