Lewis selected No. 11 overall by Mariners in 2016 MLB Draft

MACON, Georgia (MERCER ATHLETICS) – Mercer University junior centerfielder Kyle Lewis was selected No. 11 overall by the Seattle Mariners in the 2016 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Thursday night, becoming the highest draft choice in Mercer and Southern Conference history.

Lewis, the 2016 Baseball America Player of the Year and a 2016 Louisville Slugger First Team All-American, surpasses Pat Creech, who was taken by the Montreal Expos in the second round with the 32nd overall pick of the 1973 draft, as the highest-drafted Bear of all-time.

Four other SoCon players have been selected in the first round, including ETSU’s Atlee Hammaker with the 21st pick (Kansas City Royals – 1979), Samford’s Phillip Ervin with the 27th pick (Cincinnati Reds – 2013), former member Georgia Southern’s Victor Roache with the 28th pick (Milwaukee Brewers – 2012) and The Citadel’s Asher Wojciechowski with the 41st pick (Toronto Blue Jays – 2010).

Lewis will join five former Bears currently playing professional baseball: Billy Burns (Oakland Athletics), Cory Gearrin (San Francisco Giants), Chesney Young (Tennessee Smokies – Chicago Cubs AA), Brandon Barker (Bowie Baysox – Baltimore Orioles AA) and David Reid-Foley (Rancho Cucamonga Quakes – Los Angeles Dodgers Advanced A).

A product of Snellville, Ga., Lewis was undrafted out of Shiloh High School three years ago before making his unprecedented mark at Mercer. He batted .364 with 39 home runs, 33 doubles, 145 RBIs, 140 runs scored and 94 walks while also compiling a Mercer career-record .462 on-base percentage and a .651 slugging percentage.

Following a freshman season in which he appeared in 42 games and hit .281 with 21 runs scored and 17 RBIs en route to a spot on the 2014 Atlantic Sun All-Freshman Team, Lewis developed into a legitimate threat during his first season as a starter in 2015. He led the SoCon with a .367 average as a sophomore and recorded 83 hits, 17 home runs, 56 RBIs and a .677 slugging percentage on his way to the first of two SoCon Player of the Year honors.

Lewis would go on to excel in the Cape Cod League over the summer of 2015, being named to the league’s all-star team before returning to Macon for his junior campaign. He entered the season as a unanimous preseason All-American and exceeded expectations, ranking among national leaders in batting average (.395), on-base percentage (.535), runs scored (70), home runs (20), walks (66) and RBIs (72) in addition to compiling a 48-game on-base streak and 27 multi-hit performances.

Lewis is currently a semifinalist for USA Baseball’s Golden Spikes Award and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association’s Dick Howser Trophy, presented by Easton Foundations. Both awards honor the nation’s top player, as selected by the respective organizations. He was also named to Baseball America’s All-America First Team.

Head Coach Craig Gibson’s Take:

“Kyle will go down as the most decorated player in program history. The thing I’ll always remember about him is we won three championships in his three years at Mercer. Not only is he a great individual player, but he’s helped Mercer accomplish a lot from a team standpoint.

“It’s a tremendous day for our team, Mercer University, the Southern Conference and the state of Georgia as he represents us all. The next few years will be very exciting to be a part of while watching his progression as he joins other Mercerians in the big leagues.”