The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Kennedy selected by Rockies in fifth round of the 2017 MLB Draft
06.13.2017 | Baseball
The sophomore left-hander is the second Longhorn taken in this year’s draft.
AUSTIN, Texas—Texas Baseball sophomore Nick Kennedy has been selected in the fifth round (146th overall) by the Colorado Rockies on day two of the 2017 Major League Baseball Draft.
Kennedy, who at age 21 is draft-eligible as a sophomore, had a breakout season with the Longhorns. The lefthander appeared in 19 games (nine starts) at Texas, compiling an 8-2 record with a 3.02 ERA. In 53.2 innings of work, he struck out 59 and registered his first complete game—a seven-inning, two-run, 11-strikeout effort—on the road at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on March 28.
On June 5, he was named a 2017 Gregg Olson Award semifinalist. The Olson Award, which is given annually to college baseball's breakout player of the year, recognizes a top amateur baseball player who elevates his game to an elite level throughout the season.
Kennedy is the second Longhorn taken in this year's draft after right-handed pitcher Morgan Cooper was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers, 62nd overall, on day one. Kennedy joins last year's eighth-round pick LHP Ty Culbreth and 2015's fifth-round pick RHP Parker French as recent Longhorns taken by the Rockies.
