Brown, Michaud and Kelich selected in MLB Amateur Draft
THREE BULLDOGS SELECTED IN MLB AMATEUR DRAFT ON SATURDAY
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – After helping the Bryant University baseball team win three Northeast Conference regular-season titles, an NEC tournament championship and an NCAA regional game over Arkansas, three seniors – Kevin Brown (Northborough, Mass.), Joseph Michaud (Milford, Conn.) and Peter Kelich (Jackson, N.J.) – were selected in the annual Major League Baseball Amateur Draft on Saturday.
The trio becomes the first players since Jeff Vigurs in 2010 to be selected in the June amateur draft. Brown was selected in the 22nd round (648th overall) by the Chicago Cubs, Michaud was selected in the 33rd round (1001st overall) by the Oakland Athletics and Kelich was selected in the 38th round (1138th overall) by the San Diego Padres.
"We are thrilled that all three of them developed enough to have the opportunity to be recognized by pro scouts," head coach Steve Owens said. "It's a great ending for a really special year for our program. With the regular season and the postseason and now with these guys getting rewarded with an opportunity to be pro athletes, it's great to look back on it and its also great to build for the future. They worked very hard for those opportunities and it's nice for the younger players in our program to see that if you work that hard you might get that opportunity as well."
Brown wrapped up one of the most impressive careers in Bulldogs history this spring. He played and started in all 227 games over the last four years, compiling a .326 average, 277 hits, 71 doubles, 15 triples, 27 home runs, 151 RBI and 171 runs scored. The numbers are all tops in Bryant's Division I history, while his 71 doubles are also a program record. Brown leaves Bryant tied for second all-time in hits, tied for first in triples, third in home runs, fourth in RBI and fourth in runs scored. This season, Brown was phenomenal, earning Northeast Conference Player of the Year honors after hitting .367 with 16 doubles, seven home runs, 48 RBI, 49 runs scored and 22 stolen bases. He posted a .498 on-base percentage and was also named to the Manhattan Regional All-Tournament team after driving in the winning run against Arkansas and then homering against the Razorbacks in the final game of the season.
Bryant's midweek starter this past spring, Michaud was dominant for the Bulldogs in his final season in Smithfield. He went 6-3, saved two games and posted a 3.00 ERA in 63 innings on the mound. Michaud struck out 61 and held opponents to a .225 batting average. He finished his career with an 18-9 record and a 3.70 ERA in 165.1 innings. Michaud allowed just 149 hits and struck out 148 in his career. This season, he allowed one run or less in five of his nine starts, including a one-hit, eight-strikeout performance against Sacred Heart to force the "if necessary" game in the NEC tournament.
The greatest pitcher in program history, Kelich put the finishing touches on his masterful career in 2013. The right-hander went 7-4 with a 2.49 ERA in a staff-high 97.2 innings. Kelich tied the single-season program record with 89 strikeouts and issued just 19 walks, holding opponents to a .221 average. In his career, he went 30-11 with a 3.00 ERA in 335.2 innings pitched. Kelich became the program's all-time leader with 277 strikeouts and he walked only 73 batters in his career. He saved arguably his best performance for the final start of his career as he allowed just one run on two hits and struck out six over five innings in Bryant's historic victory against Arkansas in the NCAA tournament. On the year, he allowed three runs or less in 13 of his 15 starts and struck out six or more batters in 10 starts.
Brown, Michaud and Kelich will learn their minor league destination within the next day and then embark on their professional careers. Fans can follow each of the players using Minor League Baseball's player search by clicking here.