Amidst Stephen Strasburg starting for the Washington Nationals, and Bryce Harper getting drafted by the Nationals, is the fact that the rest of the MLB Draft is still chugging along, and with it, some names connected to ASU. Right-handed pitcher Austin Brice, who signed a National Letter of Intent to attend ASU and play baseball for the Mountaineers beginning next spring, was selected in the ninth round of the 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft (287th overall) by the Florida Marlins. Brice, a 6-3, 190-pounder from Northwood H.S. in Pittsboro, N.C., was rated as North Carolina's top high-school pitcher by Baseball America coming into the 2010 MLB Draft. He was named the Carolinas 9 1-A Conference Player of the Year this spring after leading Northwood to a conference championship as a pitcher and infielder. Brice signed a National Letter of Intent with Appalachian during last fall's early signing period. He is scheduled to begin classes at ASU in the fall and embark his collegiate playing career as a freshman next spring. According to MLB rules, Brice has until August 15 to decide if he will sign a professional contract with the Marlins or pursue a collegiate career at Appalachian. If he enrolls at ASU, he would not be eligible to re-enter the draft until 2013, following his junior season.

Joining Brice among the selected is one of Appalachian's own, relief pitcher Chris Patterson. Patterson becomes the eighth ASU player in the last three years to be selected in the MLB Draft when the St. Louis Cardinals picked the right-hander in the 29th round (889th overall). Patterson is the second-straight Appalachian closer to be drafted, following all-American Zach Quate, who was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 14th round of the 2009 MLB Draft. After setting up for Quate as a junior, Patterson established himself as the Southern Conference's premier closer in 2010. His SoCon-best 13 saves broke his predecessor's year-old school record of 11 and led the nation for much of the season. He finished his senior campaign with a 4-4 record, 1.67 ERA, .213 opponents' batting average and 60 strikeouts in 29 appearances. He surrendered just eight earned runs on 34 hits and walked only 13 over 43 innings of work. Patterson is the third-consecutive ASU closer to be selected in the MLB Draft. In addition to Zach Quate, Garrett Sherrill was ASU's closer before he was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 12th round of the 2008 MLB Draft. Patterson is the 26th player in Appalachian history to be selected in the MLB Draft but only the second taken by the 10-time World Series champion Cardinals. The only other App selected by the Cardinals was shortstop Mike Ramsey in the third round of the 1975 draft. Most recently, Mountaineers OF David Rubinstein, OF Jason Rook and RHP Garrett Sherrill were selected in the 2008 MLB Draft and Quate, OF Rand Smith, 3B Isaac Harrow and RHP Josh Dowdy gave Appalachian a school-record four draftees last year.