WNC Baseball: Harber Makes it 3 for 3 in MLB Draft; Peters also selected

Conor Harber is batting 1.000 for the Major League Baseball draft since entering Western Nevada College in 2013.
The University of Oregon right-hander was selected in the 16th round by the Milwaukee Brewers on the final day of the draft Wednesday, marking the third straight year that the former Wildcat pitcher and outfielder has been selected.

WNC freshman outfielder DJ Peters was selected for the second time in as many years. The Texas Rangers took Peters in the 36th round. Peters was also chosen a year ago in the 36th round by the Chicago Cubs.

"Two years in a row is pretty exciting, that's for sure," Peters said. "It has always been a dream to get drafted to have the opportunity to play professional baseball."

The only other player with Wildcat ties to garner three consecutive draft selections was pitcher Mason Tobin (2005-07).

Harber led the Wildcats of Carson City in hitting for two seasons and coupled his offensive contributions by going 8-0 on the mound. The two-way player was voted co-Region 18 pitcher of the year in with a 2.49 earned run average. He led the Wildcats with a .331 batting average and 13 stolen bases, and was named a National Junior College Athletic Association third-team All-American.

As a freshman, Harber hit 395 with 11 triples and 12 doubles. In five appearances on the mound, Harber had 17 strikeouts in 9 1/3 innings and a 0.96 ERA. Those dominant statistics helped Harber earn NJCAA honorable mention All-American.

Harber was previously selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2014 and by the Baltimore Orioles in 2013. In his junior season at Oregon, Harber won four of six decisions and struck out 59 batters in 55 2/3 innings.

"Conor really made some huge strides this year on the mound," said WNC coach D.J. Whittemore. "It isn't surprising because he is such a competitor that he can elevate his game and play with the best. Couple that with great coaching and surround him with Pac-12 teammates, and it's no wonder he increased his draft stock. The WNC program past and present are both proud of him and happy for him."

During his freshman campaign for the Wildcats, Peters hit .340, collected 23 extra-base hits, knocked in 39 runs and boasted a .545 slugging average.

"I enjoyed everything about my freshman season," Peters said. "Most freshmen don't expect too much playing time, but I had 200 at-bats and I was in the lineup every single day, so as a freshman, I felt very blessed just because that gave me closure that coach 'Whitt' believed in me, even when I struggled for a game or two."
Whittemore believes that the best of Peters is yet to come.

"DJ Peters is such an amazing teammate," Whittemore said. "He really made a big difference in our program during his freshman season, which isn't easy to do. As far as talent and ability, no one can doubt his. Possibly his future is on the mound ... really hard to say at this point because he has speed, power and is an excellent defender. Most of the hitters we have coached improved a great deal from their freshman to their sophomore year. I can see him coming back and moving up the draft boards considerably."

MLB teams have taken a liking to WNC players in recent years. Five Wildcats were selected in the 2014 draft.
Whittemore, WNC's 10-year coach, however, said that the recent draft success of the program doesn't carry any significance when teams begin stocking players for their futures.

"Each player is drafted independent of players in the past or program success," Whittemore said.
The fifth-round selection of pitcher Dylan Baker by the Cleveland Indians in 2012 has been the highest Wildcat draftee to date.

Right-handed pitcher Phil Bickford of College of Southern Nevada was the top selection among Scenic West Athletic Conference players as the Coyote right-hander was taken by the San Francisco Giants with the 18th pick on Monday. Bickford was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays with the 10th pick in the 2013 draft, but he decided against signing.