Aaron Nola selected No. 7 overall by Philadelphia Phillies

LSU junior right-hander Aaron Nola was selected No. 7 overall by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2014 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft Thursday night.
Nola, a 2014 Golden Spikes Award finalist and a two-time Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Year, became the third-highest draft choice in LSU baseball history, and he was the 17th LSU player to be chosen in the first round.
Nola, a Baton Rouge product, has enjoyed a brilliant three-year career at LSU, compiling a 30-6 mark and a 2.09 ERA in 332 innings with 42 walks and 345 strikeouts.
He is No. 3 on the LSU career list for strikeouts, No. 4 for ERA and No. 5 for pitching wins.
Nola was named in 2014 a first-team All-American for the second straight season as he posted an 11-1 mark and a 1.47 ERA in 116.1 innings with 27 walks and 134 strikeouts.
Including compensatory selections, LSU has produced 14 first-round picks since 1989, when pitcher Ben McDonald was the first overall selection by the Baltimore Orioles. LSU pitcher Kevin Gausman was the fourth overall selection by the Orioles in 2012.
The first and second rounds of the 2014 draft were completed Thursday night.
The draft continued at noon today with Rounds 3-10 and concludes with Rounds 11-40, beginning at noon Saturday.
The selection of Nola marks the fifth time in six seasons an LSU player has been chosen in the first round of the MLB Draft. Outfielder Jared Mitchell was the 23rd overall selection in 2009 by the Chicago White Sox, pitcher Anthony Ranaudo was the 39th overall choice in 2010 by the Boston Red Sox, outfielder Mikie Mahtook was the 31st overall selection in 2011 by the Tampa Bay Rays and Gausman was the fourth overall choice two years ago by the Orioles.
Nola was the 22nd-round selection of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011 after his senior season at Catholic High School in Baton Rouge; however, he elected to enroll at LSU instead of signing a pro contract.
Nola is the second-highest drafted player produced by Mainieri in his 32-year collegiate career, behind only Gausman.
While at Notre Dame, Mainieri coached pitcher Brad Lidge, the No. 17 overall choice (Houston Astros) in the 1998 draft and pitcher Aaron Heilman, the No. 18 overall selection (New York Mets) in the 2001 draft.