June 11, 2009

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Senior Kyle Spraker became the third Lion player drafted in the 2009 First Year Player Draft on Thursday, selected with the 1,039th overall pick in the 34th round by the Tampa Bay Rays. Junior Xavier Esquivel rounded-out the quartet of Lions selected this year, drafted with the 1,485th overall pick in the 49th round by the New York Yankees. Spraker and Esquivel join Angelo Songco (LA Dodgers - 4th round/127th) and Ryan Wheeler (Arizona Diamondbacks - 5th round/156th) on the list of Lion players selected in this year's draft. To read Songco and Wheeler's draft-day release, please click the following link: Songco and Wheeler

With four players taken this year, the Lions have now seen 27 players drafted in June since the 2000 season.

A native of Portola Valley, Calif., Spraker finished the 2009 campaign batting .301 with 50 runs scored, 18 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 30 RBI. He collected 16 multiple-hit games, including four hits on three occasions, and seven multiple-RBI games. In West Coast Conference games alone, Spraker hit .297 with 16 runs scored, a team-best nine doubles, two triples, two home runs and 14 RBI.

Spraker, a stellar defensive third baseman who started 52 of LMU's 59 games this year, had one of his best days of the season at the plate on March 29 at Santa Clara, finishing 4-for-6 with two runs scored, a double, a home run and three RBI. Listed as a shortstop during the draft, Spraker started twice in that position for LMU this year, but was the everyday starting shortstop last season.

Esquivel, a hard-throwing right-hander from Chino, Calif., finished the 2009 season with a 5.09 ERA and a 2-4 record in 19 appearances out of the bullpen for LMU. Serving as the Lion closer for much of the season, he collected a team-best five saves, pitching 23 innings and striking out 28 batters.