MLB Draft Results through Day Two
SPOKANE, Wash.—Two Gonzaga baseball players were selected during the second day of the 2015 MLB First Year Player Draft Tuesday as right hander Andrew Sopko was picked in the seventh round while infielder Mitchell Gunsolus went in the 10th round.
Sopko, a 6-2, 220 pound starting pitcher out of Missoula, Mont., was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers with 222nd overall draft pick and the 27th selection in the seventh round. The junior earned All-WCC Honorable Mention during 2015, posting a 3.55 ERA while winning seven games. His win total and ERA both were career highs, as were his 78 strikeouts on the year. His best outing came April 10 at home against Saint Mary's when he held the Gaels to just two hits in eight innings while striking out eight batters. That victory came in the midst of a five-game win streak from March 28 to April 24 during which he posted a 1.34 ERA with 32 strikeouts and only allowed only five runs in 33.2 innings. Including the gem against Saint Mary's, Sopko posted seven quality starts as a junior.
A 6-0, 200 pound infielder from Kenmore, Wash., Gunsolus was selected by the Boston Red Sox with the 291st overall pick and sixth pick in the 10th round. The senior set numerous personal bests in 2015, earning First Team All-WCC honors and posting a .353/.449/.556 slash line, scoring 46 runs on 73 hits while smacking seven home runs and bringing in 34 RBIs. He finished among the team's top two in every offensive category and among the conference's top five in batting, slugging, on base percentage, runs, total bases, and walks. He leaves Gonzaga tied for third all-time with 13 career triples and sixth with 114 walks. Gunsolus was also skilled in the classroom as he earned WCC All-Academic honors in each of the last three seasons and Capital One Academic All-District honors this year.
"Everyone in the program is very excited and happy for both Andrew and Mitchell," said Gonzaga head coach Mark Machtolf. "Sopko has improved every year and will do outstanding at the next level. For Gunsolus, deciding to come back for his senior year paid off for him, and he's also greatly improved. Both guys will do very well in the pros and we're excited to be able to watch their careers grow."
According to Baseball America, Sopko was among the top 250 prospects in the draft and fifth-best from the state of Washington. Gunsolus was the seventh-best prospect from the state.
Sopko and Gunsolus are the 42nd and 43rd Bulldogs to be drafted during Machtolf's 25 years with Gonzaga. At least two Bulldogs have been drafted each year since 2009, and Gunsolus is the first GU fielder to be selected since Royce Bolinger went to Texas in the sixth round of 2012's First Year Player Draft.
The MLB Draft continues with rounds 11-40 on Wednesday, June 10. Any junior or senior from four-year colleges is eligible to be drafted, as well as graduating high school seniors and any junior college player.
