Five Ohio Valley Conference players were taken on day two of the 2009 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. That brings the total of OVC players selected so far to seven; the final 20 rounds of the draft will occur on Thursday.
The players selected on Wednesday were Eastern Illinois outfielder Brett Nommensen (8th round by Tampa Bay), Eastern Illinois shortstop Jordan Kreke (13th round by Atlanta), Austin Peay reliever Daniel Tenholder (19th round by Oakland), Tennessee Tech pitcher Ryan Dennick (22nd round by Kansas City) and Murray State pitcher Daniel Calhoun (29th Round by St. Louis).
Those players followed the selection of EIU's Tyler Kehrer (No. 48 overall) and Jacksonville State's Ben Tootle (No. 101 overall) on Tuesday.
The draft will conclude on Thursday with rounds 31-50 (beginning at 11:30 a.m. Eastern time).
Nommensen batted .525 with a .652 on-base percentage in 2009. He was leading the nation in on-base and slugging percentage when he suffered a wrist injury on April 10 that kept him out of the lineup for six weeks. He was able to return in time for the conference tournament and reached base safely in five of his seven plate appearances, going 3-for-5 in the loss to Murray State that ultimately ended EIU’s season. Nommensen batted over .400 in each of his upperclassman seasons to finish his career with a .374 average. He tied the EIU all-time record for runs scored in his final collegiate game and most likely would have also established new career marks for hits and stolen bases if not for the wrist injury. Nommensen has excelled in summer wood bat leagues each of the last two years. In 2008, he led the Costal Plain League in batting average (.377) and was named an All-Star. He was also an All-Star selection in the Texas Collegiate League in 2007.
Kreke led the team in home runs (13) and RBIs (59) as a senior. He was named the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year in 2009 after feasting on league pitching. He batted .507 with 40 RBIs in EIU’s 18 conference games. He also retired consecutive 20 batters over a stretch of five relief appearances on the mound in early April. After being one of 15 semifinalists for the Brooks Wallace Award, which recognizes the national shortstop of the year, Kreke was a named a Louisville Slugger Third Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball. Kreke was a summer league All-Star for the Watertown Wizards of the New York Collegiate League in 2008.
Tenholder received 2009 All-Ohio Valley Conference second-team recognition after leading the OVC with nine saves. It was the second consecutive season he received second-team all-conference recognition. He posted his nine saves in 2009 despite having only 10 save opportunities during the season. Tenholder was 3-1 as a reliever and struck out 41 batters in 46.0 innings pitched. He was the first APSU pitcher to record more than five saves in two seasons and now has a school-record 20 saves during his three-year career ? ranking third-most all time in Ohio Valley Conference history.
Dennick, an OVC All-Tournament Team selection this season, finished the year with a 4-2 record, 2 saves and a 3.75 ERA in 21 total appearances. He struck out 58 in 72 innings of work.
Calhoun enjoyed one of the most successful season’s in Murray State history as he compiled an 11-3 record with a 2.32 ERA. His 11 wins ties the single-season record set by former Major League All-Star Kirk Rueter. He struck out 85 and walked only six in 97 innings. His 0.56 walks-per-nine-innings is the best in Division I college baseball. He also tossed a school-record 11 complete games. For his efforts during the season, Calhoun became the first ?Breds player to eearn All-America honors when he was tabbed a Third-Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball. Calhoun has also been named to the All-Ping!Baseball Second Team, as well as a Pro-Line Athletic/NCBWA Third-Team All-America. Calhoun is currently playing for the Edenton Steamers of the Coastal Plains League where he is 0-1 with a 2.84 ERA in two starts.
OVC Players Taken in the 2009 MLB First-Year Player Draft
Tyler Kehrer, Eastern Illinois - Comp. Round A (#48 overall) by Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Ben Tootle, Jacksonville State - 3rd Round (#101) by Minnesota Twins
Brett Nommensen, Eastern Illinois - 8th Round (#259) by Tampa Bay Rays
Jordan Kreke, Eastern Illinois - 13th Round (#388) by Atlanta Braves
Daniel Tenholder, Austin Peay - 19th Round (#573) by Oakland Athletics
Ryan Dennick, Tennessee Tech - 22nd Round (#662) by Kansas City Royals
Daniel Calhoun, Murray State - 29th Round (#879) by St. Louis Cardinals