Dave Middendorf, a 22nd round selection of the Kansas City Royals, anchored the NKU starting rotation over the past four seasons.
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Northern Kentucky University pitcher
Dave Middendorf will have an opportunity to continue his baseball career as he was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 22nd round of the 2011 MLB Draft on Tuesday.
Middendorf, a senior from Cincinnati, Ohio, was named an NCAA Division II first-team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association after posting a 9-3 record with a 1.73 earned run average. His 127 strikeouts in 2011 set a new single-season record at NKU and were good for second among all Division II pitchers.
Middendorf also set a career mark for strikeouts with 349 over his four years with the Norse. His 25 career wins rank third all-time at NKU and his 2.53 career ERA is fourth.
Along with the All-American honors, Middendorf was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference and Midwest Region pitcher of the year.
This is the ninth draft selection for the Norse under head coach
Todd Asalon, and the seventh pitching selection for pitching coach
Dizzy Peyton.
It is the second time through the draft for Middendorf, who was selected in the 44th round by the New York Yankees last year. Middendorf becomes the second Norse to be selected in successive draft classes. Paul David Patterson was a 44th-round selection of the Mariners in 2005 before returning for a season to NKU, where he improved his stock to become a 16th-round choice of the Yankees in 2006.
The MLB Draft concludes on Wednesday with rounds 31-50.
