Durham Agrees to Sign with Toronto Blue Jays

June 15, 2009

CINCINNATI - After being drafted in the 14th round of the 2009 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday, June 10, University of Cincinnati junior Lance Durham (Forest Park, Ohio/Roger Bacon) has agreed to sign with the Blue Jays foregoing his final year of eligibility.

"Lance had a record-setting year for us this year and was a big contributor for our team," head coach Brian Cleary said. "We are thrilled for Lance and even though we are sad to see him go, we are all rooting for him as he begins his pro career."

Durham set the UC single-season records for hits with 99, breaking Kevin Youkilis' record of 96 hits set in 1999, and also set the single-season batting average record hitting .427, bettering Mark Gabbard's record of .413 in 1993 by 14 points. Durham finished second on the team with nine home runs and 53 RBI.

For his efforts, Durham was a second-team all-BIG EAST honoree and a Pro-

Line/NCBWA Third-Team All-America selection. "I'm going to miss being around the guys and the coaches as they have made this season one of the best seasons I've had," Durham said. "You could not ask for a better place to play baseball than UC."