Jonathan Holt Drafted by Cleveland Indians

TAMPA, Fla. - University of Tampa pitcher Jonathan Holt became the first player from the national champion Spartans to be selected in the 2007 MLB Draft. Holt was chosen by the Cleveland Indians in the fifth round at pick number 167.

A native of Leesburg, Fla., Holt was recently named the Most Outstanding Player at the 2007 NCAA II Baseball Championships while guiding the Spartans to their second consecutive title and fifth in program history.

While being a second-team ABCA/Rawlings All-American, Holt was also named first-team all-South Region and first-team all-Sunshine State Conference as a junior in his first season at UT. The Seminole CC transfer and product of Leesburg High School concluded the season with a pair of victories over Columbus State and Cal State-Los Angeles in the championship series.

This season, Holt compiled an overall record of 4-2 with a team-best 1.64 ERA. In 31 appearances, he also registered 19 saves as his lone two starts of the season came against Florida Southern in the NCAA II Regional Final and Columbus State in the NCAA II National Championship game.

Holt pitched a total of 66 innings this season, allowing just 42 hits while holding opponents to a .179 batting average. While recording 79 strikeouts, he walked just four batters. His top performance was a complete game in the championship game as he allowed just one earned run on six hits while striking out eight and walking none.

"We are extremely excited for Jonathan as he was deservingly a high-level pick in the draft," says Tampa Head Coach Joe Urso. "He had a tremendous season and played a major role throughout our championship run. Jonathan is a big game pitcher who has enjoyed ultimate success."