Three SLU players sign MLB contracts

HAMMOND — All three members of the Southeastern Louisiana baseball program selected in the 2015 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft have signed professional contracts, head coach Matt Riser announced Tuesday.
Jake Johnson, Kyle Keller and Tate Scioneaux helped lead the Lions to a record-setting season in 2015, according to the university’s news release. Southeastern, which finished 42-17 overall and 25-5 in the Southland Conference, set the school record for overall wins and established a new Southland record for conference wins on the way to claiming a regular-season championship.
“We tell them all year, and throughout their career, be selfless,” Riser said. “When the opportunities came, those guys exemplified that over their careers and it earned them a chance to make a decision for themselves. We’re proud of all three young men. They worked extremely hard for this opportunity, and to see them further their careers in professional baseball, we couldn’t be more excited for them.”
Johnson was drafted in the 16th round by the Cincinnati Reds (475 overall). First of the three to sign, he was assigned to the Billings (Montana) Mustangs of the Rookie-level Pioneer League where he is a teammate of former Lion utility player Tanner Rainey.
The right-hander from Salina, Oklahoma, compiled a 10-2 record and 3.24 ERA in 94.1 innings pitched, fanning 89 batters for the Lions. Johnson tied for the conference lead in victories and was sixth in strikeouts. He is the 10th pitcher in school history to earn double-digit wins in a single season, duplicating the feat accomplished last season by Andro Èutura.
Keller was drafted in the 18th round by the Miami Marlins (536 overall). He was originally assigned to the Batavia (N.Y.) Muckdogs of the Single-A short season New York-Penn League, but after three appearances was promoted to the Greensboro (North Carolina) Grasshoppers of the Single-A South Atlantic League. Keller has fanned 17 batters over the first 11.2 innings of his pro career.
The right-hander from New Orleans appeared in 15 games for the Lions this season picking up a pair of wins and a pair of saves. He turned in a 2.75 ERA in 36 innings of work, primarily out of the bullpen, fanning 40 batters and limiting opponents to a .217 batting average.
Scioneaux was selected in the 39th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates (1,177 overall). After signing just prior to the July 17 deadline, he has been assigned to the West Virginia (Morgantown) Black Bears of the Single-A short season New York-Penn League.
Scioneaux tossed three-consecutive shutouts to close out the regular season, eventually stretching his streak to a Lion-record 36.1 scoreless innings in a row. The right-hander from Reserve, Louisiana, leaves the program as Southeastern’s all-time leader in innings pitched (317.1). He also compiled the third-most wins in school history (23) and is second all-time in strikeouts (260).
The three join former Lions Steve Clevenger (2005), Wade Miley (2006-08), Brock Hebert (2010-12), Èutura (2012-14) and Andrew Godbold (2014) as professional baseball players.
Miley, who was traded to the Boston Red Sox during the offseason after four seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks, has compiled an 8-8 win-loss record and a 4.49 ERA in his first season in the American League. His 46 career wins are the most by a former Lion at the Major League level.
Clevenger, who enjoyed a four-game stint with the Baltimore Orioles earlier this season, is hitting .328 with three home runs and 23 RBIs for the Triple-A Norfolk (Virginia) Tides.
Hebert, currently on a rehab assignment with the Seattle Mariners’ Rookie-level Arizona League squad, just returned to action after a lengthy stint on the disabled list. Earlier this season he hit .297 with a pair of home runs and 12 RBIs in a 12-game stint with the Bakersfield (California) Blaze of the Single-A California League.
Èutura, who is seeing his first professional action this season after signing with the Minnesota Twins in 2014, has worked to a 1-1 won-loss record and a 1.23 ERA through four starts for the Elizabethton (Tennessee) Twins of the Rookie-level Appalachian League. He has fanned 19 batters over the first 22 innings of his career, scattering 12 hits and four walks.
Godbold, who played 21 games with the Ogden Raptors in the Rookie-level Pioneer League in 2014 after signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, is currently playing for the Florence (Kentucky) Freedom of the independent Frontier League.
“This is why we want them to be able to make the decision of whether or not it is time to move on to the professional level,” Riser said. “If they get that opportunity, and we do it the right way, then it opens up more doors for guys in our program. Year in and year out, our guys are not only winning championships and doing what they’re supposed to in the classroom, but they get a chance to further their career in professional baseball.”