College Baseball: WNC’s Conor Harber drafted in 38th round by Baltimore Orioles

More than 1,100 selections went by in the 2013 Major League Baseball Draft before the Baltimore Orioles chose Western Nevada College freshman outfielder Conor Harber on Saturday.

It marked the ninth straight year that the Wildcats have had at least one player taken in the 40-round draft. The 2009 draft was the only other time that the Wildcats didn’t have multiple current or past players selected.

Harber, who could play another season at WNC, start a pro career in the minors or sign with a four-year school, was taken by the Orioles with the 1,149th pick in the 38th round.

The 28th WNC player chosen in the draft put together a memorable season in his rookie year in the wooden bat Scenic West Athletic Conference. Harber became the first Wildcat player to hit .400 or better. In 58 games, the outfielder batted .411 and his 56 hits included 14 doubles, a school-record 11 triples and four homers. The right fielder led the Wildcats with a .636 slugging an average and knocked in 42 runs.

“Harber’s the best position prospect we’ve coached at Western Nevada,” said WNC coach D.J. Whittemore before the three-day draft.

Whittemore said the highly skilled Harber could have gone undrafted because of teams being uncertain about signing him.

“He might place himself out of the draft because he knows down the road he’s likely to be a top 10-round pick,” Whittemore said.

Harber also made five appearances on the mound for the Wildcats. His 0.96 earned run average was the lowest among Wildcat hurlers.

As dominant as Harber was in the batters’ box, Hamlin did the same on the mound. The Scenic West Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year posted a 10-2 record and 1.45 ERA. He led the Wildcats with 76 strikeouts while walking just 11 hitters. Hamlin was second to teammate Phil Belding with four complete games.

Show was slowed by elbow tightness early in the season but won four of his five decisions and compiled a 4.54 ERA. The sophomore right-hander fanned 34 and walked 14.

Among the other Wildcats that Major League Baseball teams might consider, infielder Mike Umscheid finished strong at the plate, hitting .305 with seven doubles and three triples. He scored 32 runs and knocked in 26 runs in 59 games.

Ferguson called the pitches for a staff that won 44 games and compiled a 2.64 team earned run average. He also knocked in a team-leading 50 runs and hit .285 with 15 doubles, three triples and two doubles.

Glover Jr. made just one error in center field, as well hit .299, and was second among Wildcats with four triples.

Whittemore listed six former Wildcats, including University of Nevada’s Brooks Klein, as possible draft choices.

“Klein has a chance to drafted, and Potkay had the kind of season where he might be drafted,” Whittemore said. “You never know. There’s no science to it.

There are lots of available players. Some won’t get drafted and nobody knows why.”

As a junior at Tulane University, Potkay, a 2011 second-team All-Region 18 player at WNC, delivered three game-winning hits and led the Green Wave with a .458 on-base average, five homers and 377 putouts. In his senior season, Potkay hit .261 with a team-leading three homers and 35 RBI.

Klein, a Mountain West Conference second-team selection, shared University of Nevada’s top batting average with a .346 total and led the Pack with 75 hits, 36 runs scored, 42 RBI, 118 total bases and four triples. The right fielder also hit seven homers and accumulated a .544 slugging average.

Chris Garrison, a 2011 Region 18 reliever of the year at WNC, has been drafted twice before: in 2008 in the 48th round the by Baltimore Orioles and in 2011 in the 28th round by the Chicago Cubs. The right-hander started out at the University of Oregon and later moved on to pitch for Kentucky in 2012. He concluded his college career at Concordia University in Los Angeles.

One of the workhorses of the Eagles’ pitching staff this spring, Garrison split his 10 decisions and compiled a 2.81 ERA with three complete games and a shutout.

Power-hitting Derrick Pitts, who led the Wildcats in homers during their 2012 National Junior College Athletic Association World Series run, continued his longball prowess at Lee University in Cleveland this past season. Pitts hit .304 with nine homers, 12 doubles and 55 RBI.

Taylor Smart, a Region 18 second-team choice for the Wildcats in 2012, started 46 games for the Tennessee Volunteers this spring. He hit .267 with two homers and nine doubles. The infielder made four errors in 203 chances.

Matt Robertson starred for Campbellsville University, located in Campbellsville, Ky. Robertson, a key pitcher for WNC in 2012, helped the Tigers reach the National Christian College Athletic Association World Series semifinals and finish with a 39-20 record. Robertson was 3-0 with three saves and a 1.79 ERA during the regular season, earning All-Mid-East Region team honors.

Last year, pitcher Dylan Baker became the Wildcats’ highest draft pick ever when he was taken in the fifth round by the Cleveland Indians. Baker was the Wildcats' fifth player all-time to be taken in the top 10 rounds, and it was the third straight year that WNC had a player chosen by the end of the 10th round.

Nine Wildcats have been selected by MLB teams since 2011.