Mount de Sales, Mercer pitchers get called on final day of MLB draft (third-day list)
By Michael A. Lough
The Sports Report
centralgasports@gmail.com
The final day of the Major League Baseball first-year player draft led to calls to three dozens players from Georgia, including a pair from Central Georgia.
Mount de Sales grad Adam Leverett, a sophomore at Gordon State, was picked in the 15th round by Philadelphia, while Mercer senior Kevin Coulter went 33rd, 1,oooth overall, to Cleveland.
They join Houston County’s Tony Locey, Mercer’s Sawyer Gipson-Long, and Veterans’ Gabe Holt as Central players getting picked.
The 40-round, 1,217-player, three-day event concluded around 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Leverett went 9-0 with a 2.79 ERA in 71 innings, with 83 strikeouts and 31 walks. He had an impressive 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings, topped by 10 strikeouts in six innings against Columbia State.
Defense behind him was iffy: Half of the runs he gave up were unearned.
He had more strikeouts than walks in every appearance.
Last year, he was 4-3 in 13 games with a 3.53 ERA, 46 strikeouts and 29 walks in 63.2 innings.
Gordon State finished 50-9 in 2019, winning the Georgia College Athletic Association title and losing twice to Walters State (Tenn.) in the national junior college regional.
Coulter became Mercer’s 25th draft pick since head coach Craig Gibson took over in 2004.
The senior righty from Buford went 18-11 with 195 strikeouts in 279.1 innings at Mercer. He led the Bears with 83 innings in 2019, going 5-3 with a 3.90 ERA and 66 strikeouts in a starting and relieving role to help the Bears win the Southern Conference Tournament and get the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
He was an All-Freshman pick.
Mercer signee Coby Thomas, an outfielder from Valdosta, was picked by Baltimore with the first pick of the 37th round.
Eight Georgia players were picked, the most since a record 11 wnet in 2009. That draft had 10 more rounds and 300 more picks.
Cam Shepherd announced his plan to return to Georgia for his senior year before the draft. He went in the 20th round.
Georgia Tech had seven players chosen.
With the draft over, free-agent signings will commence.
The MLB.com tracker in the past was able to add players from Georgia playing out of state on the dropdown for the state. Email centralgasports@gmail.com with any Georgia players on an out-of-state team.
Georgia players drafted rounds 10-40, with round and overall pick
P Gavin Collyer, Mountain View 12th round, 355th overall, to Texas
2B Cam Coursey, Ga. Gwinnett Coll. 13th 392nd , to Arizona
OF Chase Murray, Georgia Tech 13th, 394th, to Pittsburgh
P Zac Kristofak, Georgia 14th, 421nd, to Arizona
OF Andre Tarver, Ringgold 15th, 443rd, to San Diego
P Adam Leverett, Mount de Sales/Gordon 15th, 450th, to Philadelphia
P Connor Housley, Sandy Creek 17th, 505th, to Texas
P Amos Willingham, Georgia Tech 17th, 513th, to Washington
P Marc Church, North Atlanta 18th, 535th, to Texas
LF Cade Marlowe, West Georgia 20th, 606th, to Seattle
SS Cam Shepherd, Georgia 20th, 608th, Tampa Bay
SS Myles Austin, Westlake 20th, 613th, to Milwaukee
OF Tucker Maxwell, Georgia 22nd, 660th, to Philadelphia
P Matthew Swain, Ga. Gwinnett Coll. 23rd, 689th, to Minnesota
3B Josh Broughton, Valdosta State 25th, 739th, to Kansas City
P Josh Coburn, Kennesaw State 25th, 742nd, to Detroit
P Alexander McFarlane, Habersham Cent. 25th, 755th, to St. Louis
3B Riley King, Georgia 26th, 787th, to Atlanta
P Coleman Crow, Pike County 28th, 841st, to Anaheim
SS Brennan Milone, Woodstock 28th, 851st, to LA Dodgers
P Will Childers, Lakeside 30th, 902nd, to Arizona
C Jonathan French, Parkview 30th,910th, to Cleveland
P Zachary Maxwell, North Paulding 30th, 915th, to NY Yankees
3B Luke Waddell, Georgia Tech 32nd, 962nd, to Arizona
P Dylan Beasley, Berry 32nd, 963rd, to Washington
P Bradley Blalock, Grayson 32nd, 977th, to Boston
P Kevin Coulter, Mercer 33rd, 1000th, to Cleveland
P Nolan Letzgus, Heritage 34th, 1,032nd, to Chicago Cubs
P Ramsey David, Buford 35th, 1,052nd, to Arizona
OF Deion Walker, Hillgrove 35th, 1,054th, to Pittsburgh
OF Justin Washington, Savannah State 35th, 1,061st, to LA Dodgers
OF Colby Thomas, Valdosta 37th, 1,098th, to Baltimore
P Kolton Ingram, Columbus State 37th, 1,102nd, to Detroit
OF Tres Gonzalez, Mt. Vernon Presby. 37th, 1,121st, to LA Dodgers