Nicholls' Grant Bourne drafted by Washington Nationals

With the 224th pick Tuesday, the Washington Nationals selected Nicholls State University junior left-handed pitcher Grant Borne in the seventh round of the 2015 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
“Coming out of high school, Nicholls was the only school to give me an opportunity,” Borne said in a news release. “The coaches at Nicholls helped shape me into the young man I am today and helped me reach so many of the goals we set. But the coaches and I will be the first to say the work is not over yet, and whether I decide to go play in the Major Leagues or stay at Nicholls, my work is not over. I’m just thankful to have the opportunity to keep working.”
Borne joins Taylor Byrd and Brad Delatte as the third Colonel to be taken in the first 10 rounds of the MLB draft in the last four years. He becomes the fourth-highest drafted player in school history behind Scott Sanders, who was selected 32nd overall in the first round of the 1990 draft; Delatte, who was selected 175th overall in the fifth round of the 2012 draft and Byrd, who was taken 201st overall in the seventh round of last year’s draft.
“I am very proud of Grant Borne and very happy for him and his family,” Nicholls Head Coach Seth Thibodeaux said in a release. “He has grown a lot since he first set foot on campus. He worked really hard to get where he’s at. Chris Prothro has been a huge part of his development along with Greg Carasquillo and Zach Butler. He has been a major part of our success as a program. Nicholls State University should be very proud.”
A Baton Rouge native, Borne was named Second-Team All-Southland Conference after holding a spot as one of the top three Southland Conference pitchers for the entire 2015 season. He finished with a 1.48 ERA, good for second in the league behind only his teammate, Justin Sinibaldi.
Borne was first in the conference in hits allowed per nine innings (6.41) and first in the Southland in opponent batting average (.199). He tossed 84 strikeouts through 91.1 innings on the mound this year and was a major part of the Colonels ranking first in the league and fifth nationally in ERA this season.
“I’m very excited for Grant as he takes the next step in his development,” Nicholls Associate Head Coach and Pitching Coach Chris Prothro said in a news release. “He has worked very hard to put himself in this position, and we hope he takes that commitment to another level so that he can get the most out of his career. He is very deserving, and I’m proud to have coached him.”
Borne helped Nicholls reach several milestones and garner national recognition. The Colonels went on a nine-game tear that was the teams’ longest winning streak since 2005.
Nicholls swept its season series against Louisiana-Lafayette for the first time since 1996 and downed the No. 1 LSU Tigers at Alex Box Stadium earlier this year. The Colonels also turned in back-to-back 30-win seasons for the first time since 1992-93. Nicholls’ 34 wins in 2015 were the most since 1992 when the program totaled 36 victories.