Northern Illinois Baseball Has Five Players Selected In 2004 Major League Baseball Draft

DEKALB, IL - It was a historic day for the Northern Illinois University baseball program as four Huskie seniors and a high school signee heard their names called during the 2004 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft held June 7-8.

The Huskie seniors, Rob Marconi (LaGrange, IL/Lyons), Zach Minor (Moline, IL/Moline), Trevor Wohlgemuth (Springfield, IL/Sacred Heart Griffin) and Mike Santoro (River Forest, IL/Fenwick) as well as incoming signee, Brett Scarpeta of Rockton Hononegah High School, were selected by Major League clubs.

"This is a tremendous day for the Northern Illinois baseball program," head coach Ed Mathey said. "To have four current players drafted as well as one future player, it bodes well for the direction this program is headed in. I couldn't be happier for each of those players. This is a dream come true for them and they will get the opportunity to play baseball against the best players in the world."

Marconi was the first Northern Illinois rostered player selected, as he was chosen in the 22nd round by the Baltimore Orioles. The 649th overall selection, Marconi finished his NIU career among the top five in 10 career lists and leaves DeKalb, IL, as the school record holder in runs scored (178), home runs (35) and RBI (171). He also finished second in career walks (89), hits (233) and doubles (48).

"I got the call when I was at Quiznos, getting lunch," Marconi said. "I heard from my family and coaches before I even heard from the Baltimore scout. It was a great feeling. It's been 20 minutes since the call and I am still in shock. I wasn't recruited by a lot of colleges coming out of high school, so to get drafted is a great feeling."

Marconi finished his senior season hitting .344, while ranking among the top in the Mid-American Conference in six offensive categories.

A crafty left hander, Minor joined Marconi as property of the Orioles after being selected in the 25th round by the AL East franchise. The 739th overall pick, Minor finished his Northern Illinois career the school's all-time leader in wins (20). A former prep standout at Moline High School, Minor went 7-4 this season and ranked among the MAC's top eight in six statistical categories, including opponent batting average (.234), in which he led the league. A two-time recipient of MAC West Division Player of the Week honors, Minor helped secure NIU's 2004 MAC Tournament appearance with a two-hit shutout over 7.0 innings of work against Toledo on May 22. In addition to earning Second Team All-MAC honors, Minor struck out seven and allowed just one earned run in a win at nationally-ranked and NCAA Regional qualifier Texas Tech on Feb. 21.

"I found out when Coach (Luke) Sabers called to tell me that I had just been drafted by Baltimore," Minor said. "A couple seconds later, I was called by a Baltimore scout and he told me that I was going to keep playing with Rob (Marconi). Playing with Rob will definitely make the transition to professional baseball easier. To have someone who already knows the inside jokes and little things like that, will make the move much easier."

Wohlgemuth had his name called by the San Francisco Giants in the 26th round. The 790th overall selection, Wohlgemuth spent just one season at NIU after beginning his career at North Central College in Naperville, IL. The Huskies' top performer out of the bullpen, Wohlgemuth didn't allow an earned run during MAC regular-season play and ranked among league leaders with seven saves. Tops on the team with 25 appearances, Wohlgemuth led the club with a 1.57 ERA and struck out 22 in 28.2 innings of work. A hard-thrower with a side-armed delivery, Wohlgemuth held opponents to a .250 batting average and allowed just three extra-base hits while facing 100 batters.

"I was following the draft over the internet, but just before I was picked, my internet went down and my cell phone wasn't working for some reason," Wohlgemuth said. "Pretty soon, I got a call from my mom saying 'congratulations', but I didn't know what for. She said 'I think you just got drafted, didn't you'. It was kind of funny the way it all worked out. I actually heard from a few teams, but San Francisco was the team I was hoping for."

As with Marconi and Minor, Wohlgemuth enjoyed the company of an NIU teammate being drafted by the same team, as the Giants made the power-hitting Santoro their 49th-round choice (1,469th selection). While a foot injury halted the NIU right fielder's season before it got started, Santoro's exploits as a junior were more than enough reason for professional scouts to take notice. One of the school's top home run hitters, Santoro hit 15 "blasts" as a junior in 2003 and hit one home run this season against Texas Tech (Feb. 20) before suffering the injury. In addition to his 15 "round-trippers" as a junior, the River Forest, IL, native hit .300 with 11 doubles and 54 RBI. Despite playing in three games this season, Santoro was able to redshirt the season and plans on returning to DeKalb for his final year of eligibility.

"Unless something freak were to have happened and I was drafted in the top-15 rounds, I planned on coming back to Northern Illinois for my final season," Santoro said. "This will be treated as a 'Draft and Follow' and San Francisco will have my rights after the season until next year's draft. I could sign with the Giants after next season or I could back into the draft. I was about 99 percent sure I was coming back to NIU next season regardless of what happened over the past two days. I love playing for Coach Mathey. He's a great guy and he's given us so many great experiences. I wasn't going to miss out on that. However, to be drafted is a great. That's why baseball players, or any athlete for that matter, work so hard. We all just want the chance. San Francisco gave me that chance. How can I not be happy about that."

While he has yet to appear in a Northern Illinois uniform, NIU signee Brett Scarpetta was selected in the 18th round of the draft by the Chicago White Sox. A product of Rockton Hononegah High School, Scarpetta signed with NIU on Dec. 2 and was made the 539th overall pick by the "South Siders".

In just two seasons, Mathey has had six players/recruits drafted by MLB organizations. Last season, Joe Mazzuca was a 12th round selection