MORGANTOWN — Former WVU standouts Jacob Watters and Victor Scott II were both selected on the second day of baseball’s amateur draft.
Watters, a right-handed pitcher, was taken in the fourth round by the Oakland Athletics with the No. 124th overall pick.
Scott, a speedy outfielder, was taken by the St. Louis Cardinals in the fifth round as the No. 157 overall selection.
The duo became the first Mountaineers pair to be taken in the top-five rounds of a draft since Rick Oliver (Milwaukee) and Rick Wagener (New York Mets) were chosen in the first and second rounds in 1971.
Both players were critical to the Mountaineers finishing 33-22 this season, including a school record 14 wins in Big 12 play.
Watters, ranked as the 154th-best prospect in the draft, pitched 18 games with 11 starts this season. He finished with a 3-7 record and a 6.22 ERA.
His fastball often hit 94-95 mph, which led to him striking out 79 batters over 59 1/3 innings pitched. His control was in question at times, as Watters had a team-high 41 walks.
Scott led the Mountaineers with 47 RBIs and a school-record 38 stolen bases. He batted .278 with six home runs and 12 doubles and started all 55 games.
In three seasons, Scott stole 62 bases and added 11 home runs and 75 RBIs.
Both Watters and Scott were invited to participate in the Major League Baseball Combine held June 14-20 in San Diego.
They both have college eligibility remaining, but were projected to begin their professional careers after being drafted.
As the 124th overall pick, Watters is projected to receive a signing bonus of around $483,000, according to that pick’s slot value.
Scott’s slot value at No. 157 overall was around $350,000.
Since Randy Mazey took over the program in 2013, WVU has had 34 players taken in the draft, including pitcher Alek Manoah in the first round in 2019.
The draft is 20 rounds this season and concludes with rounds 11-20 at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
WVU relief pitcher Trey Braithwaite and outfielder Austin Davis could be selected on the final day.
Braithwaite led the Mountaineers with eight saves this season. He is out of college eligibility and is currently pitching for the West Virginia Black Bears.
Davis was a first-team all-Big 12 selection this season after hitting .330 with four home runs, 26 RBIs and 29 stolen bases. He is eligible to return to college for another season.
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