MLB Draft 5 in 05

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Kevin Ardoin was lone Cajuns player selected in first day of draft >

University of Louisiana Players Drafted in 2005 MLB Draft

10th Round: #300 Kevin Ardoin, RHP (Detroit Tigers)

24th Round: #733 Dallas Morris, 3B (Los Angeles Angels)

29th Round: #879 Phillip Hawke, 1B (Texas Rangers)

31st Round: #939 Austin Faught, LHP (Texas Rangers)

39th Round: #1180 Justin Morgan, C (Chicago Cubs)

LOUISIANA La. - Five players from the 2005 Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns baseball team that won the Sun Belt Conference regular season championship and made the 10th NCAA Regional appearance in school history were drafted in the 2005 MLB First-Year Player Draft which was held Tuesday and Wednesday in New York City.

The five players (Kevin Ardoin, Dallas Morris, Phillip Hawke, Austin Faught and Justin Morgan) selected were the most in a single draft since 2000 when six players were chosen during Louisiana-Lafayette's epic run at the NCAA College World Series.

Twenty-six players have now been selected under head coach Tony Robichaux, while Faught, who was selected three times, was the only player to be drafted multiple times.

Ardoin, a Eunice native, was selected with the 300th overall pick in the 10th round by the Detroit Tigers. Ardoin was a second team All-Sun Belt selection after going 10-5 with a 3.76 earned run average and a team-best 115 strikeouts.

Ardoin was a nominee for the Brooks Wallace Award which is given to the nation's top college baseball player and the Roger Clemens Award which is given to the nation's top college pitcher.

Last season, Ardoin was drafted in the 17th round by the Texas Rangers.

Morris, who arguably had two of the best offensive seasons in school history, was selected in the 24th round (#733) by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Morris hit .357 with a team-high 12 home runs and 68 RBI, while hitting a team-best 92 hits. Morris became the third player in school history with at least 90 hits in a single season, while combining with teammate Josh Landry to become the first pair of teammates in school history to each drive in at least 60 runs in the same season.

Morris, a first team All-Sun Belt selection this season and a second team All-Sun Belt pick in 2004, was also nominated for the Brooks Wallace Award.

The other corner of the Cajuns infield also saw his name pop up on the MLB Draft board on day two - Phillip Hawke, who was drafted in the 29th round (#879) by Texas. This season, Hawke became the school's all-time leader in career and single-season walks. Hawke also finished in the career top five in games played and home runs.

Hawke, a Baton Rouge native, received back-to-back second team All-Sun Belt honors at first base in 2004 and 2005. Hawke batted .317 with 10 home runs and 42 RBI.

The third time was a charm. Faught, who was drafted in the 31st round (#939) by Texas, originally transferred to Louisiana-Lafayette prior to the 2003 season and made an immediate impact to the Cajuns' pitching staff. However, an elbow injury prematurely ended his season.

After sitting out the 2004 season to recover from "Tommy John" surgery, Faught came back with a vengeance, going 12-0 with a 2.40 earned run average en route to first team All-Sun Belt honors and being named Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year.

It marked the third time in as many seasons that Faught was drafted by the Texas Rangers. Faught was selected by Texas in the 35th round in 2003 and the 43rd round in 2004.

Probably one of the most fascinating stories in day two of the MLB Draft was that of Justin Morgan. Morgan, who was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 39th round (#1180), finished his best season as a Cajun.

This season, Morgan batted .331 with four home runs and 32 RBI, including a home run in his final at bat as a Cajun against Alabama in the NCAA New Orleans Regional on June 5. In March, Morgan became the first of three Cajuns this season to tie the school record with five hits in a game.

Morgan began his career at Louisiana-Lafayette as a walk-on and ended his career as one of three captains on the 2005 squad that won the Sun Belt Conference regular season championship.

Louisiana-Lafayette finished the 2005 season with a 48-19 overall record, while claiming the Sun Belt Conference regular season championship. The Cajuns also appeared in the NCAA New Orleans Regional hosted by Tulane University at Turchin Stadium.

LOUISIANA SI

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6 were taken in 1989 and 2000

5 were taken in 1990 and 2005

4 were taken in 1986 and 1988

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Dallas Morris and Justin Morgan joined the University of Louisiana's baseball program in the fall of 2000 as non-scholarship walk-ons, guys that were just hoping to make the Ragin' Cajun squad.

On Wednesday, both had their names pop up as selections in the 2005 Major League Baseball draft of amateur talent.

"One thing we take pride in is development," said Cajun coach Tony Robichaux. "Probably 90 percent of our recruits aren't drafted. The draft doesn't tell if you can play pro ball, it's if you're ready to play pro ball."

Morris and Morgan were among four Cajuns selected Wednesday in the final 32 rounds of the 50-round draft, with third baseman Morris tabbed in the 24th round by the Los Angeles Angels and catcher Morgan picked in the 39th round by the Chicago Cubs.

Also selected Wednesday were first baseman Phillip Hawke and pitcher Austin Faught, picked in the 29th and 31st round respectively by the Texas Rangers.

The first 18 rounds were held Tuesday, when Cajun pitcher Kevin Ardoin - another walk-on - was a Detroit Tiger selection.

"We try to get guys that can come in and get better here," Robichaux said. "These guys weren't drafted out of high school, but they've come here and gotten better and put themselves in this position."

It was expected that Ardoin, Morris, Hawke and Faught would be selected. Not so for Morgan, who was caught completely off-guard and thought that Cajun administrative assistant Sport Voorhies was joking with a phone call right after his selection.

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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com