Marshall University Athletics
Texas Rangers Snag Mike Mason in 23rd Round
6/7/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 7, 2011
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Left-handed pitcher Mike Mason was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 23rd round with the 714th overall pick on day two of the Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft.
Mason joins fellow southpaw Greg Williams on the Rangers draft board in 2011 and marks the third Thundering Herd player drafted by an American League West squad thus far. Rhett Stafford was picked by the Oakland Athletics a round prior to Mason.
Mason served as the Saturday starter for Marshall over the past two seasons and produced a breakout year in 2011. The lefty finished his junior campaign with an even 3-3 record, firing a team-best 78.1 innings with 65 strikeouts. He surpassed the 100-strikeout plateau for his career and collected 157 over the past three years with the Herd.
The lefty collected four quality starts as a junior, including a dominating performance against Houston. In the no decision, the Maumee, Ohio native tied a career-high with 7.1 innings, giving up two earned runs, while fanning eight and not walking a batter. Last season, Mason fanned ten batters against Southern Miss, which eventually won the 2010 Conference USA Tournament Championship.
Mason marks the second of three players drafted off the 2011 Marshall squad that was not selected by a MLB team out of high school.
