Central Michigan University Athletics
Three More Chippewas Selected in MLB Draft
6/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Senior first baseman Ben Humphrey (West Chester, Ohio/Olney Central CC) was selected by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays with the first pick of the 28th round (845th overall), sophomore right-handed pitcher Jeff Richard (West Bloomfield, Mich./West Bloomfield HS) was taken by the Philadelphia Phillies with the 19th pick in the 31st round (953rd overall) and sophomore right-hander Chris Kupillas was chosen by the Seattle Mariners with the 11th selection in the 38th round (1,146th overall).
Combined with junior right-hander Josh Collmenter’s selection in the 15th round, a total of four Chippewas were taken in the 2007 draft. The four selections match the highest single-draft total for CMU since 1990.
All three underclassmen drafted Friday will become eligible for the 2008 draft if they return to CMU next season.
Humphrey played in 110 games in his two seasons at CMU, batting .349 with 23 home runs and 118 runs batted in. He set a single-season school record with 72 RBI in 2006.
A two-time All-Mid-American Conference first team selection, Humphrey was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association All-Mideast Region second team in 2007.
As a senior, Humphrey ranked first in the MAC in total bases (133), tied for first in runs (58), second in hits (83), tied for second in doubles (18), third in batting average (.362) and slugging percentage (.581) and tied for third in home runs (10). His 18 doubles are tied for the fourth-most in a season at CMU, while his 83 hits are tied for sixth and 58 runs tied for 10th.
Despite playing just two seasons at CMU, Humphrey ranks ninth in school history in career slugging percentage (.606) and tied for 10th in extra-base hits (62).
Richard and Kupillas, both hard-throwing right-handers, have seen spot action in their first seasons at CMU. Richard is 3-5 with a 5.49 earned-run average in 22 appearances over the last two seasons, while Kupillas is 4-3 with a 4.31 ERA in 23 career appearances. Both were eligible for the draft by virtue of having turned 21 years old prior to the draft.
