University of Houston Athletics
Four Players, Signee Taken in 2008 MLB First-Year Player Draft
6/8/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 8, 2008
Four University of Houston players and a signee recently were taken in the 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
Sophomore southpaw Wes Musick was taken in the 24th round by the San Francisco Giant, while senior infielder Ryan Lormand was selected by the Giants two rounds later. Senior infielder Bryan Pounds was selected in the 34th round by the Detroit Tigers, while junior infielder Jimmy Cesario was taken in the 46th round by the Colorado Rockies.
In addition to those current Cougars, 2008 signee and right-handed pitcher Michael Goodnight of Westside High was picked in the 27th round by the Cleveland Indians.
This marked the seventh consecutive season and the 11th time in the last 12 years that at least one Cougar player was chosen in the annual draft.
Musick was the Cougars' regular Friday-night starter. The Lufkin native finished with an 8-4 record, 4.35 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 97.1 innings. He was one of only five pitchers to rank among the Top-10 leaders in all three Triple Crown categories in C-USA.
He also was named to the 2008 All-Conference USA Second Team, the second straight season he earned a berth on the league's postseason squad.
Lormand was one of only two players to start all 66 games and started all 122 games during his two-year career, one of the longest consecutive games played streak in UH history. Lormand finished with a .330 batting average, four home runs and 59 RBIs.
The Waco native also ranked among the C-USA and national leaders with 29 stolen bases and was named to the NCAA College Station Regional All-Tournament Team.
Pounds joined the Cougar starting lineup during the series finale against Pacific on Feb. 24 and never left it again. After batting 4-for-5 against the Tigers, he would never relinquish the team lead in batting average, finishing with a .354 average. The Houston native also posted 10 home runs and 67 RBIs, the latter being one of the highest totals in UH single-season history.
A 2008 All-Conference USA First-Team honoree, Pounds became the sixth player to be named a conference tournament Most Valuable Player with his outstanding performance at the 2008 C-USA Championship.
Cesario was a regular in the heart of the Cougar lineup throughout the season. Although a wrist injury in late March sidelined him for 10 games, the Metairie, La., native rebounded by the end of the season, finishing with a .326 batting average, nine home runs and 41 RBIs.
Cesario was especially effective near the end of the season, being named to the All-Tournament Teams for both the C-USA Championship and the NCAA College Station Regional
Goodnight was an award-winning player in both baseball and football during his prep career, being named the District 20-5A Most Valuable Player as a junior.
University of Houston Draft Selections
Pos. * Name * Rd. * Pick * Team * B-T * Ht. * Wt. * Hometown
LHP * Wes Musick * 24th * 717 * San Francisco Giants * L-L * 6-0 * 185 * Lufkin, Texas
INF * Ryan Lormand * 26th * 777 * San Francisco Giants * R-R * 6-0 * 170 * Waco, Texas
RHP * Michael Goodnight * 27th * 831 * Cleveland Indians * 2008 high school signee
INF * Bryan Pounds * 34th * 1,033 * Detroit Tigers * R-R * 6-0 * 200 * Houston, Texas
INF * Jimmy Cesario * 46th * 1,391 * Colorado Rockies * L-R * 6-0 * 205 * Metairie, La.
