Four huskies off to the majors

Four members of the UConn baseball team will continue their careers professionally, after the 2012 Major League Baseball draft was held last week.

Junior second baseman LJ Mazzilli was drafted in the 9th round by the Minnesota Twins. He was the 280th pick overall and the first UConn player selected in this year’s draft. Mazzilli is coming off an incredible year at the plate, as he led the Huskies in eight different categories on offense. Mazzilli hit for .339 on the season, which included nine home runs and 38 runs batted in. The major leagues will be familiar territory for the Mazzilli family. Former major league player and manager, Lee Mazzilli is the father of LJ.

Scott Oberg, a junior right-handed pitcher was selected in the 15th round of the draft by the Colorado Rockies. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2011, Oberg looked for success in 2012 out of the bullpen. Oberg was the closer of the UConn pitching staff, recording nine saves on the season and also posted an undefeated 5-0 record on the hill. Oberg lead the team with an ERA of 0.99, becoming the first UConn pitcher to record an ERA below 1.00 since 1976. He was the only relief pitcher to be selected by the All-Big East First Team in 2012.

In the 18th round of the draft, senior right-handed pitcher David Fischer, was taken by the Washington Nationals with the 564th pick overall. Fischer led the Huskies in strikeouts this season with 68 and recorded a 3.47 ERA, posting a 5-6 record on the mound. He was tied with Oberg for the most wins with five.

After the conclusion of the Major League draft, senior infielder Ryan Fuller signed a free agent contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Fuller started his career playing for UConn Avery Point and played in the 2010 NJCAA World Series. After being selected for the 2011 All-Big East Second team, Fuller led the Huskies in 2012 with a .409 on-base percentage and five triples on the year. Fuller also recorded 37 RBI’s this past season.

UConn ended their 2012 season after being eliminated from the Big East tournament by South Florida. The Huskies finished the season with an overall record of 31-27-1 and a 16-11 record in Big East play.