06/10/2009 - Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. -- A record-tying four Duke baseball players were selected on day two of the 2009 MLB First Year Player Draft on Wednesday, marking only the second time in school history that four Duke players were drafted in the same year.

Senior first baseman Nate Freiman was the first Duke player to go off the board when he was selected by the San Diego Padres in the eighth round with the 234th overall pick. Following him were senior starter Andrew Wolcott (17th Round - Arizona Diamondbacks), catcher Matt Williams (18th Round - Chicago Cubs) and OF/RHP Alex Hassan (20th Round - Boston Red Sox).

Those four Blue Devils also become the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh players to be drafted under fourth-year head coach Sean McNally, who has seen at least one player drafted in each of the last three seasons.

Incoming freshman catcher Steven Baron (Compensation Round A - Seattle Mariners) was also picked as the 33rd overall pick on day one, while incoming shortstop Marcus Stroman (18th Round - Washington Nationals) was taken 532nd overall and incoming left-handed pitcher Cameron Coffey (22nd Round - Baltimore Orioles) was taken 656th overall.

Day three of the draft will resume on Thursday, June 11, with teams selecting rounds 31-50. Be sure to check www.GoDuke.com for a final rundown on the Blue Devils that were drafted in 2009. Fans can also follow Duke Baseball on Twitter with live updates at www.twitter.com/DukeBaseball.

2009 MLB Draft
Duke Baseball Players
Individual Highlights

Nate Freiman

Senior – First Base

Ht: 6-8   Wt: 250  B/T: R/R

Wellesley, Mass. (Wellesley)

Drafted: 8th Round (234th Overall) by the San Diego Padres

After leading Duke in batting average (.352), home runs (20) and RBI (62) for the third straight year, Freiman was the first Blue Devil drafted in 2009. A second team All-ACC selection, Freiman broke Duke’s all-time home run record as a senior and become only the second Blue Devil in school history to hit 20 home runs in a season. He was also drafted in the 28th round of the 2008 MLB Draft as a junior, but opted to return to Duke for his senior season where he earned First Team Academic All-America honors. Also a member of the All-Ping!Baseball Team, Freiman finished his career ranked second all-time at Duke with a .356 career batting average and was among the ACC’s top 10 in home runs, RBI, slugging percentage (.703), walks (36), on base percentage (.463) and total bases (154).

 

Andrew Wolcott

Senior – Starting Pitcher

Ht: 6-6   Wt: 240   B/T: R/R

Grayslake, Ill. (Warren Township)

Drafted: 17th Round (516th Overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks

Wolcott put together arguably one of the best seasons by a starting pitcher in Duke history when he led Duke’s starting rotation with an 8-3 record, a 2.77 ERA and 94.1 innings pitched. A first team All-ACC choice, Wolcott was one of the most reliable starters in the ACC and put together a 3.17 ERA against conference competition. Even more impressive was his resume against top-25 competition, who he went 5-0 against with a 2.66 ERA in six starts. The Diamondbacks saw enough of Wolcott make him the second Blue Devil selected in the draft after he went in the 17th round. He is Duke’s highest drafted pitcher since Tim Layden (6th Round) and Zach Schreiber (16th Round) were taken in the 2004 draft.

 

Matt Williams

Senior – Catcher

Ht: 5-11   Wt: 220  B/T: R/R

Northville, Mich. (Northville)

Drafted: 18th Round (560th Overall) by the Chicago Cubs

Since the day he stepped on campus in 2005, Matt Williams has owned Duke’s starting job behind the plate. After a four-year career that saw him improve statistically in nearly every category each year, Williams became the highest drafted Duke catcher in school history after being plucked by the Chicago Cubs in the 18th round. A finalist for the Johnny Bench Award, Williams logged career highs as a senior in batting average (.345), RBI (47) and home runs (5) and was even better in ACC play where he led Duke with a .366 conference batting average. He was just as good, if not better, defensively where he threw out 16 runners and held opposing teams to a .652 stolen base percentage.

 

Alex Hassan

Junior – RHP/OF (Drafted as a RHP)

Ht: 6-4   Wt: 200   B/T: R/R

Boston, Mass. (Boston College High School)

Drafted: 20th Round (618th Overall) by the Boston Red Sox

A native of Milton, Mass., Hassan had his named call by his hometown Boston Red Sox in the 20th round. A two-way outfielder who doubled as Duke’s closer for the past two seasons, Boston drafted Hassan as a pitcher after he tied Duke’s career saves record in 2009. Hassan logged eight saves as a junior, the fourth-most in school history, along with a 4.10 ERA, a 2-2 record and 34 strikeouts in 26.1 innings. Hassan is also one of Duke’s best hitters, batting .342 with 75 hits and 56 runs, and best defensive outfielders with a 109-game errorless streak. A former Rawlings Gold Glove winner and a second team All-ACC choice as a utility player in 2008, Hassan held opposing batters to a .228 average as a junior.

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