TicketsJune 11, 2012
CINCINNATI — University of Cincinnati juniors Zach Isler (Union, Ky./Covington Catholic) and Jake Proctor (Cincinnati, Ohio/Oak Hills) have each signed contracts with their respective Major League Baseball clubs over the weekend, forgoing their fourth year of NCAA eligibility.
Isler, a 6-foot-5 right-handed pitcher, was drafted Tuesday in the eighth round (No. 261 overall) by the Chicago White Sox.
Proctor, a 6-foot-2 outfielder, was selected Wednesday by the Minnesota Twins in the 14th round (No. 430 overall).
Redshirt sophomore right-hander Christian McElroy (Middletown, Ohio/Monroe/Sinclair CC) was the third Bearcat taken in the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft last week, going to the hometown Cincinnati Reds in the 32nd round (No. 982). McElroy has until 5 p.m. July 13 to decide whether to return to UC, where he has two remaining seasons of eligibility, or sign a professional contract with the Reds.
Bearcats Near Top of BIG EAST Draft Picks: Cincinnati's three drafted student-athletes were tied for second in the BIG EAST Conference, trailing only St. John's University, which had five players selected last week.
UConn, Louisville, Notre Dame and USF were tied for second with UC with three picks apiece. Georgetown followed with two draftees, followed by Rutgers, Seton Hall and Villanova, which all had one player selected.
Pittsburgh and West Virginia were the only two schools who did not have a player chosen.
Below is the complete list of BIG EAST players taken in the 2012 MLB Draft:
| Team | Round | Pick | Name | School | Position | Class |
| Padres | 2 | 68 | Jeremy Baltz | St. John's | LF | Jr. |
| Mets | 3 | 107 | Matt Koch | Louisville | RHP | Jr. |
| Mariners | 4 | 131 | Patrick Kivlehan | Rutgers | 3B | Sr. |
| Rockies | 5 | 168 | Matthew Wessinger | St. John's | SS | Sr. |
| Rockies | 6 | 198 | Matt Carasiti | St. John's | RHP | Jr. |
| White Sox | 6 | 201 | Kyle Hansen | St. John's | RHP | Jr. |
| Reds | 6 | 202 | Joseph Hudson | Notre Dame | C | Jr. |
| White Sox | 8 | 261 | Zach Isler | Cincinnati | RHP | Jr. |
| Angels | 8 | 267 | Austin Adams | USF | RHP | Jr. |
| Twins | 9 | 280 | LJ Mazilli | UConn | 2B | Jr. |
| Nationals | 9 | 294 | Derek Self | Louisville | RHP | Sr. |
| Cubs | 12 | 374 | Justin Amlung | Louisville | RHP | Sr. |
| Twins | 14 | 430 | Jake Proctor | Cincinnati | OF | Jr. |
| D'Backs | 14 | 453 | Derrick Stultz | USF | RHP | R-Sr. |
| Rockies | 15 | 468 | Scott Oberg | UConn | RHP | Jr. |
| Nationals | 18 | 564 | David Fischer | UConn | RHP | Sr. |
| Rangers | 18 | 576 | Ryan Harvey | Seton Hall | RHP | Jr. |
| Brewers | 20 | 635 | Michael Garza | Georgetown | SS | Sr. |
| Nationals | 22 | 284 | Will Hudgins | Notre Dame | RHP | Sr. |
| Cardinals | 26 | 810 | Steven Sabatino | Notre Dame | LHP | Jr. |
| Twins | 29 | 880 | Sean Hagan | St. John's | LHP | Jr. |
| Cardinals | 30 | 930 | Kyle Helisek | Villanova | LHP | Sr. |
| Reds | 32 | 982 | Christian McElroy | Cincinnati | RHP | R-So. |
| D'Backs | 36 | 1113 | Andrew Barbosa | USF | LHP | Sr. |
| Royals | 39 | 1183 | Justin Leeson | Georgetown | OF | Jr. |
UC Recruit Drafted: Incoming UC signee Mitchell Patishall, a right-handed pitcher from Pendleton Heights, Ind., was drafted by the White Sox in the 36th round (No. 1101 overall). He has until the July 13 deadline to either sign a professional contract or enroll at Cincinnati for his freshman year.