Olson
Leads Record List of Three Ravens Taken
on Day One
Junior All-American Garrett Olson (Norway, Maine/Oxford Hills) headed the list with his
selection in the fourth round (126th overall) by the
Minnesota Twins – marking the highest draft pick in program history.
The pick surpasses Shawn Hayes’ selection in the fifth round (142nd
overall) in the 2005 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals.
The Arizona Diamondbacks took junior right-hander Daniel Fournier
(Worcester, Mass./Holy Name) in the 11th round (327 overall), marking the two highest picks
in the same year in program history. Junior right-hander Shane
Presutti (Southbridge, Mass./Southbridge) gave the Ravens a record three picks on day one (and
overall) when he was selected by the Oakland A’s in the 12th
round (368 overall).
“I’m just happy for the guys drafted today and the program
for the year we had,” said Franklin Pierce Head Coach Jayson King. “Our record-breaking year just carried over to
the draft.”
The three picks surpasses Franklin Pierce’s previous best of
two selections in one season last year when Hayes and relief pitcher
Matt Fisher (15th round, Tampa Bay) were both taken on day
one. The Ravens nine picks since 2001 are tied with the University of
Connecticut for second among New England Colleges and Universities
behind Boston College (15).
“When I think what we did this year and how was great it was,
it’s cool we went so far and showed the team had a lot of talent,”
said Fournier. “Now the three of us, and hopefully some more guys,
will get to represent Franklin Pierce at the pro level.” “This should help the program more and more,” said Presutti. “This just shows you how good coach is at recruiting this type of talent to Franklin Pierce.”
Olson,
rated as the No. 2 ranked Pro Prospect in Division II and 95th-ranked
prospect in college baseball by Baseball America magazine in
the preseason, became Franklin Pierce’s first two-time All-American
when he was selected to the first team by both the American Baseball
Coaches Association (ABCA) and National Collegiate Baseball Writers
Association (NCBWA). The ABCA/Rawlings Northeast Region and
Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year hit .367 (88-for-240) with
69 runs scored, 19 doubles, five triples, 14 home runs and 60 RBI to
go with 18 stolen bases.
“As a two-time All-American, Garrett couldn’t do much more
for our program than he did,” said King. “It’s just a testament
to what he did for our program.”
Olson was also sound in the field, committing just 11 errors
(on 313 chances) for a .965 fielding percentage. He led the Ravens
with 28 multiple hit games and notched 12 multi-RBI outings (2nd).
Olson was named to the All-Tournament team of the NCAA Division II
Northeast Regional, where he posted an impressive .560 (14-for-25)
average, 11 runs scored, two doubles, five home runs and ten RBI over
the five games.
Olson finished his career among career leaders in several
categories at Franklin Pierce. He is second all-time in runs scored
(166) and home runs (28), third in batting average (.359), fourth in
triples (8), RBI (126) and stolen bases (44), fifth in hits (228),
sixth in games played (160) and seventh in doubles (38). This season,
Olson set program records for hits and runs scored, while his home run
total was just one shy of the program record. “I started getting excited and antsy in the third round,” said Olson, who gathered with family and friends at home, along King. “I was surprised that Minnesota took me because they hadn’t had much contact with me. I’m excited about the chance to go out and play professional baseball. I’m happy with where I went, it exceeded my expectations I had at the start of the year.”
Fournier,
a two-time All-Northeast-10 selection, posted a 5-3 record for
Franklin Pierce this spring with a 3.18 ERA, 88 strikeouts and 32
walks in 62.1 innings of work, holding opposing batters to a .181
batting average. He led all of Division II with 12.71 strikeouts per
nine innings and tossed the fourth no-hitter in program history
against Southern Connecticut State University on March 28. The effort
earned him Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week honors from Collegiate
Baseball magazine.
“It’s awesome and exciting,” Fournier said of getting
picked. “I had met with the (Diamondbacks) scout during the season
had a feeling they had the most interest in me.”
Fournier posted a 15-7 record in 30 appearances over his career
at Franklin Pierce. His win total is good for fifth all-time to go
with a 3.07 ERA (4th all-time) and 208 strikeouts (4th)
in 167.0 innings pitched (8th). Fournier’s 88 strikeouts
this season rank sixth in program history. “Dan’s best innings are in the future for him as he is a guy with a lot of upside,” said King. “I think pitching every day he will continue to improve and have a good pro career.”
Presutti,
a first team All-NE-10 and All-Northeast Region pick, enjoyed a
breakout year for Franklin Pierce after transferring from Quinsigamond
Community College. He posted a 9-2 record and 2.64 ERA in 14
appearances (12 starts) for the Ravens, striking out 95 and walking 31
in 85.1 innings of work, holding opposing batters to a .208 batting
average.
Presutti set a school record when he posted back-to-back
shutouts and notched a shutout inning streak of 34.1 innings late in
the regular season. His win total was just one shy of the program’s
single-season mark, while his ERA is good for eighth in program
history and his strikeout total shared the NE-10 lead and ranks fourth
all-time.
“Shane had a great year, winning a lot of games for us,”
said King. “At times this year he was dominant and I hope he can
continue to be that way at the next level.”
“It’s very exciting,” said Presutti. “(Oakland’s)
kind of showed their interest last minute, but their offer in the 12th
worked out for me.”
Franklin Pierce (46-13) shattered the program record for wins
en route to earning its second trip to the NCAA Division II Baseball
Championships in four years where the Ravens again reached the
semifinal round. The Ravens posted a record 25-5 record in
Northeast-10 Conference play, earning the first regular season title
in program history.
Franklin Pierce doesn’t figure to be done making its mark on
the 2006 MLB Draft with upwards of four or five more potential picks
in rounds 19-50 on Wednesday. |
