Cats' Sean Hjelle drafted No. 45 overall by San Francisco Giants
Kentucky ace Sean Hjelle was taken in the second round by the San Francisco Giants.
Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated.com
@JDrumUK
It was only fitting.
Kentucky's 6-foot-11 ace is a Giant.
The Wildcats' Sean Hjelle was selected No. 45 overall by San Francisco on Monday in the second round of the Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft.
Hjelle went 7-5 with a 3.44 ERA as a junior. The towering right-hander struck out 91 batters in 99.1 innings pitched while walking only 22 batters.
In 2017, the White Bear Lake, Minn., native was the SEC Pitcher of the Year after posting an 11-4 record with a 3.89 ERA. Opponents in SEC play batted only .186 against him.
During his career, Hjelle placed his name all over the UK record books. He was 22-10 overall in three seasons, ranking fifth on the school’s career wins list. He ranks seventh in career win-loss percentage (.688), ninth in career strikeouts (222), fourth in single-season wins (11 in 2017) and fifth in single-season saves (8 in 2016).
The 45th pick in the draft is projected to command a contract worth approximately $1.6 million.
SEAN HJELLE BIO:
• 2018 Preseason First-Team All-America (Collegiate Baseball)
• 2018 Preseason Third-Team All-America (Perfect Game)
• SEC Pitcher of the Year (2017)
• Collegiate Baseball Second-Team All-America (2017)
• ABCA South All-Region Second-Team (2017)
• First-Team All-SEC (2017)
• SEC Pitcher of the Week (3/20/17)
• Perfect Game/Rawlings National Pitcher of the Week (3/20/17)
• UK Student Athletic Council President (2017-18)
Kentucky ace Sean Hjelle was taken in the second round by the San Francisco Giants.
Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated.com
@JDrumUK
It was only fitting.
Kentucky's 6-foot-11 ace is a Giant.
The Wildcats' Sean Hjelle was selected No. 45 overall by San Francisco on Monday in the second round of the Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft.
Hjelle went 7-5 with a 3.44 ERA as a junior. The towering right-hander struck out 91 batters in 99.1 innings pitched while walking only 22 batters.
In 2017, the White Bear Lake, Minn., native was the SEC Pitcher of the Year after posting an 11-4 record with a 3.89 ERA. Opponents in SEC play batted only .186 against him.
During his career, Hjelle placed his name all over the UK record books. He was 22-10 overall in three seasons, ranking fifth on the school’s career wins list. He ranks seventh in career win-loss percentage (.688), ninth in career strikeouts (222), fourth in single-season wins (11 in 2017) and fifth in single-season saves (8 in 2016).
The 45th pick in the draft is projected to command a contract worth approximately $1.6 million.
SEAN HJELLE BIO:
• 2018 Preseason First-Team All-America (Collegiate Baseball)
• 2018 Preseason Third-Team All-America (Perfect Game)
• SEC Pitcher of the Year (2017)
• Collegiate Baseball Second-Team All-America (2017)
• ABCA South All-Region Second-Team (2017)
• First-Team All-SEC (2017)
• SEC Pitcher of the Week (3/20/17)
• Perfect Game/Rawlings National Pitcher of the Week (3/20/17)
• UK Student Athletic Council President (2017-18)
