Tampa Has Three Selected in 2014 MLB Draft

TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa baseball program continued its long-standing trend of sending its student-athletes to the Major League Baseball Draft as a total of three Spartans heard their names called in 2014.

Senior Preston Packrall was the first UT player to go as the Philadelphia Phillies called him in the 24th Round with Pick 712. Classmate Michael Danner went to the Chicago White Sox in the 34th Round with Pick 1,008. Dylan Barrow, who did not pitch in 2014, went to the New York Yankees in the 25th Round with Pick 752.

A senior from Tampa, Fla., Packrall was an All-American and Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year. He enjoyed a stellar senior season, going a perfect 11-0 with a 2.12 ERA. In 80.2 innings, Packrall notched 45 strikeouts as opponents hit just .238 versus him. The three-year letterwinner compiled a career record of 17-5 with a 3.20 ERA and seven saves, all as a sophomore in 2012.

Danner, a senior left fielder from Tampa, Fla., hit .326 with eight home runs and a team-high 46 RBI. He also tallied 11 doubles and four triples to match a team-high. As a senior, he turned in 16 multi-hit games, including eight with 3-plus hits. He also logged a team-leading 13 multi-RBI games. In two years as a Spartan, Danner hit .336 with 14 home runs and 99 RBI. He also swiped 22 bases and had 25 doubles and eight triples.

Barrow, a junior right-handed pitcher from Brandon, Fla., sat out the 2014 season due to transfer rules. The hard-throwing pitcher spent his first two collegiate seasons at Santa Fe College. A former top-20 JUCO prospect, Barrow still has two years of eligibility remaining if he does not sign.

UT now has a total of 71 former players selected in the MLB Draft, including 52 during the Joe Urso tenure. Since 2010, Tampa now has a total of 26 players called by the MLB.

Tampa also had a pair of signees selected early, including Mike Abreu (Hillsborough Community College, 17th Round, Pick 510) and Matt Pearce (Polk State College, 13th Round, Pick 405). The Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals picked the duo, who will now decide whether to sign or enroll at UT.