June 8, 2007

Enright the first of several area players tabbed as draft begins
Pitcher is taken 73rd overall (second round) by Arizona. Four Pepperdine stars go in the first five rounds. No South Bay prep players picked on Day One.

By Chris Jackson

Pepperdine junior right-hander Barry Enright was the first area player taken in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Thursday.

The Waves' top starter went in the second round to the Arizona Diamondbacks with the No. 73 overall selection.

"I actually got the call from the area scout, Hal Kurtzman, two picks before," Enright said. "I was excited. The nervousness was gone. The whole time I was thinking, `Where am I going?"'

Enright was one of 184 amateur players who found out where they're going as the draft completed five rounds, with the entire first round airing on ESPN2 for the first time.

Vanderbilt left-hander David Price was taken first overall by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, followed by Chatsworth High infielder Mike Moustakas, a USC recruit, to the Kansas City Royals at No. 2.

The Chicago Cubs then took Cypress High third baseman Josh Vitters, with the Pittsburgh Pirates opting for Clemson left-hander Daniel Moskos and the Baltimore Orioles selecting Georgia Tech catcher Matt Wieters to round out the top five.

Among area players, Enright was followed in the second round by his teammate, junior shortstop Danny Worth, who went to the Detroit Tigers with the No. 91 overall pick.

UCLA junior right-hander Brant Rustich went two picks later to the New York Mets.

"It's been fun, I've been looking forward to it for a long time," said Rustich, the Bruins' closer. " I tried not to think about it too much. I didn't want it to affect me too much. The draft is so unpredictable. You can't have any expectations going into it."

While Enright said he was on vacation in Northern California, Rustich was busy preparing for Saturday's NCAA super regional at Cal State Fullerton.

Loyola Marymount junior shortstop Eric Farris was taken in the fourth round by the Milwaukee Brewers.

Farris said he was especially happy to be selected by an organization like Milwaukee, which relies heavily on homegrown talent.

"I love the way they work within their own organization," Farris said. "It looks like they're trying to build with the young talent. I'm really excited. I can't wait to get out there."

The fifth round saw three more area players selected. The Royals took Pepperdine junior center fielder Adrian Ortiz, the Washington Nationals picked LMU junior right-hander Brad Meyers and the New York Yankees selected Pepperdine junior right-hander Adam Olbrychowski.

No high school players from the area were taken in the first five rounds.

Enright said the four Waves taken in the first five rounds couldn't have done it without each other and the support they received at Pepperdine.

"Putting all the hard work in throughout high school and college has paid off," Enright said. "(The credit) all goes to a good supporting cast I had back home with my family, and the great supporting cast I had in all my teammates and coaches.

"They've made me the baseball player I am now."

Farris said that despite the fact the Lions went 22-33-1 this season, he couldn't have been drafted so high without his LMU experience.

"I am disappointed how our season went," Farris said. "(But) I know I was part of a good program. The program is going to get stronger. I see nothing but good things for LMU in the future. I can't thank the school and the coaches there enough for all they did for me."

Rustich got to thank his coaches and teammates in person, then reminded them there's still something for the Bruins to focus on.

"They're all real happy for me," Rustich said. "Now I want the team to focus on what we need to accomplish this weekend. We'll celebrate this later."