ORLANDO, Fla. -- Bradley junior catcher Ryan Eigsti (Eureka, Ill./Eureka H.S.) and senior second baseman Ryan Curry (Downers Grove, Ill./South H.S.) have been selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft this afternoon. Eigsti was a 15th-round pick (456 overall) by the Kansas City Royals and Curry was taken in the 21st round (646) by the Florida Marlins.
At least one more Bradley player, senior right-handed pitcher Michael Christl (Naperville, Ill./Waubonsie Valley H.S.), is projected as a possible selection in the draft, which will continue throughout the day.
Curry led the Missouri Valley Conference with a .428 batting average during the regular season and ended the year with an overall .416 mark. A three-time All-MVC pick during his career, Curry earned first-team honors during his senior season when he was the only player in the league to enjoy two hitting streaks of at least 14 games. Curry equalled the league's longest streak of the season by carrying a 21-game ride into the second round of the MVC Tournament. His 87 base hits for the year tied for the second most in school history and helped him eclipse Nelson Correa's (251) previous school record for career base hits with 253. In addition to his all-conference award, Curry was voted second-team All-Midwest Region by the American Baseball Coaches Association.
Regarded as one of the top defensive catchers in college, Eigsti enjoyed his best offensive season as a Brave this spring, helping him earn honorable mention All-MVC notice. The strong-armed catcher has thrown out 43-of-110 (.391) of potential base stealers the last two seasons and just the threat of his arm helped limit the opposition to just 47 stolen base attempts in his 45 games behind the plate this spring. He also enjoyed career-best offensive numbers by hitting .291 with 34 runs batted in.
In addition to their play on the field, Curry and Eigsti both have excelled in the classrooom at Bradley, each being voted to the MVC Scholar-Athlete first team this spring. Curry graduated last month with his degree in business management and administration with a 3.18 cumulative grade point average. Boasting a 3.58 cumulative grade point average as a construction major, Eigsti also was voted to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District V squad last month.
While Curry is expecting an assignment from the Marlins organization in the near future, Eigsti must decide whether to sign with the Royals or return to Bradley for his senior season. When Curry begins his professional career, he will join former Bradley players Brandon Magee (Dunedin, Toronto A), Joe Napoli (Hagerstown, Washington A) and Brock Till (Chattanooga, Cincinnati AA) in the minor leagues. Another former Brave, Brian Shouse, is a left-handed reliever for the Milwaukee Brewers, while Evan Fahrner (Bridgeport, Atlantic League) Ryan Sullivan (Gateway, Frontier League) and Collin Walker (River City, Frontier League) are all playing in independent leagues.
The pair of draft picks helped Bradley to its most successful season of recent years. The Braves posted a 32-21 overall record and claimed third place in both the MVC regular-season race (13-11) and postseason tournament.
