TicketsJune 8, 2007
CINCINNATI - Junior right-handed pitcher John Baird (Delaware, Ohio/Olentangy) was the first Bearcat taken in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft, going with the first pick in the 24th round (725 overall) to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Baird made 13 appearances, including 12 starts, posting a 2-4 record and a 6.44 ERA in his first year as a Bearcat. Baird played his freshman season at Dayton and his sophomore year at Birmingham Sourthern before transferring to Cincinnati. After picking up his first UC win on April 9 versus Marshall, Baird pitched a complete game and struck out a career-high six batters in a 6-2 win versus Connecticut in his BIG EAST debut.
"I am very excited for John," said UC head baseball coach Brian Cleary. "He is another example of a player that has come into our program, worked hard, and turned himself into a professional."
Baird, a native of the Columbus, Ohio area, was an all-conference and all-district selection in high school. He is a criminal justice major at UC and has another year of eligibility remaining.