Three athletes from Snohomish County were among the players selected Wednesday on the final day of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft. Another two were selected Tuesday.
The Detroit Tigers picked Edmonds Community College pitcher Alec Kisena in the 16th round, the Miami Marlins grabbed former Granite Falls and Everett CC standout Max Whitt in the 17th round, and former Monroe High School and Bellevue College pitcher Jake Reppert went to the Philadelphia Philles in the 27th round.
Kisena, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound right-hander, is a 2013 graduate of Jackson High School. He appeared in 11 games for Edmonds CC this spring and posted a 6-3 record. In 75 innings, he allowed 48 hits, struck out 59 and compiled a 2.27 ERA.
Kisena was a member of the Mill Creek all-star team that playd in the Little League World Series in 2008.
“It’s crazy. The last four or five years it’s been non-stop work, work, work because of this goal,” Kisena said. “I got a little hint of what it could possibly be like when I was 12 years old in 2008 with the Mill Creek Little League team. I got a taste of the exposure you get as a baseball player and what it entails. That made me love the game even more than I already did at that time.”
The St. Louis Cardinals, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres all showed interest in Kisena, who just completed his freshman season after redshirting in 2014. He’s been playing summer ball for the Bellingham Bells of the West Coast League. Kisena is scheduled to start Thursday against the Corvalis Knights.
Kisena, who grew up a Chicago Cubs fan, said he’d probably get a Tigers hat soon, but beyond that, his future is uncertain.
“I don’t know yet,” Kisena said when asked if he plans to turn pro. “School is still going on for Edmonds and the quarter ends on the 18th. I’m not completely sure. My gut tells me that I want to sign because it’s something that I’ve worked hard (toward) for so long. But I also know that I have one more year of eligibility at Edmonds. My gut tells me to sign and that’s where I’m leaning.”
Whitt, a left-handed hitting middle infielder, recently completed his junior season at Lewis-Clark State. He hit .298, with 17 home runs and 72 RBI. His home run and RBI totals both ranked second on the team.
Before joining Lewis-Clark State, Whitt played two seasons at Everett CC. He helped the Trojans win the 2013 Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges championship.
Reppert, a left-handed pitcher, just completed his senior season at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho. He posted a 5-5 record, a 3.56 ERA and struck out 78 batters in 83? innings.
On Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Rays selected former Meadowdale High School and Edmonds CC pitcher Sam Triece in the 10th round.
Triece recently completed his senior season at Washington State University. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound right-hander was 5-0 this year, with a 2.66 ERA in a team-leading 31 appearances, including three starts. He recorded 59 strikeouts and held opposing hitters to a .222 batting average in 50? innings.
Over his final 15 appearances dating back to April 7, Triece was 5-0 with a 0.31 ERA in 28? innings, allowing just one run, 10 hits and striking out 31. Over that stretch he held opponents to a .108 batting average.
Triece joined WSU after spending the 2012 season at Edmonds CC. In his three seasons in a Cougar uniform, Triece made 65 appearances, including four starts.
Triece was a three-time member of the WSU Athletics All-Academic team, and a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic selection.
Also on Tuesday, the St. Louis Cardinals selected Shorewood High School left-handed pitcher Ian Oxnevad, The Herald’s 2015 Baseball Player of the Year, in the eighth round.
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