While most of the attention of UNM athletes going pro this summer has gone to basketball standouts Ruben Douglas and Jordan Adams, two players from the Lobo baseball team have gone under the radar in their quests to reach the next level.
In the June 4 Major League Baseball draft, James Vermilyea and Chris Alexander were selected in the ninth and 15th rounds, respectively.
"It's exciting, that's why their here, to get their education and improve their draft status," Lobo head coach Rich Alday said.
Alexander was the meat and potatoes of a potent Lobo lineup, blasting conference-high 25 homers and collecting 94 RBIs. The hard-hitting first baseman set several team and league records en route to an outstanding season.
The Albuquerque native was pleased with his draft position saying that he was happy to be selected on the first day, "or else it would have been a long night."
Alexander terrorized Mountain West pitching over the past two seasons but coming out of Albuquerque Academy, he was not highly recruited. Playing at a relatively small school, Alexander admits that he probably did not face the toughest pitchers. He added that the key to his success was steadily improving every year.
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"That first year was tough and I improved every year and everything worked out for the best," Alexander said.
Alexander was drafted by the Texas Rangers' organization in the 15th round, 436th overall. He said that he had no idea going into the draft where he might be selected but added that over the course of the season he talked with about 10 interested scouts from various teams, none of them being from Texas.
The first baseman signed with the Rangers on Monday and has already departed for Spokane, Wash., where he will play a shortened season designed for college and high school draftees.
The team's season begins on June 16 and runs through September 4.
Alexander credits UNM for giving him "a chance to play."
He added that he has never been to Spokane but he hears the weather is nice.
Alexander also said that no bets were made between him and Vermilyea on who would be drafted higher but he had a feeling the latter would go first.
Selected in the ninth round, 260th overall, by the Toronto Blue Jays, Vermilyea was awarded for an excellent season on the mound.
"We thought James would be drafted high and he was," Alday said. "We felt he would go on to the next level."
Like Alexander, Vermilyea also took an unusual path to the professional ranks. Attending Sabino High School in Tucson Ariz., he was not recruited by any universities and actually solicited the Lobos himself.
"When he first came here he was a walk on," Alday said. "He wasn't the top pitcher on his high school team. He was maybe the third pitcher on his high school team."
But Vermilyea also proved to be a diamond in the rough quickly turning into the ace of a staff in dire need of one. The hurler led the conference in strikeouts the past two seasons and put up his best numbers this year with a 7-3 record, 4.07 ERA and 105 strikeouts.
Vermilyea also credits UNM for giving him a chance to prove what he could do.
"It was a pretty good experience," he said. "I got the chance to pitch a lot and that definitely helps."
Considering the high altitude and gusty winds that Albuquerque can offer, the statistics are even more impressive.
"It's difficult to pitch in high altitude and that's where our conference games are located," Alday said. "Leading the league in strikeouts twice is impressive and hopefully he'll go somewhere where it's not so high."
On a team that is known more for hitting home runs than tossing gems, Vermilyea proved that stereotype to be false.
He credits playing in the Cape Cod League last summer as a turning point in his pitching development.
"Playing in Cape Cod, you pitch against the top college players in the country," Vermilyea said. "Pitching well out there gave me confidence when I came back to New Mexico."
Vermilyea is in Florida now where Blue Jay officials are evaluating him.
They will make a decision on whether to send him to the single-A Auburn Doubledays in Auburn, N.Y. or to the single-A Charleston Alleycats in Charleston, W.Va. in the next day or two.
Although Toronto is a far cry from Albuquerque, Vermilyea said that he was happy to be chosen by the Blue Jays and said that he respects the organization.
With Alexander and Vermilyea gone, the Lobos will have their work cut out to duplicate this season's success, where they finished with a 34-26 record.
"We're going to have to fill in some holes and hopefully we'll have some players to fill in those slots," Alday said.
