June 5, 2001
Bowling Green, Ky. - Western Kentucky pitching ace Ryan Hutchison was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies today in the 17th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
Hutchison, who came to Western from Vincennes, Ind., finished his collegiate career with six WKU pitching records. He leaves the Hill as the all-time leader in wins (28), strikeouts (264), innings pitched (374.0), starts (53), decisions (44) and complete games (16). In his senior campaign, the righthander compiled a 9-7 record and a team-best 2.87 ERA in 122.1 innings of work. The last win of his career was a 2-1 complete-game victory over New Orleans in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. Hutchison struck out six batters in that game to give him 100 Ks for the season, making him only the second pitcher in Hilltopper history to record triple-figure strikeouts in one season.
Hutchison was selected in the 25th round by the Kansas City Royals after his senior year at Vincennes Lincoln High School in 1997, but opted for a collegiate career at WKU.
In all, 14 players from Sun Belt Conference schools were taken on the first day of the draft. Middle Tennessee star Dewon Brazelton led the way as the third overall selection of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The draft will continue tomorrow with 30 more rounds of selections.
-- WKU --
