BY GEORGE WATSON l AVALANCHE-JOURNAL

Perhaps the first thing Chris Richburg can do with his future signing bonus is upgrade his Internet connection.

Had he had that on Wednesday, he would have seen his name chosen in the 23rd round, No. 689 overall, by the Cincinnati Reds, instead of being told via phone calls and text messages before computer problems were finally solved and he saw his name called.

Former Frenship and Oklahoma State pitcher Tyler Lyons was chosen in the 10th round, No. 315 overall, by the New York Yankees.

“I wish I actually could have seen my name (first),” said Richburg, one of several players with ties to Texas Tech or Lubbock who was selected Wednesday in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. “But any way is a good way. It’s something I’ve wanted to do and something that’s been a goal at the end, for me to get a chance to play pro baseball. Now it’s here, and I’m glad this part is over with and I can get this knot out of my stomach and look forward to getting going again and start playing.”

In a way, Richburg’s selection was as much a reward as it was the Reds taking a shot on the Frenship product. Richburg had two of his first four seasons at Tech either delayed or derailed by arm and ankle injuries, but was able to stay healthy as a senior and was the undisputed leader of one of the top offenses in the Big 12 Conference.

Richburg finished 2009 leading the Red Raiders — who hit .299 over the course of the season and a league-best .310 in Big 12 play — with a team-leading .341 average, 14 home runs and 60 RBIs. He also led Tech in total bases (129), slugging percentage (.620) and on-base percentage (.454), and he committed just six errors while becoming the team’s full-time first baseman after spending much of his time in the outfield.

“I couldn’t help that I got hurt. That’s just the way it turned out,” Richburg said. “After last season ended there were a lot of things I knew I needed to do, and having a good summer was number one and I was able to do that. Then I was able to come back and stay healthy the whole year.

“More than anything I just stuck with it. It’s a tough game … and it takes a lot of work. I knew there would be slumps and days you have to sit there and wonder if you’re really that good, but part of that is sticking with it. It’s a game I feel you have to work hard every day because you’ll always have somebody trying to get better than you.”

Richburg was one of three Red Raiders and one of two Frenship products taken in the second day of the draft.

Richburg’s former Tigers teammate and Oklahoma State standout Tyler Lyons was chosen in the 10th round, No. 315 overall, by the New York Yankees, whom he worked out for Monday in Tampa, Fla., in preparation for the draft. Two rounds later, Red Raider right-hander Nate Karns was picked with the first choice in the 12th round, No. 352 overall, by the Washington Nationals, who also chose San Diego State fireballer Stephen Strasburg with the first overall selection on Tuesday.

Lyons finished his junior year at OSU with a 7-6 record and 4.07 ERA after compiling a 12-2 mark and 3.31 ERA as a junior.

Karns was 4-5 for Tech this past season with a 5.47 ERA. He was the winning pitcher in Tech’s lone win in the Big 12 tournament, 4-2, over Missouri.

Later, in the 20th round, former Coronado standout Thomas Keeling, a teammate of Lyons at OSU, remained his teammate as he was snatched up at No. 615 by the Yankees. Keeling went 5-1 with a 4.41 ERA, mostly out of the bullpen but with six starts for the Cowboys in 2009.

“I wasn’t even watching,” said Keeling, a redshirt sophomore who is playing for the Chatham A’s in the Cape Cod League this summer. “I was a midweek guy and didn’t pitch much on the weekends, so scouts didn’t see me as much and I didn’t expect to go very high. I’ll play here for Chatham and if I play well and the offer is right then I’ll go, but if not I’ll go back to school.”

In the next round, Tech senior right-hander AJ Ramos, the anchor of the starting staff, was chosen by the Florida Marlins at No. 638 overall. Ramos, a four-year letterman out of Estacado, was 5-5 with a 5.21 ERA in 2009 and started the year just 10 months removed from reconstructive elbow surgery.

“It’s a great feeling … especially since some people said I wasn’t supposed to be back this season,” Ramos said. “All day today I was nervous, my stomach was in a knot wondering when that call would come. This was one of my biggest goals was to get drafted and the hard work I put into it is what this has led to. But I also know that getting drafted is just part of the process and I have to work even harder now to make it up to my ultimate goal.”

Two Tech signees went late in the day — Canadian pitchers Jay Johnson (25th round to Baltimore), a left-hander, and right-hander Brandon Petite (30th round to Houston).

Tech head coach Dan Spencer said he fully expects Karns to turn pro and has already designated his scholarship money elsewhere, but he feels confident Johnson and Petite will wind up on campus.

“I do … as confident as you can be without them being here standing at your door,” Spencer said. “I think it’s an honor for them to get drafted and that’s great. But both should come to school and I think the money will dictate that.”

For Lubbock Christian University, the only hit taken on the second day was signee Sequoyah Stonecipher, an outfielder out of Grossmont (Calif.) Community College, taken in the 14th round, No. 428 overall, by the Florida Marlins.

“Huge. He’s a big loss,” LCU coach Nathan Blackwood said. “He’s a really good offensive guy.”

Stonecipher played at the same college as LCU third baseman Ross Blondin. This season, he batted .355 with 17 home runs, tying for the California junior college lead, 44 runs batted in and 20 stolen bases.

It’s the second year in a row LCU has lost signees relatively high in the draft. Last year, it was Grayson County shortstop J.D. Alfaro in the ninth round to the Royals and Palm Beach (Fla.) outfielder Sean Conner in the 10th round to the Reds.

Blackwood said Stonecipher projected as a middle-of-the-order hitter who would have helped make up for the loss of NAIA World Series MVP Will Stramp.

(Staff writer Don Williams contributed to this report.)
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